BECK index / Contents / Index to Gospel Passages

THE GOOD MESSAGE OF
JESUS THE CHRIST
Synthesis
40

He called to him the twelve
and began to send them out two by two,
and he gave them authority over unclean spirits
so as to expel them,
and power to heal every disease and illness.

Sending out the twelve disciples, Jesus instructed them:
"Do not go off into the way of the nations,
and do not enter into a town of the Samaritans;
but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,
and going preach, 'The sovereignty of heaven is near.'
Heal the ailing; raise the dead;
cleanse lepers; expel demons.

"Freely you received; freely give.
Do not take gold nor silver nor copper in your belts,
nor a bag for the road
nor two shirts nor extra sandals nor a staff.

"In whatever town or village you enter,
inquire who in it is worthy.
Entering a house greet it, 'Peace to this house.'
If there is a son of peace there,
let your peace rest upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.
Stay in the same house, eating and drinking with them;
for the worker is worthy of one's pay.
Do not move from house to house.
In whatever town you enter where they welcome you,
eat what they put before you, and heal the sick in it.

"Whoever does not welcome you or listen to your words,
going out of the house into their streets
or outside that town
say, 'Even the dust clinging to our feet from your town
we shake off to you;
yet know this: that the sovereignty of God has come near.'
Amen, I tell you, it will be more bearable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on judgment day
than for that town.

"Look, I send you out as lambs in the middle of wolves;
therefore be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
Watch out for people;
for they will give you over to councils,
and in their synagogues they will punish you;
on account of me
you will be led before governors and also kings,
for testimony to them and to the nations.

"When they bring you in
before synagogues and rulers and authorities,
do not worry about how you should defend yourself
or what you should say;
for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that hour
what you should say;
for you are not the ones speaking,
but the Spirit of your Father is the one speaking in you.

"Brother will give over brother into death
and the father the child,
and children will rebel against parents
and will put them to death.
You will be hated by everyone because of my name;
but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to another;
for amen, I tell you,
you will not complete the towns of Israel
before the human son comes.

"A disciple is not above the teacher
nor a servant above his lord.
But every disciple who has been prepared
will become like his teacher,
and the servant like his lord.
If they called the master of the house Beelzebub,
how much more the members of his house.

"So do not be afraid of them;
for nothing has been veiled which will not be unveiled,
and hidden which will not be known.
What I tell you in the dark, say in the light;
and what you hear in your ear, proclaim on the housetops.

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body
and after that do not have anything more they can do,
not being able to kill the soul;
but rather be afraid of the one able to ruin
both soul and body in hell.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?
Yet not one of them will fall upon the earth
without your Father.
Even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
So do not be afraid;
you are worth more than many sparrows.

"Therefore everyone who acknowledges me before people,
I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven;
but whoever denies me before people,
will also be denied before my Father in heaven.

"Do not think that I came to bring peace upon the earth;
I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I came to turn a person against his father
and a daughter against her mother
and a bride against her mother-in-law,
and a person's enemies will be the members of his house.

"The one loving father or mother above me
is not worthy of me;
and the one loving son or daughter above me
is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take one's cross and follow after me,
is not worthy of me.
The one finding one's life will lose it,
and the one losing one's life for my sake will find it.

"The one welcoming you welcomes me,
and the one welcoming me welcomes the one who sent me.
The one welcoming a prophet in the name of a prophet
will receive a prophet's reward,
and the one welcoming a just person in the name of justice
will receive a just person's reward.
Also whoever gives one of these little ones
a cup of cool water to drink
only in the name of a disciple,
amen, I tell you, will not lose one's reward."

When he finished instructing his twelve disciples,
going out they preached that they should change their minds,
and they expelled many demons
and anointed with oil and healed many sick people;
Jesus moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns.

40. Sending Out the Disciples Harmony 40 * Interpretation 40
41. Death of John the Baptist Harmony 41 * Synthesis 41 * Interpretation 41

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