Matthew 10:16 says, Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.  Jesus said that He was sending the disciples out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  I don't believe that this has changed today.  At this point, the disciples were going to those who professed to be God's people, and Jesus said they would still be sheep among wolves.  How much more so can we expect those who deny God or worship false gods to attempt to destroy us today when we witness for Christ.  Just as the first disciples were not promised peace and prosperity in the world, neither should we expect it today.  Verse seventeen says, But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;  Again, these were those who were supposedly God's people who would be treating the disciples this way.  They would be brought before the councils and scourged in the synagogues.  As followers of Christ today, His church, we need to ensure that we are never guilty of causing problems for those who are witnessing for Him.  Verse eighteen declares, And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.  Jesus did not say that there was a remote possibility that this might occur, but He said that it would.  We should not be surprised when the government opposes what God teaches.  If we are brought before earthly rulers because of our witnessing for Christ, then we should simply stand firm in our faith, no matter what.  Verse nineteen says, But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.  Jesus told the disciples not to worry about what to say when they were delivered to the judgment of men.  If we were in such a situation, we might be trying to figure out what we could say to get out of it, but Jesus said to rely on God to give us the words to say.  We can never alter the gospel, which is Jesus crucified, resurrected, and Lord, in order to escape a bad situation.  Verse twenty states, For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.  If we are to be effective witnesses for Christ today, we must always speak under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse twenty-one declares,  And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.  This sounds very harsh as a way for people to live, but it has happened and still happens in many countries today, though maybe not always in relationship to Christianity.  Still, being a Christian, a follower of Christ, does often put us at odds with the world, even our closest relatives.  This is what Jesus was warning His disciples, and His followers today, about.  Verse twenty-two adds, And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.  This was not just a warning for those early disciples who actually walked and talked with Jesus physically, but for all His followers who have come since.  We should not be surprised when this happens, but should simply hold on by faith.  We cannot have faith when it is convenient and turn away from God when it is not.  Verse twenty-three says, But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.  When the disciples were persecuted in one city, they were to go to another.

Matthew 10:5 says, 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:  Jesus ordained the twelve.  If we are to be effective in spreading the gospel today, we must do so under the authority of being called by Christ.  We are not all called to be teachers and preachers, but we are all called for a purpose in God's kingdom.  When we all fulfill our purpose, the gospel will be spread much more effectively.  They were not to go to the Gentiles and Samaritans at this time, but were to go to the Jews first.  Verse six says, But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  Jesus ordained them for a mission.  God still desired to work through His chosen people, and they were to be given another opportunity to be God's people in faith and not just in name.  Verse seven says, And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.  If that was to be their message then, how much more so should it be our message today.  As we go about living each day, we should be spreading the gospel by our words and actions.  Verse eight states, Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.  Jesus told the disciples that by their faith in Him that they would be able to do the things that He had been doing.  I do not believe that Jesus's task for His followers only applied to the twelve disciples who were with Him then.  We still have this same commission today, but to be successful we can only carry it out by complete faith in the power of God.  Verse nine says, Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,  This instruction meant that the disciples were to be totally reliant on God to meet their needs.  Too often Christians, or even churches, say that they feel God is leading them to do something particular, but that they will only go ahead once they are sure that they can afford to do so.  This is living by sight and not faith.  If we truly feel that God is leading us to do something, then if we follow in faith, He will provide the means.  Verse ten states, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.  This is a continuation of the instruction in the last verse, with the addition of the statement that the workman is worthy of his meat.  Those who were being witnessed and ministered to should support those that God sent to them, and still should.  This does not mean to meet all their wants and desires, but to meet their basic needs.  Verse eleven says, And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.  The disciples were instructed that when they entered a city, they were to ask who could afford to let them stay with them.  Remember, these were Jewish people, God's chosen people, that the disciples were going to and they were going under God's command.  Verse twelve states, And when ye come into an house, salute it.  The disciples were to be respectful to those who allowed them to stay with them, and so should we be today to those who offer us support as we do God's work.  Verse thirteen says, And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.  I believe that this means that if the disciples were treated well that they should be at peace with the household, but if they weren't then they should not be troubled because of it.  Some people may have put them up out of a sense of obligation and have resented it.  Verse fourteen declares, 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.  Jesus told the disciples that when people did not welcome them and hear their words, the gospel, that they were to leave and shake off the dust of their feet.  We cannot force anyone to receive the gospel, and if they will not hear and believe when we have shared it with them, we have done what God asks us to do.  Verse fifteen warns, 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.  Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for the wickedness of their people, but Jesus said that those who refused to hear and accept the gospel would fare much worse.  They would go away into everlasting destruction having openly rejected salvation offered by Jesus.

