What concrete instructions accompany the twelve’s mission and its risks?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The commission names twelve apostles and joins restricted destinations, free service and hospitality instructions with persecution warnings, confession and reception.

Chapter breakdown

Jesus calls twelve disciples and grants power to expel unclean spirits and heal diseases and infirmities. The apostles are named: first Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee and brother John; Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew the publican, James son of Alpheus, Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean and Judas Iscariot, identified as his betrayer. He sends these twelve toward Israel’s lost sheep, forbidding the Gentiles’ way and Samaritan cities. They should preach heaven’s kingdom at hand, heal, raise the dead, cleanse lepers and expel devils, freely giving what they freely received.

The instructions exclude gold, silver or money in purses, a journey scrip, two coats, shoes and staff: the worker deserves food. Money is not assigned a metal absent from this edition. In each town they should seek someone worthy and remain until departure. They salute a house with peace; a worthy house receives it, otherwise it returns. If people refuse reception or words, the departing messengers shake dust from their feet. Jesus says that city’s judgment will be less tolerable than Sodom and Gomorrha’s. He sends them like sheep among wolves, wise as serpents and simple as doves. The separate note defines simple as harmless, plain, sincere and without guile.

They should beware men who deliver them to councils and scourge in synagogues. They will appear before governors and kings for Jesus’s sake as testimony to these and Gentiles. When delivered, they need not plan their speech: it will be supplied in that hour, the Father’s spirit speaking in them. Brothers will deliver brothers to death, fathers sons, and children will rise against and kill parents. Hated for his name, the persevering will be saved. Persecution in one city calls for flight to another; they will not finish Israel’s cities before the Son of man comes. A prediction of protection from physical harm is not substituted for these warnings.

A disciple is not above teacher nor servant lord, but being like them suffices; if the householder was called Beelzebub, his household will be treated likewise. Fear is forbidden because the covered will be revealed and hidden known. Words in darkness should be spoken in light, what is heard in the ear proclaimed on housetops. They should not fear body-killers unable to kill the soul but fear one able to destroy body and soul in hell. Two sparrows cost a farthing, and none falls without the Father. Every hair is numbered; they are better than many sparrows. Confession before people will be answered by confession before the Father, denial by denial. The audience is people, not exclusively tribunals, and the text says many sparrows rather than countless.

Jesus says he brings a sword rather than peace, describing variance between man and father, daughter and mother, daughter-in-law and mother-in-law, with enemies in one’s household. The separate note denies division was his coming’s purpose or design, attributing that effect to obstinate resistance and persecution of adherents. A further sword-separating-truth-from-error gloss is not supplied. Loving parents or children more than him makes one unworthy, as does refusing the cross and following him. Finding life loses it; losing it for him finds it.

Receiving the sent disciples receives Jesus and the one sending him. Receiving a prophet as prophet brings a prophet’s reward, and receiving a just man as just brings that reward. Even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in a disciple’s name does not lose its reward. The specified conditions accompany these statements without a blanket promise attached to every kindness or every public act.

The story inside

The instructions retain the exact packing list and peace conditions. Predicted family killing is not softened into abandonment. The variance annotation expressly distinguishes effect from intended purpose, and rewards remain tied to their stated conditions.

Lessons worth keeping

1
No promise of physical safety replaces the warnings of killing.
2
The full named twelve and packing exclusions remain.
3
Separate the variance annotation from added sword symbolism.

Test your recall

What should messengers do when a house or city refuses their words?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 111361–111436
Matthew Chapter 10 Christ sends out his twelve apostles, with the power of miracles. The lessons he gives them. 10:1. And having called his twelve disciples together, he gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of diseases, and all manner of infirmities. 10:2. And the names of the twelve Apostles are these: The first, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, 10:3. James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the publican, and James the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, 10:4. Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. 10:5. These twelve Jesus sent: commanding them, saying: Go ye not into the way of the Gentiles, and into the city of the Samaritans enter ye not. 10:6. But go ye rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 10:7. And going, preach, saying: The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 10:8. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils: freely have you received, freely give. 10:9. Do not possess gold, nor silver, nor money in your purses: 10:10. Nor scrip for your journey, nor two coats, nor shoes, nor a staff; for the workman is worthy of his meat. 10:11. And into whatsoever city or town you shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and there abide till you go thence. 10:12. And when you come into the house, salute it, saying: Peace be to this house. 10:13. And if that house be worthy, your peace shall come upon it; but if it be not worthy, your peace shall return to you. 10:14. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words: going forth out of that house or city shake off the dust from your feet. 10:15. Amen I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. 10:16. Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves. Simple.... That is, harmless, plain, sincere, and without guile. 10:17. But beware of men. For they will deliver you up in councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues. 10:18. And you shall be brought before governors, and before kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles: 10:19. But when they shall deliver you up, take no thought how or what to speak: for it shall be given you in that hour what to speak: 10:20. For it is not you that speak, but the spirit of your Father that speaketh in you. 10:21. The brother also shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the son; and the children shall rise up against their parents, and shall put them to death. 10:22. And you shall be hated by all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved. 10:23. And when they shall persecute you in this city, flee into another. Amen I say to you, you shall not finish all the cities of Israel, till the Son of man come.
Lines 111438–111502
10:24. The disciple is not above the master, nor the servant above his lord. 10:25. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the good man of the house Beelzebub, how much more them of his household? 10:26. Therefore fear them not. For nothing is covered that shall not be revealed: nor hid, that shall not be known. 10:27. That which I tell you in the dark, speak ye in the light: and that which you hear in the ear, preach ye upon the housetops. 10:28. And fear ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell. 10:29. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father. 10:30. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 10:31. Fear not therefore: better are you than many sparrows. 10:32. Every one therefore that shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven. 10:33. But he that shall deny me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven. 10:34. Do not think that I came to send peace upon earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword. 10:35. For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. I came to set a man at variance, etc.... Not that this was the end or design of the coming of our Saviour; but that his coming and his doctrine would have this effect, by reason of the obstinate resistance that many would make, and of their persecuting all such as should adhere to him. 10:36. And a man’s enemies shall be they of his own household. 10:37. He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me. 10:38. And he that taketh not up his cross, and followeth me, is not worthy of me. 10:39. He that findeth his life, shall lose it: and he that shall lose his life for me, shall find it. 10:40. He that receiveth you, receiveth me: and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me. 10:41. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive the reward of a prophet: and he that receiveth a just man in the name of a just man, shall receive the reward of a just man. 10:42. And whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, amen I say to you he shall not lose his reward.