In the tenth chapter of the gospel attributed to Matthew, Jesus appoints twelve followers as apostles and sends them out with specific instructions. It’s important for us to understand that the instructions are indeed specific to these twelve. At the same time, there are still key takeaways for us today.
In the gospels, Jesus first sends out the original twelve to share the good news of the Eternal Kingdom and do good works for people they know (other Jewish folk). It is not until after the resurrection that the Lord tells the faithful to expand their mission to others. For us living post-resurrection, we must straddle both callings—-being authentic bearers of the gospel message to those within our circles of influence as well as those outside our circles. We cannot choose to ignore any aspect of our time and place in God’s continually unfolding story of redemption. Everywhere we go we must bring good news and do good works.
We also cannot get hung up on thinking one thing must happen before the other. That is to say, we must not think that being a good Christ-follower must first be proved in domestic or familial settings before extending the love of God to others outside our small bubbles. Some preach that faith and charity should begin at home and then others can get the leftovers, if there are any. Our God is not one of such limitations—there is plenty of goodness for everyone!
When Jesus sends out the apostles, there is a notion of continuously moving on. A notion of disregarding the comfortable and present, and going into the unknown and dangerous. Hurrying to share, reshare, and reshare again the good news of the gospel and doing as much good as possible. Time is of the essence and quickly fleeting. If that is the case, our words and actions must be spread broadly now and not held back for a later time.
We should also note how stylistically the story of the appointment of the apostles and their initial sending is placed by the author(s) of Matthew. The other synoptic writers, Mark and Luke, separate out the two stories in their timelines, placing the appointment earlier and the first sending a bit later. (Luke even puts in two distinct sendings, with the second being a larger contingent; Luke 6, 9, 10; Mark 3, 6). Matthew has chosen to keep the focus longer on Jesus during the first half of the book, before presenting other key leaders of this new messiah-movement. At the same time (in the same speedy spirit of Mark’s writing) there is no time wasted once the apostles are appointed. They are sent out right away, with godspeed.
On a macro level, the gospels remind us that our mission may change over time. We must be open to the call of God shifting and willingly roll with the differing directions the Holy Spirt may send us. This means personal and communal reformation and transformation. How often in the gospels does Jesus say to the disciples “tell no one” and then here we have the stories written down by the very people who heard this charge directly! This simple example alone is an indication that our duties for the Kingdom of God may change and that the Eternal Kingdom itself is always progressively shifting forward.
As we embrace and live out the missions God has for us, we create a relevant narrative of the gospels for our time and place in the universe. Within our churches and other social circles, it becomes a communal narrative. The missions and stories get woven together and become a movement. And when we do this guided by the power of the Holy Spirit, it is a righteous movement.
Relevant Reformation 