Commentary - Matthew 10:1-4

Bird's-eye view

In this foundational passage, the Lord Jesus Christ, having demonstrated His own authority over creation, disease, demons, and death, now delegates that authority to a select group of men. This is a pivotal moment; the King is forming His cabinet. This is not a democratic committee assembled by men, but a royal council summoned by the King. He calls twelve of His disciples and formally commissions them as apostles, empowering them to act as His official emissaries. The selection of twelve is profoundly significant, signaling the constitution of a New Israel, with these twelve men serving as its new patriarchs. The list of names that follows is a glorious mess, a collection of fishermen, a tax collector, and a nationalist zealot, demonstrating that the unity of Christ's kingdom is not based on natural affinity but on the supernatural call of the King. This new community is founded not on bloodlines or political agreement, but on the authoritative word and redeeming grace of Jesus Christ. The inclusion of Judas Iscariot from the outset is a stark reminder of God's absolute sovereignty, weaving even the most treacherous human acts into His perfect, redemptive plan.

This passage, therefore, is about the establishment of the Church's foundational leadership. It is about the nature of derived authority, it flows from Christ, is for the purpose of His mission, and is demonstrated through supernatural power. It is about the makeup of the Church, a diverse and often fractious group held together by a common allegiance to the King. And it is about the sovereignty of God, a sovereignty that is not thwarted by human sin but rather uses it to accomplish its ultimate ends.

Outline

Context In Matthew

This passage follows directly on the heels of Matthew chapters 8 and 9, where Jesus has put on a stunning display of His messianic power. He has healed lepers, calmed storms, cast out legions of demons, forgiven sins, raised the dead, and opened the eyes of the blind. He has established His credentials as the King of the kingdom. At the very end of chapter 9, Jesus looks out on the crowds and is moved with compassion, seeing them as sheep without a shepherd. He then commands His disciples to pray for laborers to be sent into the harvest. Chapter 10 is the immediate, direct answer to that prayer. The Lord of the harvest is now sending out the first wave of laborers. This act of commissioning the twelve is therefore not an afterthought, but the logical next step in Jesus' establishment of His kingdom on earth. He is multiplying His ministry by deputizing His men. This chapter serves as the foundational charge to the Church's mission, a mission that will be expanded to all nations in the Great Commission at the end of the book (Matt 28:18-20).

Key Issues

The New Patriarchs

When Jesus chose twelve men, no one in Israel would have missed the symbolism. The entire nation was constituted by the twelve tribes, descending from the twelve sons of Jacob. It was their foundational identity. By selecting twelve men to be the pillars of His new community, Jesus was making a profound statement: He was reconstituting Israel. The old Israel, represented by the corrupt leadership He had been confronting, had failed in its covenantal task. Now, the true Israel, the Messiah, was forming a new Israel around Himself.

These twelve men were to be the patriarchs of this new covenant people. Just as the nation of Israel looked back to the twelve sons of Jacob, the Church for all time looks back to the twelve apostles of the Lamb. Their names are on the twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:14). This was not simply a convenient number for a ministry team; it was a covenantal declaration. The kingdom of God had arrived, and it was taking shape with a new leadership, a new structure, and a new people, all centered on the King Himself.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 And summoning His twelve disciples, Jesus gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

The action begins with the sovereign initiative of the King. And summoning, He calls them to Himself. This is not their idea. Ministry is never a bottom-up enterprise; it is always a top-down calling. He summons the ones He had already chosen. He calls His twelve disciples. A disciple is a learner, a student, a follower. These men had been in that position for some time, watching Him, listening to Him. But now their role is about to change. He gave them authority. The word for authority here is exousia, which means delegated power, the right to act on another's behalf. This is not an authority they generated themselves; it was a direct impartation from the one who possesses all authority. And what is the nature of this authority? It is combative. It is authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out. The mission of the Church is to invade enemy-occupied territory and liberate the captives. It is also a restorative authority: to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. The gospel is not just about stopping the bad; it is about bringing in the good. This authority is a sign of the kingdom's arrival, pushing back the effects of the curse, demonic oppression and physical decay.

