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The Lord’s word in Matt. 10 is a word spoken to the sent ones. In Matt. 10:16-42; 11:1 many things are brought to the surface. By seeing these things, we shall be able to understand the situation in which we find ourselves today.
In verses 16 and 17 the Lord predicted the persecution that would come from Judaism upon His apostles. The heavenly King’s prediction here concerning the persecution of His apostles by Judaism indicated that the kingdom He was establishing through His apostles’ preaching would be rejected by Judaism. This also proves that His kingdom is not earthly but heavenly.
Verse 16 says, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves; become therefore prudent as serpents and guileless as doves.” The Lord’s apostles, as sheep, not as serpents, in the midst of wolves, need to be prudent as serpents to escape the hurt of the wolves, but guileless as doves not to hurt others.
The Lord’s word reveals that the whole world is under the usurping hand of the enemy and thus opposes God’s economy. The entire world, whether the Jewish world or the Gentile world, opposes God’s kingdom. Verse 17 says, “But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to Sanhedrins, and in their synagogues they will scourge you.” This verse indicates that even the Jewish nation had been fully taken over by God’s enemy. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, this nation belonged to God in name, but not in actuality. Therefore, in verse 17 the Lord spoke of persecution coming from the Sanhedrin and the synagogues. The Sanhedrin was the highest council among the children of Israel. The Sanhedrin’s function was to see that the Jews followed the law of the Old Testament. The synagogue was a place where the Word of God was taught to the children of Israel. It is very significant that the Lord exposed the Sanhedrin and the synagogues as being opposed to God’s economy. He said that His apostles, His sent ones, would be delivered up to Sanhedrins and scourged in the synagogues. A synagogue is obviously not a theater, a casino, or an idol temple. In a sense, it was a holy place, a place where the holy Word of God was taught to God’s people. Nevertheless, the Lord said that the apostles of the King of the heavens would be scourged even in the synagogues. By this we see what an evil thing the synagogue had become. Although the Jews went there to learn the Word of God, those in the synagogues persecuted the apostles of the heavenly King. Furthermore, the Sanhedrin, organized with the intention of overseeing the children of Israel in the matter of keeping the Scriptures, was a place that would also oppose the apostles of the heavenly King.
The situation is the same today. If the ancient Sanhedrin and synagogues opposed the King’s sent ones, then how about the system of today’s religion? If we are truly the ones sent by the heavenly King, we shall be opposed by today’s religious organizations just as the apostles were opposed by Judaism. In ancient times the apostles were persecuted not primarily by the Gentiles, but by the so-called holy people in the Sanhedrin and in the synagogues. In our experience throughout the years, nearly all the persecution, rumors, opposition, and attack have come from the religious organizations, not from the Gentiles.
According to verse 16, the Lord Jesus likened those in the Sanhedrin and in the synagogues to wolves, saying that He was sending out His apostles “as sheep in the midst of wolves.” Can you believe that those in the Sanhedrin and in the synagogues, the ones who expounded and taught the holy Word of God and exhorted others to obey it, were wolves? If the Lord Jesus had not said this Himself, I certainly would not believe it. Rather, I would say, “Those in the Sanhedrin and in the synagogues may have made some mistakes, but they are certainly God’s people, for daily they talk about the Scriptures and teach people to fear God, to worship God, to honor God, and to glorify God. They’re not that bad. How can you say that they are wolves?” But the Lord Jesus called them wolves. At that time, the wolves spoken of in verse 16 were those in the Sanhedrins and in the synagogues mentioned in verse 17.
Saul of Tarsus studied at the feet of Gamaliel, a great Bible teacher, “a teacher of the law, honored by all the people” (Acts 22:3; 5:34). Gamaliel was one of the leaders in the Sanhedrin. Was Gamaliel for God? Yes, he was. He feared God and he was for God, but he was in an environment that was absolutely against God’s economy. He was part of a system, the Sanhedrin, that opposed God. It has been the same down through the centuries until today. No matter how much certain ones are for God, they are in a system, an organization, which is against God’s economy. In Revelation 2:9 and 3:9 the Lord Jesus spoke of “the synagogue of Satan.” In Matthew 10 the Lord indicated that there were wolves in the synagogues, and in Revelation He spoke of the synagogue of Satan. This indicated that the synagogues had become satanic.
