Sermon Tone Analysis

Date: 2022-04-24

Audience: Grass Valley Corps

Title: Wage Peace

Text: Matthew 10 (all)

Proposition: Jesus sent his followers to wage peace in the midst of rebellion

Purpose: Trust God and do the same

Grace and peace

Headlines the last several weeks have been filled with stories of war and pictures of suffering and death.

Can be hard to know how to respond.

As a follower of Jesus, when I wonder what I should do, I look to the instructions he gave to his earliest followers to see if it might give me guidance.

And in Matthew chapter 10, when Jesus starts sending his followers out into the world, we find a set of instructions which give us some idea of what he might say to us today.

Remember, he’s focused on explaining what it means for someone to live in the Kingdom of God.

In this chapter, he’s sending people out to bring that message of peace and community and family to those who haven’t had a chance to hear it yet.

And summoning his twelve disciples, he gave them authority over unclean spirits, so that they could expel them* and could heal every disease and every sickness.

2 Now these are the names of the twelve apostles: 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 tax collector, James the sonof Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot—the one who also betrayed him.

[1]

I’m using the Lexham English Bible today, because it’s more literal translation does a better job with a couple of phrases in our passage for today, but if you’re using the NIV or KJV or other widely accepted modern English translation you will find that even though a few words might be different, the meaning behind them is the same.

Remember that Jesus was being followed by a crowd of disciples at this point.

It wasn’t just these twelve guys!

These men became the key group who would be responsible for carrying the message of Jesus out to the world.

Why twelve?

Meaningful to Israel – 12 tribes – stood for all the people of God at this time.

Jesus, according to Matthew’s story, has already made it clear that his teaching was open to EVERYONE, not just Israel, but the message was coming to Israel first because they were the people God had chosen to work through to bring his message to the world.

These Twelve represented the original twelve, a true remnant of God’s people and God’s promises, and for many this would have made them a legitimate spiritual core to build a new spiritual reality out of.

All were men.

Jesus had female disciples – one of the things that set him apart!

– but in their culture women were not well accepted as teachers.

While Jesus would point towards the need and means to change that, in this instance Jewish men were going to be more effective.

Effectiveness for the mission at hand may have been why he chose who he did in other ways too.

These were mostly Galileans, and we will see in a moment that he was sending them specifically to reach people in the province of Galilee.

They were also good representatives of the average person.

We’ve got fishermen, representing a kind of working class, but also a middle-class kind of lifestyle, the way we would describe it now.

We’ve got a tax collector, probably wealthier, but definitely part of the political elite.

Tax collectors were hated and treated by most as representatives of Rome, traitors to their own people.

They would have been more comfortable among the power brokers and civil servants.

And we have a zealot, which at this point would have been reflective of the opposite political extreme from a tax man.

He’d have been more comfortable in back-alley gatherings, hanging with the put on and powerless.

Quite a group.

I bet their discussions got a little heated at times when they forgot to keep their eyes on Jesus.

Which, from what we know, was pretty often.

5 Jesus sent out these twelve, instructing them saying, “Do not go on the road to the Gentiles, and do not enter into a city of the Samaritans, 6 but go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.[2]

Translation issue:

NIV – Don’t go “among” the Gentiles

NLT – Don’t go “to” the Gentiles

Literal trans from Gk says what LEB says – “Don’t go ‘on the road to’ the Gentiles.

Jesus talking about an actual road!

He’s giving them a direction about how far they can/should go on this trip.

When he says not to go into a Samaritan city, same thing.

Not telling them to avoid Samaritans, telling them to stay in Galilee!

People read these weak English translations and think that Jesus is saying there are people who aren’t worth taking the gospel to when all he’s doing is the same as every parent: setting boundaries.

At mall this weekend in Claire’s.

Told son he could wait outside, but needed to be where I could see him outside the store.

He hasn’t been to a mall before, I’m not about to turn him loose to wander on his own yet.

Same deal here!

Jesus sending his disciples out to carry his message, but he’s keeping them in the same general area he’s going to, for now.

Later he’ll send them to other places, further places, even to the ends of the earth, but for now, stick to Galilee, just the northern province of Israel.

What is he sending them to do?

7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’

8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.

Freely you have received; freely give.

[3]

What is the message they are carrying?

Same as Jesus!

In fact, it is Jesus’ message.

The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

Gives them the authority to act as his agents – send them with power to do the same signs they have seen him do.

This is what it means to be a disciple: To do as the teacher shows.

BTW, it doesn’t cost you to do these things, so don’t charge for them.

9 “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts—10 no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep.

11 Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave.

12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting.

13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you.[4]

They were expected to freely share what they had, but it was also expected that those they brought good news and wholeness to would share with them, meeting their needs.

This is an instruction to live simply.

Not in it for the money!

Were to find someone who would take them in and give them a place to stay.

Then stay there!

Not hop away when or if a better offer comes along!

That would shame the person they originally stayed with, which is COUNTER to the message.

Take special note of that, BTW.

SHAMING SOMEONE IS COUNTER TO THE MESSAGE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

[Why my grandmother didn’t go to church]

Instead of shame, agents of Jesus are to bring peace.

Peace = Eirene= shalom = restoration/wholeness

When invited in, disciples were to share this blessing – not just words!

If they or the message of Jesus wasn’t accepted, they are to let that peace return to them – means to go in peace.

It doesn’t mean to turn and curse them or to take away what you have given.

Simply accept that they are not interested or willing to accept what has been offered and move on.

Jesus offers this advice and instruction, should that circumstance arrive:

14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.

15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

[5]

I’ve heard preachers make a big deal out of this gesture.

In later centuries, some rabbis taught that when you left a Gentile country you were to shake the dust off your feet as a sign that you were shedding the uncleanness of the place you had been.

But that wasn’t a practice at this time.

Instead, it seems to be Jesus saying that if this happens, his agents should just let it go.

Don’t take the situation with them.

Don’t be angry.

If anything, mourn for those who reject the Kingdom, because that will cost them so much more that they realize.

This whole passage is really about hospitality and how it was supposed to work in those days.

When someone in need came by, you were to offer them the aid you could provide.

If someone entered your home, you were to do all you could to make them comfortable and cared for.

You were to protect them, even if to was at some cost or risk to your own family.