ST MATTHEW
CHAPTER 10
Christ instructs, empowers, and sends the Twelve Apostles forth to preach, minister, and heal the sick—Those who receive them, receive the Lord.
[ The first training meeting for the newly called quorum of Twelve. ]
1 AND when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power [ Jesus gives them the power and authority to perform the same miracles that he has done, to act in his name. ] against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
2 Now the names of the twelve apostles [ Whoa wait a minute we need to go to Luke 6:12-13 there we will see that before Jesus called the 12 he went up to a mountain and prayed during the day and into the night to know whom to call as apostles. First use of the word apostles I believe. "apostolov", an apostle, comes from apostellw, I send a message. The word was anciently used to signify a person commissioned by a king to negotiate any affair between him and any other power or people. It is interesting that before this point they were called his disciples. Suggesting that one should first learn to intimate, that we need to be first taught of God, before we can be sent from God. Jesus Christ never made an apostle of any man who was not first his scholar or disciple. ] are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; [ Tax collector. He is the writer of the Book of Matthew. ] James the son of Alphaeus,[ Also called Cleopas, or Clopas. ], and Lebbaeus, whose surname [ Last name - family name. ] was Thaddaeus;
4 Simon the Canaanite, [ This does not say "a canaanite" but says "the" so the use of the word is not put here to signify his lineage, as it is elsewhere in the bible; but it is formed from the Hebrew "anq kana", which means zealous, literally translated as zelotes, or the zealous, probably from his great fervency in preaching the Gospel of his Master. But see "Luke 6:15". ] ,[ He was third son of Alpheus, and brother of James and Jude, or Judas, chap. 13:55. ] and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.[ So the betrayal did not belong to Judas alone. How do we betray the Savior in our own little ways? ].
5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, [ It is important to look at thise group and discover that they come from very different walks of life, they are all very different in the way that they would have thought and been brought up. They are not all yes men. some where even called from the beginning knowing that one would later betray the Savior. ] and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: [ Don't take the gospel to the gentiles yet. ]
6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. [ The Jewish Church was the ancient fold of God; but the sheep had wandered from their Shepherd, and were lost as to how and what they needed to do in order to return to him. ].
7 And as ye go, preach, [ Look for the opportunities. ] saying, The kingdom of heaven [ The celestial kingdom. ] is at hand. [ Is available to you today through the gospel. ]
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: [ Do as you have seen me do. ] freely ye have received, freely give.
[ As you have seen me done and been a part of, so do yourself. ]
9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
[ This would suggest that you have more than you need at any moment and you therefore need a place to store it. ]
10 Nor scrip [ A bag that contained food and provisions. ] for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. [ Your meals will be provide by your new employer - the Lord. You have to eat yes, but learn to trust that the Lord will provide so the main objective of the work is not to be able to acquire what you need. ]
11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it [ In the town. ] is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. [ Stay with the righteous. ]
12 And when ye come into an house, salute it. [ Bless it see Luke 10:5 when you enter first say "peace be to this house". ]
13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: [ Knock on the door and let the people inside determine if they are worthy to hear the message or not. ] : but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
[ If they are not, take no offense, just move on because there is someone down the street who is - go find them. ]
14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. [ A witness that they had the chance to hear the gospel but choose not to accept it. ]
15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. [ The Lord destroyed those 2 cities for rejecting God; he will destroy those also who do not accept his servant's. ]
16 ¶ Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, [ Use honest cunning to get into the homes and teach; use your head and all of the skills with which you are blessed. ] and harmless as doves. [ Without guile. ]
17 But beware of men: [ Be careful of the wicked. ] for they will deliver you up to the councils, [ Try to have you tried in the courts and arrested sunedria, sanhedrins and synagogues. See v. 22. "By synagogues we may understand here, not the places of public worship, but assemblies where three magistrates, chosen out of the principal members of the synagogue, presided to adjust differences among the people: these had power, in certain cases, to condemn to the scourge, but not to death. ] and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake,[ Can you imagine being called to be a apostle of Jesus and now he is telling you, a fisherman that you will be standing in front of governors and kings. Or the Roman proconsuls, the governors of provinces, and the kings who were under the direction of the Roman government. ], for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
19 But when they [ The wicked. ] deliver you up, [ The righteous, when they arrest you. ] take no thought how or what ye shall speak: [ "mh merimnhsete" or "Be not anxiously careful". The idea is that is you are to anxious about what you are going to say ten you will not be receptive to the direction that you will receive from the spirit in the moment that you need to say it. Such anxiety creates distrust in God, and in such a state one is not fit to proclaim the truth. ] for it shall be given you [ By the spirit, by the power of the Holy Ghost. ] in that same hour what ye shall speak.
21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: [ Because you are doing my work they will hate you because they hate me and my work. ] but he that endureth to the end [ Stays faithful; completes the work either to the end of his or her assignment; and or to the end of their life. ] shall be saved.
23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: [ Don't just sit around and wait for things to change, because you are barely going to have enough time to get to as many are waiting for you, looking for you. Before the time is come. ] for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the son of man [ Or the son Of The Man Of Holiness see Moses 6:57. ] be come. [ There is so much work to be done and will not all be done at the second coming - hence the need for the millennium Doc NT Commentary McConkie Vol 1 p 332. ]
24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. [ Or A scholar is not above his teacher. we will have to go through much persecution as the Savior did before the end is here. If Jesus was persecuted then why do you suppose that you will not be persecuted as well? Why do you think that you are above it. When Joseph Smith was faced with persecution the answer that he was given was I(Jesus) have been persecuted, nothing will happen to you more than has happened to me. So don't worry - is there any reason why it should be different? ]
25 It is enough for the disciple that he be [ See Matt 10: 25 footnote a. ] as his master, and the servant as his lord. [ We all inherit the exact same things as we become joint heirs with Christ. ] If they have called the master of the house [ Christ ] Beelzebub, [ Satan or the Devil - evil. It is supposed that this idol was the same with bwbz l[b Baalzebub the god fly, worshipped at Ekron, 2 Kings i. 2, who had his name changed afterwards by the Jews to "lwbz l[b Baal zebul", the dung god, a title expressive of the utmost contempt. It seems probable that the worship of this vile idol continued even to the time of our Lord; and the title, being applied by the Jews to the Savior. ] how much more shall they call them of his household?
26 Fear them not therefore: [ Why? Because we are working for our eternal salvation and they cannot take that away ] for there is nothing covered, [ Evil or done in secret. ] that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. [ See 2 Ne. 9:14. ]
27 What I tell you in darkness, [ Private. ] that speak ye in light: [ In public. ] and what ye hear in the ear, [ What I whisper; speak or say to you in the spirit. The doctor who explained the law in Hebrew had an interpreter always by him, in whose ears he softly whispered what he said; this interpreter spoke aloud what had been thus whispered to him. ] that preach ye upon the housetops. [ See 19 further direction that he will through the spirit teach us; tell us what he would have use say if we are in tune, and that is what you should preach to the people. ]
28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.[ "thv boulhv", the will or counsel of the Father. ].
32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men,[ Those who prefer worldly interest to their duty to God, setting a greater value on earthly than on heavenly things. ], him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.