The Lord Jesus did not come firstly to the Gentile world. He came to a nation that was supposed to be the holy people of God. This nation had the holy Scriptures, the holy city, the holy temple, the holy priesthood, and the holy sacrifices. He came to this nation with the purpose of establishing the kingdom of the heavens. It seems that there should have been no difficulty whatever. But when this heavenly King was sending out His apostles for the spread of His ministry, He warned them that He was sending them out as sheep in the midst of wolves. The Lord seemed to be saying, “Those in the Sanhedrin, the ones who care for the holy Scriptures, will persecute you, and those in the synagogue, the ones who teach the Word of God, will scourge you. Be careful! They are not the holy people of God — they are wolves. They are not for God; they are against Him.” Suppose you were among those Jews sent out by the heavenly King and you heard that those in the Sanhedrin and in the synagogues were wolves. Would you not be shocked? Nevertheless, this is exactly what the Lord was saying here. The Lord did not say that the soldiers in the Roman army were wolves, but that those in the Sanhedrin and in the synagogues, those handling the Word of God and teaching it to God’s people, were wolves. Throughout the centuries, the situation has been the same in principle.
In 9:36 the Lord likened the people to sheep. Among the children of Israel, there were both sheep and wolves. These wolves were in the Sanhedrin and in the synagogues. They were cultured wolves, civilized wolves, religious wolves. Those wolves knew the Bible rather well. Although they could quote verses and worship God according to the Scriptures, the Lord Jesus did not consider them as sheep, but as wolves. Therefore, at the time of Matthew 10, there was a complicated situation among the children of Israel, for the sheep and the wolves were mixed together. There was no problem as long as the sheep went along with the wolves. However, the Shepherd came and sent out the undershepherds to collect the sheep. If we read these chapters carefully, we shall see that the gathering of the sheep is the reaping of the harvest. All the sheep, the harvest, were scattered among the wolves and mixed in with the wolves. When the sheep desired to go with the undershepherds sent by the Shepherd, the wolves would rise up and say, “What! You are proselytizing. You are stirring up the sheep!” In this way the wolf nature is exposed, and the wolves attack the undershepherds. Hence, the Lord said that, as sheep in the midst of wolves, His sent ones must be prudent as serpents and guileless as doves. When the wolves attack, the sent ones must be prudent as serpents to escape. At the same time, they should also be as harmless as doves.
Verse 18 says, “And you shall be brought before governors and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them and to the nations.” No doubt this refers to the Gentiles. Thus, the Lord indicated that God’s kingdom would be opposed not only by the Jewish religious world but also by the Gentile secular world. Eventually, the apostles were brought before the Roman governors and kings. They were persecuted, and they became a testimony. This reveals that both the religious world and the political world are the same in opposing the kingdom of the heavens, for both are under the usurping hand of God’s enemy. The intention of the heavenly King is to establish His kingdom on earth within the territory of religion and politics. This will certainly arouse opposition and persecution.
In verses 19 and 20 the Lord said, “But when they deliver you up, do not be anxious about how or what you shall speak; for it shall be given to you in that hour what you shall speak; for you are not the ones speaking, but the Spirit of your Father is the One speaking in you.” The apostles have not only the authority of the heavenly King (v. 1), but also the Spirit of their heavenly Father. The King’s authority deals with the unclean spirits and diseases; the Father’s Spirit deals with the opposers’ persecution. The Lord was charging His sent ones not to speak from themselves whenever they met persecution. He seemed to be saying, “Don’t be anxious, and don’t talk from yourselves. The Spirit of your Father is with you.” As long as we have the Spirit of the Lord, we have the presence of the Lord. The presence of the Lord here is the Spirit for speaking. We should learn to face persecution not in ourselves, but learn to turn to our spirit and trust the indwelling Spirit. We must believe that the Father’s Spirit is with us and that He will deal with the opposers and persecutors. This is not an easy thing to learn. We must face opposition and confront attack, not in ourselves, but by turning to our spirit where the Spirit of God dwells. We must trust in Him, let Him lead us, and let Him do the speaking.
The Lord also told His sent ones that they would be hated by their relatives. Verse 21 says, “And brother will deliver up brother to death, and father his child, and children will rise up against parents and put them to death.” To be the heavenly King’s apostles for the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom, the sent ones must suffer the breaking of the closest human ties.