Matthew 10:1 says, And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.   Jesus called His twelve disciplines to Him, and if we are to be His disciples, or followers, today, we must first be called to Him.  These twelve were special only by the fact that they were called by Jesus to spread the gospel after His death especially.  Matthew Henry says that at this point that they were ordained to preach and were not just gathered to learn from Jesus.  Though we may first need to learn more about Jesus when we accept Him as our Savoir and Lord, ultimately we need to begin witnessing for Him and seek task that He has for us.  We are called for a purpose other than just our own salvation.  We are called to advance the gospel.  Even then, one would betray Jesus.  Just because a person claims to follow Jesus does not mean that they really do, but if we are truly followers of Christ, then He has called us not only to salvation, but to spread the gospel as well.  Verse two states, Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;  Verse three continues,  Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;  Then verse four concludes, Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.  We are given a list of the twelve disciples.   Some, we know no more about them than their names, but this does not make them any less important.  They were not extraordinary men, but men from everyday life.  Still, when they put their faith in Jesus and followed Him, they turned the world upside down.  We may not feel extraordinary today, but if we are followers of Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to work through us, we can achieve extraordinary things for God.  Hopefully, we are not like Judas and only claiming to follow Jesus.  There are those today who attempt to portray Judas as simply a confused person and give him a more sympathetic reason for his betrayal, but I believe that he did what he did for his own benefit.  There are those who profess to follow Christ today who do so only for their own benefit, and we can never justify them.  We may look back at these early disciples and think that somehow they were more empowered than we are today, but that is not true.  The only power that they had came from their relationship to Jesus, the same as our power today does.

Matthew 9:27 says, And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.  Having raised the maid from the dead, Jesus did not stay around for the praise of the people, but continued on His way.  When Jesus saves us today, He does not expect us to simply stay where we are and praise Him, but He expects us to go out into the world and share the gospel.  Yes, we should praise Jesus continually as we go about life, but we cannot just withdraw from the world to do so.  Two blind men were following Jesus.  When anyone comes to Jesus by faith in His gift of salvation, they come to Him spiritually blind.  Verse twenty-eight says, And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.  We are not told what house Jesus came into, but there He spoke to the blind men who had followed Him.  Jesus asked them if they believed that He could restore their sight.  That is the question that we must ask ourselves today when we come to Jesus.  Can Jesus, and Jesus alone, restore our spiritual sight and give us everlasting life?  These two blind men said that they believed that Jesus could give them their physical sight.  Verse twenty-nine states, Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.  This does not say that Jesus touched their eyes and they immediately had their vision restored.  We are told Jesus touched their eyes and told them that according to their faith that it would be unto them.  It is not enough to just have Jesus touch us, but we must have faith in His ability to restore us to a right relationship with the heavenly Father.  Verse thirty states, And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.  When they could see, Jesus told them not to tell anyone how they had their vision restored.  Again, I believe that this was because Jesus did not want people following Him simply for His ability to heal people physically.  Jesus came to offer spiritual healing to all people for all time, if they only put their faith in Him.  Verse thirty-one says, But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.  The two who had their sight restored could not keep quiet, even though Jesus had told them to.  We today have the opposite command, and that is to spread God's word into all the world, yet we often remain silent.  Verse thirty-two says, As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.  This dumb man, which I know is no longer a politically correct way to describe a person, was brought to Jesus.  Not only could this man not speak, but it says he was possessed with the devil.  Sometimes people came to Jesus on their own, and sometimes they were led to Jesus by others, but either way they came to personal encounter with Jesus.  Even if we lead someone to Jesus today, they must accept Him by a personal acceptance of Who He is.  Verse thirty-three states, And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. When Jesus cast out the devil the man could speak.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord today, He casts out the devil from us and we can truly speak for Him for the first time.  We cannot really witness for Jesus until we have a personal relationship with Him and He has cleansed us of our sins.  Verse thirty-four declares, But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.  The people marvelled, but the Pharisees attempted to discredit Jesus.  The said Jesus was casting out devils by the power of the devil.  It is really sad that some of the most devout men around Jesus could not recognize Who He really is.  Jesus was the long awaited Messiah of the Jewish people, but those who claimed to be the best of the Jews religiously did not recognize Him.  Verse thirty-five says, And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  Though His primary purpose wasn't to heal people physically, Jesus did so as He taught and preached about the kingdom of God in their synagogues and in the surrounding areas.  We must remember that Jesus came first to save the Jewish people, those who were identified as God's people, so He naturally would have gone to the synagogue to teach.  He also came to save the Gentiles, so He taught and preached outside the synagogue as well.  Likewise, we should teach and preach in the church building, but we should also teach and preach wherever we go. Verse thirty-six says, But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.  Jesus had compassion on the multitudes of people, because they fainted and were like sheep without a shepherd.  Anyone today who does not have Jesus as there Savior and Lord is like a sheep without a shepherd, having no one to guide and protect them.  Verse thirty-seven states, Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;  Jesus said that the harvest was plentiful, but the laborers were few.  This is even more true today, so as followers of Christ we must be at work to reach the lost, the harvest of souls in need of salvation.  Verse thirty-eight declares, Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.  Jesus tells us to pray to the Lord of the harvest that He will send forth workers.  I believe that as we pray for others to witness to the lost with a real compassion and concern that we need to be witnessing the same way while we pray.  The harvest, the lost in the world today, is plentiful, but the laborers to reach them are few.

