Matthew 10:16-23

Instructions to the Apostles

Matthew 10:1-5 tell us who they were. Verses 5-15 give us Christ's specific instructions to them. Verses 16-23 describe how the world would react to them, and how they were to react to the world.

Contained in those verses are some specifics that related only to the apostles.

Verse 8--"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons."

Many people misunderstand Matthew 10:5-23. They do not understand why the disciples did not do all the things Jesus instructed them to do, or they do not understand how and where those instructions apply. That is a common biblical pattern. It is common in prophetic literature for predictions to have both an immediate and future fulfillment. In Matthew 10:5-23 our Lord is predicting the role of the apostles, but also had in mind the role of all Christians through history up to the time of the Great Tribulation. That is why the disciples apparently did not raise the dead and were not thrown into the synagogues and beaten during their first mission.

In Matthew 10:16-23 Jesus says, “I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves. But beware of men; for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; and you will even be brought before governors and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes.”

There is a telescoping effect the instructions our Lord gave to the twelve. First, it had specific reference to them. Matthew 10:6 says, “Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” That is related to the specific time in which the disciples lived. However, Matthew 10:23 concludes with the coming of the Son of Man, an eschatological term used by Matthew to refer to the return of Christ. Thus, Christ's instructions reach beyond the apostles into the church age and the Great Tribulation, which precedes Christ's return. That reflects the history of God's people from the time of Jesus' first coming to the time of His second coming.

In His instructions to the apostles, Jesus describes the situation the apostles will find themselves in when they enter the harvest field. They will be like sheep in the midst of wolves.

Sheep are helplessness, dependent, and timid animals. They are extremely edgy animals. The only thing they can do in a dangerous situation is run, but they aren't built for speed.

Philip Keller wrote A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 as the result of insights gained from his experience as a shepherd. He said sheep need to be protected from poisonous weeds, weather, parasites, all kinds of diseases, and especially insects. In fact, there are certain flies that lay their eggs on the mucous membranes of the sheep's nose. As the hatched larvae work their way up the nose, the sheep have been known to beat their heads against rocks or trees, sometimes until they are dead. The advanced stages of infection from those flies often cause blindness. Sometimes the sheep panic and stampede in an attempt to elude the flies. But when they become so agitated they often become exhausted, lose weight, and some even die ([Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1970] pp. 115-16). The most severe enemy of sheep is the predator, flesh-eating wild animal, indicated in Matthew 10:16 as a wolf.

The conflict between sheep and wolves was familiar to the disciples. That they were to be sent among vicious, deadly wolves was our Lord's way of graphically illustrating the dangers of confronting a Christ-rejecting, God-hating world with the message of the kingdom. The Apostle Paul told the elders of the church in Ephesus; “I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:29). In Romans 8:36, Paul cited Psalm 44:22: “We are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Some people view Christians as sheep to be slaughtered.

Sometimes the wolves are on the outside, but sometimes they are on the inside masquerading as shepherds (Matthew 7:15). Those inside the church masquerading as shepherds water down the gospel. They do not talk about repentance or confession of sin. They do not talk about the importance of humbling oneself or hungering and thirsting for righteousness. They do not talk about obedience to the lordship of Christ. They do not talk about the narrow way that leads to salvation or the ultimate cost of following Christ. And when someone becomes a believer, they do not talk about going out into the world as sheep among wolves. The popular appeal today promises ease, comfort, riches, advancement, and ambition. But Jesus offers hardship and perhaps even death.

When Jesus called people into His service, He warned them of the hardships to come. He warned them they were entering hostile territory. He warned them there is a price to pay. He warned them they could not confront a God-hating world without a reaction. It is true that the struggle is against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). It is true Satan is the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians.. 2:2), the ruler of the darkness of this world, is behind the demonic system. But its agents are human. Throughout the years men have imprisoned, crucified, burned, and stoned the saints of God. Men are the enemy and the greatest enemy is those masquerading as shepherds.

There was a wolf among the twelve disciples named Judas. He ultimately betrayed Jesus, starting the chain of events that led to His murder.

We need to beware of men. Yet we must not forget to reach out to them and love them as God does. We are to “do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10); however, we need to be aware the enemy will attack through human agents. Human agents represent the kingdom of darkness.

Jesus said, “You will be hated by all because of My name” (Matthew 10:22). “All men” does not refer to every human being who ever lived. “All men” refers to all classes, races, nationalities, and cultures of mankind throughout history will react negatively to the gospel.

“Because of My name” refers to all that Christ is. Believers ultimately are persecuted because of who Christ is and what He has done. The reason the wolves are so vicious is that they hate our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus gathered the twelve and told them He was sending them out as sheep among wolves. Later He told them that He would never leave or forsake them.

They would win in the end (Matt. 28:20; John 14:18-19). The sheep will defeat the wolves, not in their own strength, but because of Christ's power.

When Jesus told the apostles He was sending them out as sheep in the midst of wolves they surely must have panicked. But He also told them He would send His Spirit to dwell in them. He would become their strength and power to overcome the world (John 14:1-26; 1 John 5:4-5). Through the Spirit in his life, the believer continually communes with the living Christ.