In verse 22 the Lord continued, “And you will be hated by all because of My name; but he who endures to the end, he shall be saved.” To be saved here does not mean to be saved from hell. It may include being saved from those who hate, but eventually it means to be saved into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, a reward to the overcoming believers. It is to be saved from dispensational punishment during the millennium. This differs from eternal salvation as revealed in Ephesians 2:8.
Verse 23 says, “And when they persecute you in this city, flee into another; for truly I say to you, you shall by no means complete the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.” This word was not fulfilled by the twelve apostles’ preaching before Christ’s crucifixion. It will not be fulfilled until the great tribulation (24:21). What is predicted in verses 17 through 23 is very similar to 24:9-13. Here the heavenly King sent the apostles to preach the gospel of the kingdom to the Jews. After His resurrection, He sent His apostles to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. After the fullness of the salvation of the Gentiles, He will send His apostles to preach the gospel of the kingdom to the Jews again. At that time this word will be fulfilled, and He will come.
In verse 24 the King said to His sent ones, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his lord.” According to the context, the word here means that in suffering persecution His apostles cannot be above Him, because His persecution was to the uttermost.
Verse 25 says, “It is sufficient that he become as his teacher, and the slave as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more those of his household!” Beelzebub means “the lord of the flies,” the name of the god of the Ekronites (2 Kings 1:2). It was changed in contempt by the Jews to Baalzebel, which means lord of the dunghill, and used for the ruler of the demons (12:24, 27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15, 18-19). The Pharisees, the leading ones of the Jewish religion, reviled the heavenly King by saying that He cast out demons by the ruler of demons (9:34). This most blasphemous name expressed their strongest contempt and rejection.
In verses 26 and 27 the King told His sent ones not to fear the persecutors, but rather to speak in the light and to preach on the housetops. In verse 28 He said, “And do not fear those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but fear rather Him Who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” God is the only One who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. This word implies that if the apostles sent by the Lord fail in the suffering of persecution, they will be disciplined by God. This will transpire in the coming age, after the judgment at the judgment seat of Christ, when believers will receive reward or punishment (2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 22:12).
In verses 32 and 33 the Lord said, “Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I also will confess him before My Father Who is in the heavens; but whoever shall deny Me before men, I also will deny him before My Father Who is in the heavens.” This word was spoken by the heavenly King to His apostles who were sent by Him to preach the gospel of the kingdom. He foretold that they would be persecuted (vv. 17, 21-23). If anyone under persecution denies Him, He will deny him. This will transpire at His coming back (16:27). To be denied or confessed by Him at that time determines whether or not His apostles are worthy to enter the kingdom of the heavens in the coming age as a reward. Here the King seemed to be saying, “If you are afraid of this persecution and do not confess My name before the persecutors, I will not confess your name before the Father when I come back and the millennium begins.” This means that such a person will be put into the outer darkness (25:30) and will not participate in the manifestation of the kingdom.
In verse 34 the Lord Jesus said, “Do not suppose that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” The whole earth is under Satan’s usurpation (1 John 5:19). The heavenly King came to call some out from his usurpation. This certainly aroused Satan’s opposition. Satan instigated the people under his usurpation to fight against the heavenly King’s called ones. Thus, the King’s coming did not bring peace, but a sword. In order for the kingdom of the heavens to be established, there must be a confrontation between the kingdom of the heavens and the kingdom of the world. These two kingdoms cannot co-exist. Because the heavenly King is establishing His kingdom on earth, warfare between these two kingdoms is inevitable.
In verses 35 and 36 the Lord said, “For I came to set a man against his father and a daughter against her mother and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies shall be those of his household.” The fighting instigated by the usurping Satan against the heavenly King’s called ones is waged even in their household. The heavenly called ones are attacked in their homes by their kindred who remain under the evil one’s usurping hand. When some are attracted and caught by the heavenly King and decide to follow Him, some in their family may be instigated by Satan to fight against them, even to kill them.
Let me tell you about a brother who was persecuted by his unbelieving wife. This man had an excellent job with the customs office of the government, and he was quite wealthy. After he was brought to the Lord, his wife began to persecute him. One night, this brother invited several of us to his home for dinner. Whenever her husband invited his colleagues from work to dinner, the wife was very happy and prepared the best food. But now as a believer her husband had invited some of the church people to their home. On the night he invited us, she purposely did not cook. Rather, she set cold leftovers on the table. The brother looked at us with tears in his eyes. We looked at him and said, “Praise the Lord! This dinner is delicious. Let us all eat.” Then we proceeded to eat all those leftovers. This was an example of his wife’s persecution.
