Matthew 9:35-10:8 [9-23] – Third Sunday after Pentecost
Context
Worthiness
In contrast to the Lukan parallel that we heard last year (10:1-12), Matthew uses the phrasing of ‘if a house is worthy’ rather than ‘if a town welcomes you’ in how the disciples should be received in their mission.
Matthew and Luke use the term worthy (ἄξιος) more than the other Gospels. Luke’s use is sporadic across the Gospel, but Matthew uses this term six times here in chapter 10. If a term is used that often, the author is trying to define it or stress its importance.
R. Alan Culpepper writes, “When the disciples enter a town, they are to inquire who is ‘worthy’ and stay there. We may assume that worthiness included a positive response to their preaching, or a good reputation. The focus, however, is on how the disciples respond to reception and rejection.”[1]
While I agree that there is something to the reception and rejection, I believe that Matthew is making a large theological move in this section and worthiness becomes a steppingstone to the end goal of the Great Commission.
The NIB describes the context of this commissioning to Israel:
“The disciples are sent to Israel, all Israel, and only to Israel. Historically the disciples were reluctant to go to the Gentiles even after Easter, so that it took considerable time for the church under the guidance of the Spirit to develop a Gentile mission and become an integrated church (Acts 1-15; Galatians 1-2). Therefore 10:5b can hardly be historical, for Jesus would not have forbidden his disciples to initiate a Gentile mission to which they were in no way inclined anyway. Because historically the mission of the earthly Jesus was limited to Israel, this saying reflects the struggles within the early church to develop a Gentile mission, opposed by some in the name of Jesus. (This is the only reference to Samaritans or Samaria in Matthew; the inclusiveness of the Lukan perspective should not be read into Matthew.) The sending of the disciples exclusively to Israel corresponds to the mission of the historical Jesus (cf. Rom 15:8) and is important in Matthew’s theological story (15:24). After Easter, the Great Commission ends this restriction by extending the mission to all nations (28:18-20).”[2]
The NIB is stating that Jesus’ earthly mission is to Israel and that passes on to the disciples here. The disciples are sent to Israel and only Israel, the chosen people of God. Culpepper is arguing that their “worthiness” is dependent on reception or rejection. But it’s not as black and white as that because of what has just taken place in chapter 8.
Through the instructions of the commission of the disciples, Jesus states that not all of the people that the disciples interact with (only the people of Israel) are worthy. Matthew is recalling an Old Testament paradigm of theological righteousness/worthiness. This is placed into greater tension because of Jesus’ interaction with the centurion in Matt 8:8, “The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed.” To which Jesus responds (8:10), “Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.” In this interaction, it appears clear that the centurion’s claim of unworthiness is related to him being a gentile. But Jesus says that his faith makes him worthy of the healing of his servant. So, to Culpepper’s point, the worth of houses and towns that the disciples step into is not as simple as a positive response or good reputation. Their worthiness is dependent on their faith, specifically their faith in Jesus and the inbreaking kingdom. This is the Old Testament paradigm of Israel’s rejection or reception of a prophet. To receive the prophet’s word is to receive God, to reject the prophet’s word is to reject God.
Exclusive Sending?
Now, we might be a little confused about how exclusive these directions are from Jesus. Afterall, Jesus heals a Roman centurion’s slave. He has connected with Gentile folks already in this Gospel. But here, he directs the disciples, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Is he being hypocritical?
Matthew may be doing two things here. First, speaking to his mixed audience, he is calming the insecurities of some of his traditional listeners, for now. Afterall, we just heard Matthew 28 a few weeks ago and we heard that the disciples will be sent to all nations. But the second (and maybe more important possibility) is that Matthew knows that in order to practice and (more importantly) to have the greatest impact, the disciples have to start within their own context and community.
Just look at the calling of Matthew from last week. Immediately after his calling, Jesus is eating with tax collectors and sinners in a house. And the implication from the text is that it is Matthew’s house. Matthew has reached out to other tax collectors and sinners and have invited them to a meal with Jesus so that they too can hear about the transformational love of God. We never hear if every one of those who gathered changed their ways and became followers of Jesus. But, Matthew, inspired and transformed by Jesus’ calling, begins his ministry by inviting his context into connection with Jesus. Start with your own context and grow from there after you make connections and grow relationships.
