Matthew 10 is the tenth chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament section of the Christian Bible. Matthew 10 comes after Jesus had called some of his disciples and before the meeting with the disciples of John the Baptist. This section is also known as the Mission Discourse or the Little Commission, in contrast to the Great Commission . The Little Commission is directed specifically to the Jewish believers of the early church, while the Great Commission is to all nationalities. The Pulpit Commentary suggests that Jesus' message in this discourse "was hardly likely to have been remembered outside Jewish Christian circles". Matthew names the twelve apostles, or "twelve disciples", in verses 1 to 4 and the remainder of the chapter consists almost entirely of sayings attributed to Jesus. In this chapter, Jesus sends out the apostles to heal and preach throughout the region and gives them careful instruction. Many of the sayings found in Matthew 10 are also found in Luke 10 and the Gospel of Thomas, which is not part of the accepted canon of the New Testament.
"Bag" : Called "tarmil" in Hebrew as found in one Jewish commentary, it is a large leather bag, which shepherds and travelers carried their food, and other things, hanging it around their necks. The disciples were neither to carry money with them, nor any provisions for their journey.
"Two tunics" : supposedly one to wear during travel, and another to put on, when they came to their quarters. Theologian John Gill suggests that "the disciples were not allowed change of raiment, either because superfluous, or too magnificent to appear in, or too troublesome to carry".
"Shoes": only sandals are allowed, according to the Gospel of Mark. There seems to be a difference between shoes and sandals, as appears from the case of the plucking off the shoe, when a man refused his brother's wife: if the "shoe" was plucked off it was regarded; but if the "sandal", it was not minded: this was the old tradition, though custom went against it. Sandals were made of harder leather than shoes, and sometimes of wood covered with leather, and stuck with nails, to make them more durable; though sometimes of bulrushes, and bark of palm trees, and of cork, which were light to walk with. Of what sort these were, the disciples were allowed to travel with, is not certain.
"Staffs" : that is, more than one staff, which was sufficient to assist and lean upon during the journey. According to Mark, one staff was allowed, as though they might take a traveling staff, but not staffs for defense or to fight with. Now these several things were forbidden them, partly because they would be burdensome to them in traveling; and partly because they were not to be out any long time, but were quickly to return again; and mainly to teach them to live and depend upon divine providence. Since they were to take neither money, nor provisions with them, and were also to preach the Gospel freely, they might reasonably ask how they should be provided for, and supported, so Jesus said, that they should not be anxiously concerned about that, as he would take care that they had a suitable supply and would so influence and dispose the minds of such, to whom they should minister, as that they should have all necessary provisions made for them, without any care or expense of theirs.
"For a worker is worthy of his food" : Jesus uses this proverbial expression to remark that the disciples are workmen, or laborers in his vineyard, and for doing their duty, they were entitled to all the necessaries of life. This is their due and justified to give it to them, and on which they might depend. So that this whole context is so far from militating against a minister's maintenance by the people, that it most strongly establishes it; for if the apostles were not to take any money or provisions with them, to support themselves with, it clearly follows, that it was the will of Christ, that they should live by the Gospel, upon those to whom they preached and though they were not to make gain of the Gospel, or preach it for filthy lucre's sake, yet they might expect a comfortable subsistence, at the charge of the people, to whom they ministered, and which was their duty to provide for them.
Verse 13
Commentator Dale Allison suggests that "your peace" refers to the peace promised "for the eschatological age" : How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace. "The gift of peace is not just a social convention: the apostolic greeting should be understood as a sign of the inbreaking of the kingdom."
Verse 18
Cross references:
Verse 21
This prophecy of family strife is based upon, which was thought to describe the discord of the latter days. The conviction that the great tribulation would turn those of the same household against one another was widespread.
Verse 34
This is a much-discussed passage, often explained in terms of the "apocalyptic-eschatological" context of the 1st century. R. T. France explains the verse, in context with the subsequent verse 35: "The sword Jesus brings is not here military conflict, but, as vv. 35–36 show, a sharpsocial division which even severs the closest family ties. … Jesus speaks here, as in the preceding and following verses, more of a division in men’s personal response to him." The text of Matthew's Gospel in the Book of Kells alters gladium, the Vulgate translation of makhairan "sword", to gaudium "joy", resulting in a reading of "I came not to bring peace, but joy".
Verse 38
"Take his cross": is in the sense of "willingly to undergo the severe trials that fall to his lot" ; a figurative expression taken from the practice that "condemned criminals were compelled to take up their own cross and carry it to the place of execution"
Parallels in the Gospel of Thomas
Matthew 10 contains many parallels found in the Gospel of Thomas.
Matthew 10:16 parallels saying 39 in the Gospel of Thomas.