Those sent by the Lord must realize that persecution awaits them. The Lord Jesus does not leave us in darkness. Rather, he makes the whole situation very clear. The Jewish nation is full of opposers, and even the relatives of the sent ones will rise up in opposition; they will even kill the followers of the heavenly King.
In verses 37 through 39 we have the way to follow the heavenly King. In verse 37 the Lord said, “He who loves father or mother above Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter above Me is not worthy of Me.” Our love must be absolute for the Lord. In our love nothing should be above Him. He is the One absolutely worthy of our love, and we must be worthy of Him.
Verse 38 continues, “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” Christ was crucified by taking the Father’s will (26:39, 42). When He was baptized, He was counted as crucified, and from that time He bore His cross to do the will of God. His called ones were identified with Him. He asked them to take their cross and follow after Him, that is, to take the will of God by putting themselves aside. This demanded that they, at any cost, give their love first to Him that they might be worthy of Him.
Verse 39 says, “He who finds his soul-life shall lose it, and he who loses his soul-life for My sake shall find it.” To find the soul-life is to allow the soul to have its enjoyment and not to suffer. To lose the soul-life is to cause the soul to suffer the loss of its enjoyment. If the heavenly King’s followers allow their soul to have its enjoyment in this age, they will cause their soul to suffer the loss of its enjoyment in the coming kingdom age. If they allow their soul to suffer the loss of its enjoyment in this age for the King’s sake, they will cause their soul to have its enjoyment in the coming kingdom age, that is, to share the King’s joy in ruling over the earth (25:21, 23).
In 10:40—11:1 we have the matter of identification with the heavenly King. Verse 40 says, “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him Who sent Me.” The apostles sent by the heavenly King, having been entrusted with His authority (v. 1) and peace (v. 13) and having been indwelt by the Spirit of the Father (v. 20) and identified with the King in His suffering (vv. 22, 24-25) and death (vv. 21, 34-39), were one with Him. Thus, he who receives them receives Him. To participate in such an identification with the heavenly King requires us to love Him above all, at any cost, and to follow Him by taking the narrow way of the cross, as revealed in verses 37 through 39. Not only do the sent ones have the King’s authority and peace and the Spirit of the Father, but they are also one with the King and are identified with Him. To receive the King’s sent ones means to receive the King Himself, because the sent ones are identified with the King. This is an encouragement to those who are sent. In the Lord’s recovery we have the authority, the peace, the Spirit, and the identification with our King. We are one with Him. Whoever receives us receives the King, and whoever rejects us rejects the King. This is not an insignificant matter. It is very serious. We all need to have the assurance that we have the authority, the peace, the Spirit, and the identification. All this is for the spreading of the King’s ministry. The King is still spreading His ministry today, and we are His sent ones with the authority, the peace, the Spirit, and the identification.
Verse 41 says, “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.” A prophet is one who speaks for God and speaks forth God. A righteous man is one who seeks after righteousness, who does righteousness, and who is persecuted for righteousness for the kingdom (5:6, 10, 20; 6:1). The heavenly King was such a Prophet sent by God (Deut. 18:15) and such a righteous man (Acts 3:14). His apostles sent by Him, having been identified with Him, were also such prophets and righteous men. Hence, whoever receives them shall receive a reward. One who receives a prophet is joined to the prophet’s word, and one who receives a righteous man is joined to the righteousness of the righteous man. Thus, such a one shall receive a reward as the prophet and as the righteous man.
The King’s sent ones go out as prophets and as righteous men. The prophet always comes with the word of God, and the righteous man always comes with righteousness. If you receive the prophet, you will receive the word of God; and if you receive the righteous man, you will receive his righteousness. How good it is to have the word of God and righteousness! This will help us to be ushered into both the reality of the kingdom today and also the manifestation of the kingdom in the future.
Verse 42 says, “And whoever gives to one of these little ones only a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.” This reward will be given in the coming age (Luke 14:14).
Matthew 11:1 says, “And it came to pass when Jesus had finished instructing His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.” After the Lord appointed the twelve and sent them to spread the preaching of the kingdom, He Himself went on in His ministry to teach and preach in the cities.
