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. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; 4 Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
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. 7 As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Jesus begins this passage by calling the Twelve to Himself and giving them authority (v. 1). Their mission does not begin with their own strength, ideas, or plans. It begins with Jesus. He summons them, gives them authority, and sends them out to continue the work already seen in His own ministry.
The authority Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, gives them is real. They are to drive out unclean spirits and cure every disease and illness (v. 1). These works show that the kingdom of heaven is not only announced in words. In Jesus Christ, God is acting to free, heal, restore, and gather His people. The Twelve are sent by Him and act by the authority He gives.
Matthew then names the Twelve (vv. 2–4). The number twelve recalls the twelve tribes of Israel. This shows that Jesus is gathering and renewing God’s people, fulfilling the hope that God would seek His scattered sheep and gather them under one shepherd (Ezekiel 34:11–16; 37:21–24). His mission is not disconnected from the history of Israel. God’s promises, covenants, prophets, and saving plan are being brought forward in Him.
Simon Peter is named first (v. 2). Matthew will later show Peter’s particular role more fully, especially when he confesses Jesus as “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” and receives from Jesus the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 16:16–19). Even here, Peter’s name at the head of the list points toward his place among the Twelve.
The list also shows the human reality of those Jesus chose. Matthew is identified as “the tax collector” (v. 3), a reminder that Jesus called men from ordinary and even unexpected backgrounds. Judas Iscariot is also named, with the sober note that he betrayed Jesus (v. 4). Throughout salvation history, God has called ordinary people, with their human limitations, to take part in His work. Their mission depends not on human greatness, but on God’s call, grace, and power.
Jesus sends the Twelve first to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (v. 6). This follows the order of God’s saving plan. Israel had received the covenant, the Law, the worship, and the promises, and from them, according to the flesh, came the Messiah (Romans 9:4–5). It was fitting that the proclamation should first be made to them. Later, after His resurrection, Jesus will send His apostles to “all nations” (Matthew 28:19).
The message they are to proclaim is simple and urgent: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (v. 7). John the Baptist had proclaimed the coming of the kingdom in preparation for the Messiah (Matthew 3:2), and Jesus Himself proclaimed the same message at the beginning of His public ministry (Matthew 4:17). Now Jesus sends the Twelve to carry that proclamation forward. The same message continues through the Church from one generation to the next, as disciples are sent to bear witness to Christ until He comes again (Matthew 28:19–20; 1 Corinthians 11:26). The kingdom of heaven means God’s saving rule drawing near in Jesus Christ. God is not distant from His people. In His Son, He comes to call sinners, heal the wounded, free those oppressed by evil, and gather His people into communion with Himself.
This passage also helps us understand how the Church continues Christ’s mission. She receives her message, authority, and grace from Christ. Every Christian shares in this mission according to his or her state in life, bearing faithful witness to Christ in word and action and helping others recognize the nearness of God’s kingdom.
Lord Jesus, You called and sent the Twelve to proclaim the kingdom of heaven. Strengthen Your Church today to continue Your mission with faith, humility, and love. Help us to receive Your word, trust Your authority, and bear witness to Your saving presence in the world. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Matthew 10:1–7 and notes on Matthew 10:1–11:1, 10:1, and 10:5–6.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. Pages 23–24, notes on Matthew 10:1–11:1, 10:2, and 10:5.
- Casciaro, José María, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. Pages 78–81, notes on Matthew 10:1–12:50, 10:1–4, and 10:5–15.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. Pages 650–651, paragraphs 67–68.
- Aguilar Chiu, José Enrique, Richard J. Clifford, Carol J. Dempsey, Eileen M. Schuller, Thomas D. Stegman, and Ronald D. Witherup, eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. Page 928.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid OP, and Donald Senior CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, with a Foreword by Pope Francis. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2022. Pages 1191–1192.
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