2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;

Matthew now makes the transition explicit. The twelve disciples are now named as the twelve apostles. An apostle is one who is "sent out." A disciple learns, an apostle is sent with a commission. The learner has become an emissary. The list itself is significant. It begins with The first, Simon, who is called Peter. "First" here likely indicates primacy, not just in the list, but in leadership. Peter was the spokesman, the one who was always stepping out, for better or for worse. Jesus had renamed him "Rock," indicating the foundational role he would play. He is listed with his brother Andrew, who was the one who brought him to Jesus in the first place. Then we have another set of brothers, James and John, the "sons of thunder." These four, Peter, Andrew, James, and John, were the first to be called and formed an inner circle around Jesus. They were all fishermen, ordinary working men from Galilee, not the religious elite from Jerusalem.

3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;

The list continues with the second and third quartets. Philip, like the first four, was from Bethsaida. He is the one who brought Bartholomew (likely the Nathanael of John's gospel) to Jesus. Then we have Thomas, forever known for his doubt, but also for his profound confession, "My Lord and my God!" And next to him, we have the author of this very gospel, Matthew the tax collector. Matthew does not hide his past. He was a publican, a collaborator with the Roman occupiers, a man despised by his fellow Jews as a traitor and a sinner. His inclusion in this list is a stunning display of grace. James the son of Alphaeus is sometimes called James the Less, and little is known about him or Thaddaeus (also called Judas the son of James). Their inclusion reminds us that fame is not a prerequisite for faithful service in the kingdom.

4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him.

The final pair is the most jarring. Simon the Zealot. The Zealots were a party of radical Jewish nationalists who advocated the violent overthrow of Rome. Their motto was essentially "no king but God," and they were not afraid to use the dagger to make their point. Now, put this man in the same small group as Matthew, the tax collector who worked for Rome. In any other context, Simon would have considered it his patriotic duty to put a knife in Matthew's back. But in Christ, the tax-hater and the tax-gatherer are made brothers. This is the reconciling power of the gospel, creating a new humanity where worldly political allegiances are rendered obsolete. And then, last in the list, is Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him. Matthew adds this dreadful descriptor as a fixed part of his identity. From the very beginning, Jesus knew who Judas was and what he would do. His inclusion is not a mistake or a miscalculation. It is a profound lesson in the sovereignty of God. God's purposes are so perfect and His power so absolute that He can take the most wicked act of human treachery and make it the very hinge on which salvation history turns. The cross was not an accident; it was an appointment, and Judas, acting on his own wicked desires, was nevertheless an instrument in the hands of a sovereign God.

Application

This passage is foundational for our understanding of the Church and its mission. First, we must recognize that all true authority for ministry comes from Christ alone. We do not generate it, we do not earn it, and we cannot vote it into existence. It is received as a gift from the ascended King. This authority is given for a purpose: to wage war against the kingdom of darkness and to bring healing and restoration to a broken world. We are not called to a program of self-improvement, but to a spiritual war.

Second, the makeup of the apostolic band should be a constant encouragement to us. Jesus does not call the qualified; He qualifies the called. He takes rough fishermen, despised tax collectors, and political radicals and forges them into the foundation of His Church. The unity of the Church is therefore a supernatural reality, not a natural one. We are not called to be Christians with people we naturally like. We are called to be Christians with the people God has called, and in Christ, we are to find a unity that transcends and subverts all the world's categories of division, political, racial, or economic. A church where a Matthew and a Simon can not only coexist but serve together as brothers is a powerful witness to the reconciling power of the cross.

Finally, the presence of Judas in the twelve is a hard but necessary truth. It reminds us that the visible church will always be a mixed body, and it teaches us to rest in the sovereignty of God. Nothing, not even the most profound betrayal from within the inner circle, can derail God's plan. He works all things, even the sinful acts of men, according to the counsel of His will. Our task is not to fret about who is a Judas, but to ensure that by God's grace, we are not one. We are to be faithful with the authority we have been given, preach the gospel of the kingdom, and trust the Lord of the harvest to bring about His perfect and glorious ends.