The twelve apostles (sent to the house of Israel, not to the Gentiles), as workers worthy of their food, did not need to bring their necessities with them. (However, the Lord's workers sent to the Gentiles should take nothing from the Gentiles — 3 John 1:7.) This principle was changed after the Lord had been fully rejected by the house of Israel (Luke 22:35-38).

Indicating that the punishment resulting from God's judgment is in varying degrees. Rejecting the Lord's apostles and their words (v. 14) will bring more punishment than will the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Even by that time the kingdom of the heavens had not yet come but had only drawn near.

The Samaritans were a mixture of Gentile and Jewish blood (2 Kings 17:24; Ezra 4:10; John 4:9). The twelve apostles were sent to the house of Israel (v. 6) and were charged not to go to the Gentiles or to the Samaritans.

Lit., delivered Him up. So throughout the book.

This word, probably from Hebrew, means a man of Kerioth. Kerioth was in Judah (Josh. 15:25). Among the apostles, only Judas was from Judea; all the rest were Galileans.

From the Hebrew word kanna, meaning zealous; referring not to the land of Canaan but to a Galilean sect known as the Zealots. (See Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13.)

Thaddaeus here is Judas (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13; John 14:22).

Here Matthew specifically designated himself "the tax collector," perhaps remembering his salvation with gratitude. Even a despised and sinful tax collector could become an apostle of the King of the heavenly kingdom. What a salvation!

Mark and Luke listed Matthew before Thomas (Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15), but Matthew, the writer of this book, listed himself after Thomas, showing his humility.

An apostle is a sent one. Now the twelve disciples (v. 1) were to be sent; thus they became the twelve apostles.

The authority to cast out unclean spirits and heal diseases is a foretaste of the power of the coming age (Heb. 6:5), that is, of the millennium, in which all demons will be cast out and all diseases will be healed (Isa. 35:5-6).

See note Rev. 21:12^2b. So also in v. 2.

As sheep in the midst of wolves, the Lord's apostles, although not serpents, need to be prudent as serpents to escape being hurt by the wolves, and guileless as doves, not mixed with any evil intention and not hurting others.

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 too proves that His kingdom is not earthly but heavenly.

See note Matt. 5:22^6c.

The same Greek word as for princes in Matt. 2:6.

An ancient Roman coin equal to one-sixteenth of a denarius. See note John 6:7¹.

Implying his union with the Lord.

Implying the Lord's union with him.

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 at His coming back (Matt. 5:2216:27). Their being denied or confessed by Him at that time will determine whether His apostles are worthy to enter the kingdom of the heavens as a reward in the coming age.

The whole earth is under Satan's usurpation (1 John 5:19). The heavenly King came to call some out from that usurpation. This certainly aroused Satan's opposition. He instigated the people under his usurpation to fight against the heavenly King's called ones. Thus, His coming did not bring peace but a sword.

The apostles have not only the authority of the heavenly King (v. 1) but also the Spirit of their Father. The King's authority deals with unclean spirits and diseases; the Father's Spirit deals with the opposers' persecution.

Those who would be the heavenly King's apostles for the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom must suffer the breaking of the closest human ties.

According to the context, the word here means that in suffering persecution His apostles cannot be above Him, because He was persecuted to the uttermost.

Beelzebub, meaning the lord of flies, was the name of the god of the Ekronites (2 Kings 1:2). It was changed contemptuously by the Jews to Beelzebul, which means the lord of the dunghill, and was used for the ruler of the demons (Matt. 12:24, 27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15, 18-19). In Matt. 9:34 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. In using this most blasphemous name, they expressed their strongest objection and rejection.

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 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 received them received 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 vv. 37-39.

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, these two will receive the reward of a prophet and of a righteous man, respectively.

A prophet is one who speaks for God and speaks forth God. A righteous man is one who seeks after righteousness, who practices righteousness, and who is persecuted for the sake of righteousness for the kingdom (Matt. 5:6, 10, 20; 6:1). The heavenly King was such, a Prophet sent by God (Deut. 18:15) and a righteous man (Acts 3:14). His apostles, sent by Him, were identified with Him and thus also were prophets and righteous men. Hence, whoever received them received Him and will receive a reward.

This reward will be given in the coming kingdom age (Luke 14:14).

God is the only One who is able to destroy both man's soul and man's body in Gehenna. This word implies that if the apostles sent by the Lord fail to suffer persecution, they will be disciplined by God. This discipline will take place in the coming age, after the judgment at the judgment seat of Christ, when the believers will receive reward or punishment (2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 22:12).

See note Matt. 5:22^8d.

Here, to be saved may mean to be saved from those who hate us; eventually, it will mean to be saved into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, a reward to the overcoming believers. This differs from eternal salvation as revealed in Eph. 2:8.

This word was not fulfilled by the twelve apostles' preaching before Christ's crucifixion. It will not be fulfilled until the great tribulation (Matt. 24:21). The prediction in vv. 17-23 is very similar to that in Matt. 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 again to the Jews. At that time, this word will be fulfilled, and He will come.

Christ took the Father's will and was crucified (Matt. 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 at any cost they first give their love to Him that they might be worthy of Him.

To find the soul-life is to allow the soul to have its enjoyment and to escape suffering. To lose the soul-life is to cause the soul to lose its enjoyment and thereby to suffer. 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 enable their soul to have its enjoyment in the coming kingdom age, that is, to share the King's joy in ruling over the earth (Matt. 25:21, 23).

The fighting instigated by the usurping Satan against the heavenly King's called ones is waged even in their own household. The heavenly called ones are attacked in their homes by their kindred who remain under the evil one's usurping hand.

Our love for the Lord must be absolute. We should love nothing above Him. He is the One most worthy of our love, and we must be worthy of Him.