October 16 - Sent as Sheep Among Wolves
SCRIPTURE READING:
Matthew 10
SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 10
¹ And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
² Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
³ Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
⁴ Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
⁵ These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
⁶ But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
⁷ And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
⁸ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
⁹ Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
¹⁰ Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.
¹¹ And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.
¹² And when ye come into an house, salute it.
¹³ And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
¹⁴ And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
¹⁵ Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
¹⁶ Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
¹⁷ But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
¹⁸ And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
¹⁹ But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
²⁰ For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
²¹ And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
²² And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
²³ But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
²⁴ The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
²⁵ It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
²⁶ Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
²⁷ What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
²⁸ And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
³⁰ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
³¹ Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
³² Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
³³ But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
³⁴ Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
³⁵ For I am come 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.
³⁶ And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
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.
³⁸ And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
³⁹ He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
⁴⁰ He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
⁴¹ He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
⁴² And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
DEVOTIONAL:
Matthew 10 records Jesus commissioning the Twelve and initially directing them to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. That mission priority belongs to the covenant order of the Gospel: the Messiah comes within Israel, fulfilling promises made to the fathers, before the risen Christ later sends disciples to all nations. The chapter should therefore not be read as contempt for Gentiles or as the church replacing Israel. It reveals the historical sequence of God's saving mission. Jesus sends the apostles to announce that the kingdom of heaven is at hand and to demonstrate its nearness through works of mercy.
The manner of mission is as important as the message. The apostles travel without elaborate security, depending on God's provision and the hospitality of those who receive them. They are to give freely because they have received freely. This does not establish one financial rule for every later missionary situation, but it does expose a permanent principle: gospel ministry cannot be treated as a platform for exploitation. The worker is worthy of provision, yet the good news itself is not merchandise. Christ's messengers should be marked by simplicity, trust, and freedom from manipulative greed.
Jesus is equally clear that mission brings opposition. Sheep are sent among wolves, so disciples need both the wisdom of serpents and the harmlessness of doves. Christian faithfulness is neither gullibility nor aggression. Wisdom sees danger; innocence refuses to become like the danger. Jesus prepares His followers for councils, governors, family division, slander, and persecution. The Holy Spirit will give help when testimony is required. This is not permission for careless preparation; it is assurance that witness does not depend finally on human eloquence.
Fear is then reordered. Jesus says not to fear those who can kill the body but to fear God, and in the same breath reminds disciples that sparrows are not forgotten and the hairs of their heads are numbered. Holy fear and tender providence belong together. The God before whom we are accountable is the Father who knows His servants completely. Courage is therefore not rooted in the belief that suffering will never come. It is rooted in the truth that no suffering can remove the disciple from God's knowledge or overturn His final judgment.
The chapter ends by demanding supreme allegiance: whoever loves father or mother more than Christ is not worthy of Him, and whoever does not take up the cross and follow Him is not worthy of Him. Jesus is not teaching contempt for family; Scripture elsewhere commands family love and honor. He is establishing the order of loyalty. Even the best earthly relationships cannot occupy the place of the Messiah. Paradoxically, losing life for Christ is the path to finding it. Gospel mission flows from people who have stopped treating self-preservation as their highest good.
In daily life, In daily life, practice wise innocence. Do not call naivete faith, but do not let hard experience make you manipulative. At work, keep integrity when pressure rewards compromise. In family life, love deeply while refusing to make another person's approval your lord. In church, support gospel workers without turning ministry into celebrity or commerce. If speaking about Christ could cost reputation, prepare with prayer and clarity rather than rehearsing imaginary victories. Courage grows through smaller acts of allegiance: telling the truth, keeping a promise, refusing gossip, giving freely, and confessing Jesus without hostility.
In U.S. civic life, In U.S. civic life, the virtue arising from Matthew 10 is courageous civility. Pray for freedom of conscience, for people who face hostility because of sincerely held faith, and for public institutions to protect peaceful religious witness for all citizens. Christians should show up in public life speaking convictions without intimidation, using lawful freedoms responsibly, and refusing to answer hostility with cruelty or deceit.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Why does Jesus begin this mission specifically with the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and how does that fit the wider biblical mission to the nations?
What is the practical difference between being wise as serpents and harmless as doves?
How do God's judgment and His detailed care for sparrows work together to produce courage rather than terror?
Which relationship, reputation, or security is most likely to compete with your allegiance to Christ?
PRAYER:
ADORATION:
Lord of the harvest, we praise You for sending the good news through weak servants and for knowing every sparrow and every hair of Your people's heads.
CONFESSION:
Forgive our fear of people, our craving for approval, our tendency toward either gullibility or retaliation, and every attempt to use ministry for self-advancement.
THANKSGIVING:
Thank You for the Spirit's help in witness, for the Father's detailed care, and for the privilege of confessing Christ in a world that may not always welcome His name.
SUPPLICATION – GENERAL:
Give us wisdom without deceit, innocence without naivete, courage without aggression, and loyalty to Jesus above every competing attachment. Sustain those who suffer for faithful witness.
SUPPLICATION – U.S. / CIVIC:
Protect peaceful freedom of conscience and religious exercise. Give citizens and officials fairness toward people of differing convictions, and make Christians courageous, lawful, truthful, and civil in public witness.
SCRIPTURE:
Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. — Matthew 10:16