1 Him, as it might have moved a mere man, to despair. Nor did He content Himself with a mere emotion of pity. He proceeds to action. He does something to remedy this sad state of things. He dispatches His Apostles into the field. He bids them pray, and sends them forth to work. The people are compared to stray sheep worn out with fatigue, scattered and lost from want of a shepherd to look after them. So the Lord applies the ancient figure of their own Prophets. For their proper Pastors had neglected them.2 It was not that none had been appointed, but that those who had been appointed had proved hirelings, had not cared for the sheep. Again they are compared, as also elsewhere, to a large harvest wasted for want of labourers, lost in great measure through lack of men to gather it in. This comparison He addresses, as again on another occasion, to the Disciples whom He is about to send forth for the purpose. This is the fruit of His compassion. His is not a fruitless, unavailing pity. We must not content ourselves with mere feelings, barren emotions. But first He bids us pray, as in the Prayer He puts into our lips, "Thy Kingdom come." God is the great Proprietor. It is a privilege to labour in His field. He will send in answer to our prayers. Prayer is the means which He has appointed in order to this supply. We may not perhaps understand all the reasons of this, but it is enough for us that He has appointed and commanded it. Prayer is the channel through which the blessing is decreed to come. 1 Num. xxvii. 17; 1 Ki. xxii. 17; Eze. xxxiv. 5, 6, 8. 2 Jer. xxiii. 1, 2; 1. 6. 3 St. John x. 12, 13. St. John iv. 35-38. 5 St. Luke x. 2. 6 1 St. John iii. 18. 5 CCXXXIX. THE MISSION OF THE TWELVE. St. Matthew x. 1. And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. gave 66 4 "This is not the choosing, but merely the mission of the twelve." Of the whole band of disciples, of those who put themselves under His teaching and followed Him, He chose 2 and ordained twelve, as we have already heard, to be Apostles, or teachers under Him. These twelve, "the twelve," as St. Mark calls them, having been retained for some time under training, He now "called together," and sent forth by two and two." Even the Apostles did not straightway from being fisher-men become fishers of men. Neither did they run before they were sent. They waited for their Lord, and He gave them, when He saw fit, "power and authority" over unclean spirits and "all devils," dæmons of every description. He gave them the ability and the right for this, as well as to heal every sort of disorder. All evil, whether ghostly or bodily, should yield before them. Nothing should be found able to withstand, nothing should be impossible unto them. Not only should diseases be expelled, but the sick should be made whole. They should be able to impart "perfect soundness." "And He sent them to preach the Kingdom of God," to proclaim the Church of Christ. This was their commission. 1 Alford. 2 St. Luke vi. 13. 3 St. Mark iii. 14. 4 St. Mark vi. 7. 9 6 St. Luke ix. 1. 7 St. Luke ix. 1, 2. 8 Acts iii. 16. CCXL. THE SAME SUBJECT-continued. St. Matthew x. 5-10. 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: but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves for the workman is worthy of his meat. 1 4 This charge to the Twelve, which in some points was meant for their present mission only, which in its literal meaning was limited to the Apostles alone, is still binding in its spirit on all the Ministers of Christ's Word and Sacraments. The Apostles are sent, as their Master," first of all to the Jews, who are described as sheep that have strayed from the fold and lost themselves.3 So their office is suggested to them, shepherds under the Chief Shepherd; and a deep and abiding impression, we find, it makes upon their hearts. For the present then they were to confine their ministrations to these. "Let the children first be fed." This would be enough to occupy all their time and thought. They would not have made an end of going over the cities of Israel 5 for some time to come. Afterward would be time to turn to the Gentiles. As the Baptist began his preaching, and as the Lord Himself began, so here He directs His Apostles to begin This is to be their text, the theme on which they are to enlarge; the Kingdom of 7 1 It may be divided into tl ree parts, vv. 5-15, vv. 16-23, vv. 24-42; each of which ends with the formula "Verily I say unto you." 2 St. Matt. xv. 22, 24. 3 St. Matt. ix. 36. 8 1 St. Pet. ii. 25, v. 1-14. 5 V. 23 below. Acts xiii. 46; i. 8. 7 St. Matt. iii. 1-2. 8 St. Matt. iv. 17. Heaven, the reign of the Messiah, the Church of Christ, is at hand. It implies of course that they must also preach what follows from it, that men must repent of their sins and submit themselves to their Lord and Saviour. He gives them power and authority to work miracles to prove their mission; and what they do they are to do gratuitously, whatever temptations they might have (and such we know they had) to the contrary. It is their Lord's bounty that they, as His stewards, are distributing; and they must give as freely as they have received. Yet must those to whom they minister not suppose themselves exempt from their support. If the Clergy may not be burdensome, neither may the Laity be parsimonious; nor withhold what is after all no more than wage duly earned by good work. Gold, silver, brass, represented the three sorts of coin then current in that land. The Scrip was a bag or wallet for carrying provisions. They were to go as they were, in their ordinary garb, without providing even a change of raiment; in the simple sandals 3 they usually wore, instead of the stouter shoes employed on a journey; with a single staff in their hand, without providing a second in case of emergency. Anything of this kind that might be required must be provided by those to whom they ministered. It was to teach these the duty of maintaining their ministers, and to the Apostles a lesson of faith.* The whole of the prohibition however was only temporary, "for their then journey, and no more.' CCXLI. THE SAME SUBJECT-continued. St. Matthew x. 11-15. And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. And when 1 Acts viii. 18-20; 1 St. Pet. v. 2; 1 Tim. iii. 3; v. 21; Tit. i. 11. 2 1 Tim. v. 17, 18. 3 St. Mark vi. 9. These were mere soles of leather, bound across the instep with a thong. St. Luke xxii. 35, 36. 5 Alford. ye come into an house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. 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. 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. He adds some rules for their social guidance in this ministerial journey. They are not to go from house to house. It would tend to unsettle them, and interfere with the steady prosecution of their work. But having discovered an host of honest and hospitable repute, let them be content to abide under his roof from first to last. It would prevent too all undesirable competition, or comparison. Observe here it is no small honour to be counted worthy to entertain the Ambassador and representative of the Lord; nor is it everyone who is worthy of that honour. Observe also, this must be ascertained by due inquiry. The Apostles, though endowed with supernatural powers for supernatural purposes, were yet left to the use of natural means when natural means would suffice. There is an economy in the realm of spirit. Nor were they suffered to be morose, or to neglect the usual forms of courtesy. Here also we may learn that no prayer is lost before God. It is not in any case wasted breath. It will bring a blessing on ourselves, if not, through his own fault, on the object of it. It can but turn into our own bosom.3 It is not so strange that men should decline to entertain strangers, but to refuse even to hear them shows a savage spirit. If they would but hear them, they would be glad to entertain them, and should thus find that they had entertained" angels unawares." Those who acted otherwise would be worse than the men of Sodom, in that their opportunity was greater; and a heavier judgment should overtake them than that which befell those cities of the plain which are set forth for an example."5 Much wrong, we may learn 1 Acts xvi. 15. 2 This is a point, which with other points of the Charge, seems particularly to have impressed St. Peter. 1 St. 4 Pet. iii. 8. 3 Ps. xxxv. 15. 5 St. Jude 7, 8, 10. |