The pattern of ministry is easily seen in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus comes for “the lost sheep of Israel.” And yet in his ministry in Israel, he connects with Roman centurions, lepers, tax collectors, sinners, and the Canaanite woman (15:22). Within other contexts, Jesus interacts with those “others” showing the disciples that God’s love is wider. Within the disciple’s travels to familiar contexts, their hearts will be opened to the “others” in the community as well.
Preaching Possibilities
Avoid the Martyr Sermon
I know, I know. It’s really easy to envision ourselves as the disciples who are sent out to proclaim the Word of the Lord, only to find rejection or argument. I too have told myself (or other colleagues) to shake off the dust from our shoes and to move on. Find the place where it is easier for us.
But in this text, Jesus is not sending these disciples out to just face rejection. That’s not the purpose of this text. If we preach the martyr sermon, then we give permission (even before we start) to reject those with whom even the slightest conversation is difficult. We aren’t supposed to go out expecting to dismiss those with whom we interact.
No, Jesus sends us out to “proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.” Yes, US! To proclaim the Good News and the coming kingdom of heaven. And to do a little healing too. It may be in a different way than what we understand Jesus to mean in the text. But the in-breaking message of love, grace, and justice has a distinct way of healing the world. And that’s what we’re called to in this moment.
Most of us need the Small Commission before the Great Commission
But I think that this “sending” from Jesus, moves many of us into a place of fear. Because we hear Jesus sending us out into a world unknown, into cultures and perspectives that are foreign and distant. We hear Jesus saying, “Go out into these groups of people that are completely different from you and change their ways!”
But that’s not what Jesus does first. That’s not what happens in this text. This isn’t the Great Commission. The disciples are first sent out to their own people, the community of Israel. It’s in familiar spaces. It’s with people that they know. It gives them a chance to practice and to begin connecting with those whom they have connections. As Pastor Tamika Jancewicz reminded me at a pericope study last week, its basic community organizing. Starting with those whom we have connections and relationships and building out from there. And they don’t go out just to start a friend group and social club. Jesus sends them with the prophetic message that we’ve been talking about all year. The message that the world is in need of change and turning back toward God.
And I think that’s where many of us need to be right now. So many of us jump right to Matthew 28 and the Great Commission and think we need to be going out into all the world baptizing all nations. And recently our extremely white Lutheran church has been shouting the message that we need to go out and “Welcome the diverse community!” (I’m avoiding the actual slogan here).
But the truth is, many of us aren’t ready for that (not because diversity isn’t great and not that it shouldn’t be our goal). But, so many of us would falter and flounder in these settings BECAUSE we don’t have any preexisting relationships built, proper cultural competency, and very likely we would cause more harm than good. If we’re not even comfortable talking about Jesus and what Jesus means to us in our own communities, then how are we going to talk about it when we’re in completely foreign settings?
Finding the Tax Collector and Sinner
But there is an additional reason Jesus is doing this too (and it relates to last week’s Gospel). How many of the disciples would have walked by Matthew, the tax collector, and would have only seen a lost cause? How many of us have written off some of our neighbors because of a preconceived notion or difference in ideology or difference in perspective?
Our work to start may very well be reaching out to those who could be considered the “most lost” in our circles. Someone from a different political perspective. Someone who represents a tax collector to us.
Building the Widening Relationships
And, as the disciples experience, just working within our own communities will expand our horizons and show us new relationships and new perspectives.
By walking within my 12-steps groups, I will interact with folks from all walks of life and build relationships that are incredibly far reaching.
If I travel just five minutes down the road from my church, I will find the public international elementary school (which comprises of mostly immigrants) in what is usually considered an affluent, white community.
You don’t have to think too long to realize how large your community already is and how many people you can already connect with.
You don’t have to go far to realize how small your community is and how many more places you can come to know.
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[1] R. Alan Culpepper, Matthew, 199.
[2] NIB, Matthew-Mark, 256.
Micah Krey 
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