A HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS

XLIX. Christ’s Pastoral Ministry Assignment

(Matthew 10:1-15; Mark 6:6b-13; Luke 9:1-6)

I. Introduction

A. After briefly noting the great pastoral ministry Israel’s people needed, Jesus assigned His disciples to such a ministry as His representatives of Christ’s call to the nation to believe in Him for entrance into His Kingdom.

B. Matthew 10:1-15; Mark 6:6b-13 and Luke 9:1-6 presents Christ’s basic pastoral ministry assignment for His disciples, what applies not only to His earthly ministry, but also in principle to pastoral assignments of today.

C. We view these passages for our insight, application and edification (as follows):

II. Christ’s Pastoral Ministry Assignment, Matthew 10:1-15; Mark 6:6b-13; Luke 9:1-6.

A. Christ called specific men to pastor His people, Matthew 10:1a, 2-5a; Mark 6:7a; Luke 9:1a:

1. He called unto Himself His twelve disciples, men He had already directed to be His followers, Matt. 10:1a.

2. They included Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot, Matt. 10:2-5a.

B. Christ equipped those He called to pastor to perform His callings for them, Matt. 10:1b; Mk. 6;7b; Lk. 9:1b:

1. The Lord equipped these disciples with the authority to exorcise unclean spirit, Matthew 10:1b.

2. He also equipped them to heal all kinds of diseases and sicknesses, Matthew 10:1b NIV.

C. Christ assigned a specific people group for those He called to pastor, Matthew 10:5-6:

1. When Christ gave His Matthew 28:19-20 Great Commission, He told His followers to disciple the nations.

2. However, in His earthly life under the Mosaic Law (Gal. 4:4), since He had been sent to Israel, Jesus had His disciples go only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, not to Gentiles or Samaritans (Matt. 10:5-6).

D. Christ assigned specific functions for His pastors to perform in ministry, Matt. 10:7-8a; Mk. 6:12-13; Lk. 9:6:

1. Jesus’ disciples were to proclaim to Israel’s people that the kingdom of heaven had come near, Matt. 10:7.

2. The disciples were then to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers and cast out demons, Matt. 10:8a.

E. Christ instructed His pastors on handling their livelihood needs, Matthew 10:8b-10; Mark 6:8-9; Luke 9:3:

1. Since the disciples had freely received Christ’s salvation, they were not to make their ministries a means of financial gain but freely give in ministry like they had freely received from the Lord, Matthew 10:8b.

2. To that end, they were also not to load up their money belts with gold, silver or copper coins, and take no bag of belongings or extra shirt or sandals or staff for their journey, for the worker was worth his keep, so the disciples were to depend on typical Hebrew hospitality for their livelihoods, Matthew 10:9-10 NIV.

F. Christ instructed His pastors on protecting their personal testimonies, Matthew 10:11; Mark 6:10; Luke 9:4:

1. When the disciples entered a specific town to minister, they were to investigate to find who was a worthy party and accept the hospitality of that party to protect their reputations as good men, Matthew 10:11a.

2. The disciples were to stay in that house until they left the town to protect their reputations from appearing to be men greedy for all the food they could acquire from multiple homes, Matthew 10:11b.

G. Christ instructed His pastors on handling reactions to their ministries, Matt. 10:12-15; Mark 6:11; Luke 9:5:

1. If the disciples entered a village and were accepted as seen in hospitality being given to them, they were to give their hosts a greeting of peace, and the disciples’ peace would rest on their hosts, Matthew 10:12-13a.

2. However, if the disciples entered a village where no hospitality was extended to them, implying the people of that place were rejecting their ministry and message, the disciples were to move on to another village, shaking the dust off their feet, Matt. 10:14. “A good Jew took pains not to carry back into Palestine any dust from non-Jewish countries. To ‘shake off the dust’ was a vivid gesture of complete break of fellowship and renunciation of responsibility for the person or community gestured at.” (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to Acts 13:51). Thus, the shaking off of the dust of one’s feet would signal God’s coming judgment on that village for rejecting the disciples’ ministry and message, and of the righteousness of the disciples’ decision to refuse to feel responsible for or to fellowship with that village (Matt. 10:15)!

Lesson: Christ’s pastoral ministry assignment involved His calling specific men to pastor, empowering them with specific gifts, assigning them a specific people group, giving them specific pastoral duties, giving them specific directives on their livelihoods, directing them to protect their testimonies, and instructing them to have an impartial and a balanced response to ministry reactions to their ministries.

Application: May we in the pew and pastors in the pulpit heed God’s pattern of pastoral ministry assignments.