Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. 36 At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; 38 so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”
1 Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. 5 Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.
Matthew brings us to a turning point. Jesus’ ministry of teaching, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing now expands as he sends the Twelve to continue his work. Moved with compassion for the crowds, he gives them authority to proclaim the kingdom of heaven and to bring healing in his name.
Jesus goes through towns and villages. He teaches in the synagogues, proclaims the gospel of the kingdom, and cures “every disease and every illness.” Matthew is showing the full range of Jesus’ messianic work. The kingdom of heaven is not only an idea. It means God is acting to save and restore his people through Jesus. The healings are signs that God is acting through Jesus with mercy and authority. They also prepare for the moment when this same mission will be shared with others.
When Jesus sees the crowds, “his heart was moved with pity.” Matthew describes a deep and steady compassion, not a momentary feeling. The people are “troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” This echoes Israel’s long story of needing faithful leaders who would guide them in God’s ways. The image also prepares for the Church’s later pastoral mission. Jesus is the shepherd Israel needs, and he is beginning to form shepherds among his disciples who will share in his work.
Jesus then tells his disciples that the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few. The need is real and urgent. The solution he gives first is prayer: “ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers.” The mission of the Church begins in God’s initiative, not in human strategy. Prayer is not a delay. It is the first act of trust that God will provide what his saving plan requires.
Matthew immediately shows Jesus answering that prayer by action. He summons the Twelve and gives them authority over unclean spirits and over sickness and illness. In pairing “disease” and “illness,” Matthew is being emphatic. Jesus is not giving the Twelve power that originates in themselves. He is sharing his own authority with them so they can act in his name. The mission is not a private project of the disciples. It is an extension of the Lord’s compassion for the people. Matthew’s pattern continues in every generation as Jesus entrusts his work to those he sends to proclaim the gospel and bring his mercy to others.
The instruction to go first to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” fits Matthew’s pattern. God’s promises to Israel are not being discarded. Matthew is assuming the reader remembers God’s covenant promises to Abraham to bless his descendants and, through them, bring blessing to the nations (Gen. 12:1-3; 17:1-8), his promise of a lasting royal line culminating in a faithful king from David’s house (2 Sam. 7:12-16; Ps. 89:3-5), and the prophetic hope of a renewed covenant and restored hearts among God’s people (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:24-28). They are being fulfilled. The initial focus on Israel also sets the stage for the later widening of the mission to all nations. In this moment, Jesus is gathering and restoring the people to whom God first gave the covenant. The kingdom of heaven is arriving where God’s saving history began.
The heart of their message is simple: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Their works match their words. The commands to cure, raise, cleanse, and drive out demons show that proclamation and mercy belong together. The kingdom is announced with the mouth and displayed in deeds of restoration. Jesus does not send the Twelve to build their reputation or his own. He sends them to make God’s reign visible by bringing healing to those who suffer and freedom from what has bound them, especially sickness and demonic oppression.
Lord Jesus, grant us your compassion when we feel troubled and abandoned. Teach us to pray for laborers and to live as faithful workers in your harvest. Keep our words and our deeds rooted in your mercy and your truth. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- Bernard Orchard et al., A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture (1953).
- Faculty of the University of Navarre, The Navarre Bible: Matthew (Four Courts/Scepter).
- José Enrique Aguilar Chiu et al., eds., The Paulist Biblical Commentary (2018).
- Raymond E. Brown et al., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (1990).
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