Going Into The Field

ENGAGE

(Capture attention and establish relevance)

Opening Illustration / Image / Question: On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 struck a flock of birds shortly after takeoff and lost thrust in both engines.

Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger had only minutes to respond. He landed the plane on the Hudson River, and all 155 people on board survived.

But January 15 wasn’t the first day Sully learned how to fly.

He had spent years training and preparing for moments exactly like that.

Because you don’t put someone in the cockpit of an airplane and say, “Anybody willing to give this a shot?”

You train them before you send them.

Why This Matters Now: Sometimes in the church, though, we identify the need without preparing the people.

“We need teachers.” “We need evangelists.” “We need servants.” “We need workers.”

At the end of Matthew 9, Jesus says the same thing: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”

But then in Matthew 10, He doesn’t simply point out the need.

He calls His disciples, gives them authority, gives them instructions, and sends them out.

Jesus doesn’t just tell His people there is work to do.

Bottom Line Introduced: The King commissions and trains His people.

TENSION

(Name the problem the text addresses)

The Struggle: The end of Matthew 9 had Jesus state a need for workers in the field. The question is, “Who was going to go?” Instead of letting the disciples sit and wonder, Jesus sent them instead, giving them authority and training them to do the work of the kingdom.

Why This Is a Real Issue Today: When we, the church, fail to train, we create a system dependent on professionals. And when there’s not enough professionals, who can you send? We understand this in the real world. Jobs train their workers to do the best of their ability, but when they can’t fill the role what happens? You outsource the work! Many jobs now outsource HR departments, legal departments, and IT departments. Why? Because they are specialized fields that that vast majority of workplaces need!

What’s at Stake: Jesus shows us that these men were not special in their own right. They were everyday people given an extraordinary task by an extraordinary God. The same King who sent these twelve would later commission His disciples to make disciples of all nations, and He intends every part of His body to participate in His work.

Transition to the Text: Chapter 10 is one of the 5 discourses, or sermons, of Matthew, called the Mission Discourse. It holds the few words of Jesus before he sends the 12 out on the Limited Commission in Matthew 10, Mark 6, and Luke 9 and 10 with the 72. These words that Jesus gives may have been spoken to the apostles, but there is so much to be gained for believers today in this whole chapter! But for the sake of this morning, we will focus on the 12 apostles and the instructions given to them by Jesus.

TRUTH

(Resolve the tension through the biblical text)

Text

Matthew 10:1-15

The 12 Apostles

Matthew 10:1–4 ESV

1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: 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 tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Exegesis: In Matthew 9:38, Jesus told His disciples to pray for the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into the field. Now Jesus is sending laborers into the field. He takes 12 young men and notice what Jesus gives them: authority.

Authority over unclean spirits to heal diseases and every affliction. This same authority is described of Jesus back in Matthew 9:35 and in Matthew 4. What Jesus was giving them was His authority, His power, His control over these things. Essentially, the work they were about to do is a continuation of the work that Jesus had been doing.

Now notice something interesting. Verse 1 simply calls them “His twelve disciples.” Verse 2 then calls them “the twelve apostles.” A disciple is just a follower, a student, of somebody. An apostle is someone who is commissioned, literally one who is sent. This same word is described of Jesus as one who is sent by God in Hebrews 3:1.

These young men weren’t just special people with a special title, they we men sent on a specific mission just as Jesus was.

Who were these 12 men? Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John the sons of Zebedee, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot the betrayer. These 12 men are a host of personalities with all different backgrounds. You’ve got a tax collector and a zealot, two people antagonistic against each other. James and John who Jesus called “Sons of thunder.” Several fishermen.

Application: These men are not going on their own authority, frankly because they had none. These men are going out by the authority of Jesus. They carry out His mission by His word and by His will. Even today, we continue to carry His mission by His word and by His will. No one does anything of his own accord, but by the power that has been given by Christ Jesus.

This event takes place about 1-1.5 years into Jesus’ ministry and He is ready to send them into the field. It doesn’t take that long to train someone. Look at most trade programs today. They last anywhere between 6 months and 2 years, depending on the program. When you complete these programs, you can just go out into the work force. NexTech Academy, a ministry of the Kensington Woods Church of Christ trains high schoolers to be machinists and if you complete the program, one of the local community colleges will grant an associates degree in that field. So imagine being 18 years old, Associates in hand, and going to work at Ingalls, or Bollinger, or any other similar work. In Christianity, the Lord is always training you, such as we see in Hebrews 12 where the Lord disciplines those He loves. But how do we know what we are to be trained in? It takes understanding the mission.

Big Idea: The King commissions and equips His people.

The Apostle’s Mission

Matthew 10:5–8 ESV

5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.

Exegesis: Jesus describes who the focus of the mission was: the lost sheep of Israel. They were to avoid Gentiles and Samaritans, two groups who are separate of Israel. They were not Jesus’ priority at this moment so it is the same for the apostles. They were to go to their fellow Jew and tell them the same thing that both Jesus and John the Baptist had been saying since the beginning of their ministries: The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The people of Israel needed to be prepared for what was coming. They needed to know time was running out, that the messiah is here, and the kingdom was about to be established. To confirm their message, Jesus reiterates what they are supposed to do as well saying to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. All these things Jesus had been doing and they will continue doing the same thing.

Application: The last phrase in verse 8 even establishes a motivation: you received without paying, give without pay. They had given no money for these abilities. They had given no effort for these abilities. Therefore they had no right to charge for these “services.” Just as it had been freely given to them, they were to give to others at no charge. What an amazing connection to the gospel in this passage! They had nothing to give for this gift! They couldn’t pay anything for this gift! It had been given to them by Jesus just as us today are given the free gift of grace to us by Jesus! That same grace given to us ultimately teaches us dependence on Him.

