Christ's Task Force
Introduction: The King's Delegation
When a king is establishing his kingdom, he does not do so in a vacuum. He does not simply issue decrees from on high and expect them to enforce themselves. A true king establishes his rule through designated representatives, through men he commissions and sends out with his own authority. This is the very nature of government. What we see in our text this morning is the formation of Christ's cabinet, the appointment of His foundational task force. This is not the calling of a disorganized band of well-meaning followers; this is the formal commissioning of the ruling body of the new covenant people of God.
We are in a section of Matthew's gospel where Jesus has been demonstrating His authority in every conceivable realm. He taught with authority, not as the scribes (Matt. 7:29). He healed diseases with a word, cast out demons, calmed the sea, and forgave sins, all of which are divine prerogatives. He has shown Himself to be the Messianic King. And now, this King, having demonstrated His own authority, delegates that authority. He summons His men, empowers them, and is about to send them out as His official ambassadors.
This is a foundational moment for the church. The word for church, ekklesia, means "called-out assembly." Here we see the King calling out His foundational assembly, the twelve apostles, who will become the pillars of the New Jerusalem. The number twelve is not accidental. It is a deliberate, covenantal statement. Jesus is reconstituting the people of God. The twelve tribes of old Israel are now being gathered and represented in these twelve men, who will become the patriarchs of the new Israel, the church. This is not a replacement in the sense of a hostile takeover, but a fulfillment. The promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are now finding their ultimate Yes and Amen in Jesus Christ and the people He is gathering to Himself.
But we must also notice the kind of men He calls. This is not a collection of the elite, the polished, or the powerful. It is a motley crew of fishermen, a tax collector, a nationalist zealot, and one who would betray Him. This is a deliberate demonstration that the power of the kingdom does not reside in the qualifications of the men, but in the authority of the King who sends them. The gospel advances not through human brilliance, but through divine power delegated to weak and ordinary vessels. This is so that the glory would go to God alone.
The Text
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. 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; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him.
(Matthew 10:1-4 LSB)
The Delegation of Authority (v. 1)
We begin with the foundational action of our Lord:
"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." (Matthew 10:1)
First, notice the verb: "summoning." This is a royal act. A king summons his subjects. Jesus is not asking for volunteers; He is issuing a royal command. He is the one who initiates, He is the one who calls, and He is the one who empowers. Our calling as Christians does not begin with our decision, but with His summons.
He calls them His "twelve disciples." The word disciple simply means a learner, a student. They have been following Him, listening to His teaching, and observing His works. But in the next verse, they will be called "apostles," which means "sent ones." A disciple learns from the master; an apostle is sent out by the master with a commission. There is a transition happening here from learning to representing. This is the pattern for all Christian ministry. We must first be disciples before we can be apostles. We must sit at His feet before we can go out in His name.
And what does He give them? He gives them "authority." The Greek word is exousia. This is not raw power, but delegated right. It is the legal authority to act on behalf of another. A police officer has authority not because he is stronger than everyone else, but because he represents the state. These men are being deputized. The authority they wield is not their own; it is Christ's authority, flowing through them. This is a crucial distinction. When the church acts, it must always act in the name of Jesus and with the authority He has given, not with some authority it has invented for itself.
This authority is specifically directed at the works of darkness and the effects of the fall. They are given authority over "unclean spirits, to cast them out," and to heal "every kind of disease and every kind of sickness." This is a frontal assault on the kingdom of Satan. Sickness and demonic oppression are intrusions into God's good creation, consequences of the fall. By empowering His apostles to reverse these things, Jesus is demonstrating that His kingdom is a kingdom of restoration and re-creation. He is pushing back the curse. This is a foretaste of the ultimate victory, when all sickness, all demons, and death itself will be cast into the lake of fire.
The Roster of the Kingdom (v. 2-4)
Matthew then gives us the official list of these commissioned men.
"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; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him." (Matthew 10:2-4 LSB)
This is not just a list of names; it is a portrait of the grace of God. This is the founding administration of the new covenant, and it is a marvel of divine collision. Notice first that Peter is named "the first." This is not just because he was first on the list, but it points to his primacy among the apostles. He was the spokesman, the leader, the rock. This does not establish some perpetual papacy, but it does recognize the foundational role that Peter played in the early church.
The list contains two sets of brothers: Peter and Andrew, and James and John. The kingdom of God does not destroy natural relationships; it redeems and sanctifies them. Families are meant to be units of discipleship, serving the King together.
But the most striking feature of this list is the collision of opposites. We have "Matthew the tax collector." Tax collectors were Jewish men who worked for the Roman oppressors. They were notorious for extortion and were considered traitors and unclean sinners by their countrymen. To be a tax collector was to be a collaborator with the pagan enemy. And right next to him on the list is "Simon the Zealot." The Zealots were a party of radical Jewish nationalists who were dedicated to the violent overthrow of Roman rule. They were assassins and revolutionaries. A Zealot would have considered it a holy duty to put a knife in the back of a tax collector like Matthew. And yet, here they are, serving the same King, in the same cabinet.
This is a miracle of reconciliation that is at the heart of the gospel. In Christ, the dividing walls of hostility are torn down (Eph. 2:14). Men who were natural enemies, who defined their lives by their hatred for one another, are now made brothers. The gospel creates a new man, a new humanity, where worldly allegiances to party, politics, and tribe are crucified. The only allegiance that matters is allegiance to King Jesus. If the church today is fractured along political lines, it is because we have forgotten that our primary citizenship is in heaven, and our primary loyalty is to the King who bought us with His blood, not to a donkey or an elephant.
And then, at the end of the list, we have the stark and tragic reality of "Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him." Jesus knew from the beginning who would betray Him (John 6:64). So why did He choose him? This is a profound mystery, but it serves as a solemn warning. Proximity to Jesus does not equal possession of Jesus. One can be in the inner circle, witness the miracles, hear the teaching, and even be entrusted with ministry, and still have a heart full of darkness. Judas stands as a perpetual warning against hypocrisy and the love of money. His presence in the twelve reminds us that the visible church will always be a mixed body of true believers and false, wheat and tares, until the final judgment. It also demonstrates the absolute sovereignty of God, who uses even the most wicked acts of sinful men to accomplish His perfect, redemptive plan. The betrayal of Judas was not an unforeseen tragedy that derailed God's plan; it was the very instrument through which God's plan for the cross was accomplished.
Conclusion: A Commission for Us
So what does this mean for us today? The foundational office of apostle, in the sense of those who were eyewitnesses of the resurrection and commissioned to write Scripture, has ceased. But the apostolic mission has not. The authority that Jesus gave to these twelve men is the same authority that undergirds the Great Commission given to the entire church.
Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore..." (Matt. 28:18-19). The authority has not diminished. The King is still on His throne. And He still summons ordinary, unimpressive, and often conflicted people to be His representatives. He calls us to go into a world that is sick with sin and oppressed by the demonic, and to bring the healing and liberating power of the gospel. We do not do this in our own strength, but with His delegated authority.
Our task is to proclaim the kingdom of this King. We are to announce that the true ruler of this world is not Caesar, or any political party, but the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to call all men everywhere to repent of their rebellion and bow the knee to Him. And as we do, we will see the same miraculous reconciliation that we see in this list of apostles. We will see people from every tribe, tongue, and nation, people who are natural enemies, brought together as brothers and sisters at the foot of the cross. The tax collector and the zealot will share the communion cup. This is the power of the gospel. This is the business of the church. We are Christ's task force, sent out to claim every square inch of this world for the King to whom it rightfully belongs.