Matthew 10 Devotional0

Matthew 10:1-15, 40-43

• Reflect on elevation of the disciples as they were now given the same ministry that Jesus was regularly conducting.  How should this impact my view of myself as a disciple of Jesus, given that I have been entrusted with the same ministry?

Matthew 10:16-36

• What warnings did Jesus give to his disciples?  What did Jesus tell them to expect?
• How much can I relate to this?  What does this say regarding the level of my commitment to follow Jesus?
• Are there ways in which I have tried to run away from the very situations that Jesus told his disciples to expect?
• What will cause a person to “stand firm to the end” despite persecutions and rejections?

Matthew 10:34-39

“… the reader should not miss the claim that loyalty to Jesus has priority over even the closest human relationships and life itself….  Discipleship is represented not as adding on another worthy cause to one’s list of obligations, but a giving of self that is the ultimate self-fulfillment.”^[1]

• What is required of me to be worthy of Jesus?
• How does this challenge the notion that Christian life should blend comfortably with life’s other pursuits, and the social claims that close relations and traditional obligations have on me?

Additional Questions:

Matthew 10:9-10

“The disciples needed to learn the principle that ‘the worker is worth his keep’ (cf. 1Cor 9:14; 1Tim 5:17-18) and to shun luxury while learning to rely on God’s providence through the hospitality of those who would take them in overnight, thus obviating the need for a second cloak.

What is clear is that the Twelve must travel unencumbered, relying on hospitality and God’s providence. The details ensure that the instructions were for that mission alone (cf. Luke 22:35-38) and confirm Matthew’s consciousness of the historicity of this part of the discourse.”[2]

• How might the disciples have felt upon hearing Jesus’ command to take nothing along for the journey?
• What is it about the Gospel message that makes the worker “worth his keep?”
• How can I develop a pattern of trusting in God’s provisions for my Christian journey?

Matthew 10:11-15

• Notice that Jesus anticipates that in each town or village there would be “some worthy person” who would host the traveling ministers.  What perspective does this give for my evangelistic endeavors?
• What warning does this passage hold for me about heeding God’s word and the messengers he sends?

Matthew 10:16

• In what way is the Christian’s situation like that of “sheep among wolves,” so that we need to be “shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves?”  (In other words, what is the picture of Christian life being depicted by these words?)
• What would be the attitude of someone today who understands his/her Christian life in these terms?
• Assess the degree to which I accept a sense of feeling embattled as a part of normal Christian life.

Matthew 10:17-20

• How does this passage show that Christians do not face persecutions alone?
• What persecutions have I faced because of my faith and in what ways did I experience the presence of the Spirit?

Matthew 10:24-28

• Who are the people Jesus says to not fear?
• Have I experienced others slandering or demonizing me?  What has been my reaction to them?  Does my reaction display trust in what Jesus is saying in this passage?
• What can I learn about the nature of truth through this text?

Matthew 10:28-33

• What are the different kinds of fears that are listed in this passage?  What is the relationship between the fear of “the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” and the rest of the fears in this text?
• What are the fears in my life that prevent me from “[acknowledging Jesus] before men?”

Matthew 10:34-36

“As many Jews in Jesus’ day thought the coming of Messiah would bring them political peace and material prosperity, so today many in the church think that Jesus’ presence will bring them a kind of tranquility. But Jesus insisted that his mission entailed strife and division. Prince of Peace though he is (see on 5:9), the world will so violently reject him and his reign that men and women will divide over him.” [3]

• Why would Jesus’ presence on earth “turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law?”
• Are there ways in which I am seeking to live a life of “peace” as a Christian, contrary to the words of this text?

Matthew 10:40-42

• How do I feel about the fact that Jesus said, “He who receives you receives me?”
• What is revealed about Jesus’ heart in his specific mention of the “little ones”?
• Who are the people that Jesus asks us to receive?

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[1] Leander Keck, New Interpreter’s Bible Volume 8: New Testament Articles, Matthew, Mark (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995) 262.

[2] Kenneth L. Barker and John R. Kohlenberger III, Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary CD, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994) Notes on Matthew 10.

[3] Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992)