Big Idea: The King commissions and equips His people.

The Apostle’s Dependence

Matthew 10:9–10 ESV

9 Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.

Exegesis: It was already enough to say they couldn’t charge for the services they were doing, not they couldn’t bring any provisions with them! What a challenge! No money, no staff for protection, no extra clothes, or a change of shoes! For what purpose? The key to this lies in “The laborer deserves his food.”

This phrase appears in several places in several forms. 1 Timothy 5 says to show an elder who labors in preaching and teaching double honor as it his wage. Galatians 6 would say to share all good things with those who teach. Even the Old Testament shows this in understanding that the Levites and priests are to be cared for through the offerings at the temple.

What Jesus was getting them to understand was that they were going to be taken care of as they were going from town to town.

Application: Ultimately this was going to be a test of their own faith. For just a short while they would be going around preaching the kingdom with nothing but the clothes on their backs and if they couldn’t trust the Lord in this limited time now, how would they trust the Lord when He is ascended into heaven and they were on their own?

They had to trust in God and the provisions that He provides. God is not going to muzzle the ox as it treads out the grain. He has and will always provide for those that labor for His will. This isn’t just talking about “preachers” but every person that labors for Him will be cared for. Matthew 6 makes this clear at the end of the chapter when Christ says to not care for food and clothing but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

This has always been a concept in the scriptures: The Lord provides for His people. Abraham was given promises of protection and blessings. This was passed to Isaac and Jacob. Joseph was protected in Egypt. The same early Israelites were protected from famine in Egypt. The enslaved Israelites were brought out of Egypt and given manna and water and protection. All the way to today, nothing has changed.

Big Idea: The King commissions and equips His people.

The Apostle’s Response To The People

Matthew 10:11–15 ESV

11 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. 15 Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

Exegesis: When the apostles visit these towns they are likely to meet people with different reactions to their message. When they first get to a town or home, the question is, are these people worthy? Now many people would see the word worthy and think, “Is Jesus saying that we should avoid certain people because they aren’t ‘good enough’?” No, he’s merely talking about those that receive the message. These are people who are worthy. They have heard the message, they receive the message with gladness, and provide for the apostles and the ministry they carry.

The Lord says these worthy people are to receive “their peace.” This is the blessings that have come as part of the gifts they had been given by Christ. We understand to some degree the concept of “Shalom” that Godly peace and blessing extended to others. This is essentially what Jesus refers to here.

But there are those who would not receive the message and ultimately reject the apostles. When the apostles meet these people, they are to withhold their peace and move on. They weren’t to beg them, bother them, harass them, or anything extra. They were to dust their feet off and move on.

For those that reject the message, the punishment was coming. Jesus mentions Sodom and Gomorrah, two great cities participating in such evil practices that the Lord sought to wipe them off the face of the Earth. We consider their judgment to be great, but Christ says judgment for those that reject His message is greater that the judgment waiting for Sodom and Gomorrah. These people had a message to hear, they chose to reject it. For those that hear the message and reject it, the punishment will be worse.

Application: It is a sorrowful and discouraging thing when someone rejects the truth. But when someone does reject it, how do we respond? Just keep moving. Back in Matthew 7, Jesus would say to not give the dogs what is holy and to not cast your pearls before swine. The same concept is applied here. If the people are going to reject the message, don’t keep throwing it at them to see if it sticks. Just move on. It is not the point to coerce someone into obeying the truth. Certainly put in effort. Certainly take time. But be mindful of how the message is received. There may come a point when the wiser use of your opportunity is to turn your attention toward someone who is willing to hear.!

It sounds harsh. But the truth is simply that some people will reject the message and until their hearts are softened to even listen, move on.

Big Idea: The King commissions and equips His people.

Application

When we consider that Jesus had His disciples pray for laborers and then definitively sent His disciples into the field, have we made excuses to not go? Or, have we as the church failed to train for the work of the ministry? Ephesians 4:11-12

Ephesians 4:11–12 ESV

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

13-16 would say this is purposed to grow into maturity, unity, and fullness of the faith, reaching towards the head that is Christ.

It doesn’t take a lifetime of training to grow into maturity. It also doesn’t take someone with a degree in order to work for the kingdom. It takes submission to the King and His commission.

Conclusion

Restate the Bottom Line: The King commissions and equips His people.

Final Illustration / Challenge: Remember where we started—with Flight 1549.

When those engines failed, nobody had time to begin training.

That moment revealed the value of all the training that had already taken place.

And maybe that is something we need to understand as the church.

We don't know when someone is going to ask us about Jesus.

We don't know when somebody will need us to open the Bible with them.

We don't know when an opportunity to teach, serve, encourage, or lead is going to appear.

The time to prepare for that moment isn't when it arrives.

It's now.

Jesus looked at ordinary men, trained them, gave them a mission, and sent them into the harvest.

And He still intends for His people to be equipped for His work.

The King commissions and equips His people.

So maybe the question isn't simply, “Is there work that needs to be done?”

We already know there is.

The question is: Are we willing to be trained so that we are ready when the King sends us?

If we are having troubles finding ways to labor or finding laborers, maybe its time to start truly training. Do not let complacency keep you from being trained in the ways of God.

Call to Action: The Lord did not come to this earth so we could sit in grand buildings and do nothing, He came so that He could die for our sins and that we would become a changed people working for His kingdom.

If laziness or indifference has kept you from the King's work, repent of it. Perhaps your hesitancy needs to be put away. Do not leave here unchanged. Search for the need that needs to be filled. If it is something you don’t know how to do, ask for guidance! Before you leave today, identify one area where you need training and one person you can ask to help train you

For those that have not obeyed the gospel in baptism, let us study and reason with things together so you may know the Lord has for you to do.