Matthew 9:18 says, While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.  While Jesus was in the midst of teaching, He was once again called upon.  I believe that we can take comfort in the fact that Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, is never to busy to help anyone at any time when they call on Him in faith.  This ruler came to Jesus and worshipped Him.  When we do come to Jesus, it should be with an attitude of worship and with complete faith in His ability to meet our needs.  This ruler certainly had faith.  His daughter was dead.  He did not ask Jesus to come and see if He might possibly raise her from the dead, but that he knew that Jesus could.  We need this same type faith, but it must be expressed in being obedient to the will of God.  We cannot say that simply because we have faith and ask that all sickness will be healed and all death defeated in this lifetime, but if we have faith in Jesus as our Savior and Lord, then we know that ultimately both will happen.  Verse nineteen states, And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.  Jesus and His disciples followed the ruler.  Jesus did not go because the man was a ruler and therefore Jesus had no choice but to go.  Jesus went because of the faith of the ruler.  When Jesus responds to our requests today, it is because of our faith in Him.  Like the disciples, we must always go with Jesus wherever He leads us.  Verse twenty declares, And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:  On His way to the rulers house, on what we could call urgent business, a woman who had been suffering from some illness for twelve years came to Jesus and touched His garment.  Verse twenty-one states, For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.  This woman truly had great faith in Jesus.  She believed that just by touching His garment that Jesus would make her whole.  We need that same type faith today, knowing that if we just get to Jesus that He can make us whole.  Of course, if we are followers of Christ, we have the advantage of the Holy Spirit living within us, but we still must come by faith when we ask anything of God.  Verse twenty-two declares, But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.  Jesus did not say that there was something miraculous about simply physically touching Him.  Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are always physically in the presence of God.  There is no place that we can go that God isn't there.  The key to having God meet our needs is faith, not only in Christ as our Savoir, but also that God will always answer our prayers if they are made in faith and that God will answer in the best way possible.  If we truly ask, not for what we want but for God's will to be done, He will never fail us.  By her faith, the woman was made whole.  Only by our faith, we can be made whole.  Verse twenty-three states, And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,  These people were not having a party, but were mourning a loss.  Verse twenty-four says, He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.  Jesus told those who were mourning to stand aside that the maid was only asleep, and they laughed at Him with scorn.  When we are dead in sin today and come to a saving knowledge of Christ, those around us may laugh at us or even scorn us, but through our faith in Christ we will be made alive spiritually for the first time and for evermore.  Verse twenty-five declares, But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.  When the people let Jesus in and He took her by the hand, the maid arose.  When we let Jesus in, and He takes us by the hand spiritually through our faith in Him, we will arise to everlasting life.  Verse twenty-six states, And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.  We likewise should spread the word of the power of Christ to the world today.

Matthew 9:14 says, Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?  First, we are told of people coming to Jesus and bringing others who needed to be healed, and Jesus healing some.  Then, we had the Pharisees coming to Jesus and accusing Him of blasphemy.  Now, we have the disciples of John the Baptist, grouping themselves with the Pharisees, coming to Jesus questioning His obedience to the law of God.  Though the disciples of John the Baptist were baptized into repentance, they still did not understand Who Jesus was.  There may be those today who come to a partial knowledge of Who Jesus is, but until they accept Him as Savior and Lord, they will never be free from attempting to justify themselves before God.  These disciples of John the Baptist questioned why Jesus and His disciples did not fast as the Pharisees and they did.  It may be that they were claiming a moral superiority by the fact of their actions.  We should never act morally superior to any other Christian, and we definitely should never act morally superior if we ourselves have not come to a saving knowledge of Who Jesus is and that salvation comes by faith in Him alone.  Verse fifteen asks, And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.  In this analogy, Jesus is the bridegroom.  He was only to be on the earth for a short time, and He was more concerned with fulfilling the law than observing all of the limitations that had come to be associated with the law.  Jesus said that there would be time to fast when the bridegroom was taken away.  Though His earthly ministry was short, we should celebrate the fact that once we accept Jesus as Savior and Lord, He will never be taken away from us.  Verse sixteen states, No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.  Jesus was telling us that He wasn't here to be a new patch on the law of God.  He wasn't sent to repair the law, which people had continually broken, but to fulfill the requirements of the law and bring salvation by faith in Him.  Verse seventeen says, Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.  Jesus stated that just as new wine is put in new bottles to preserve both the old and the new wine, He came with a new covenant, not to destroy the old covenant, but that both could be preserved.  Jesus did not follow all the rules and regulations that had become associated with the old covenant, because people could not be saved by the law.  Still, He fulfilled all the requirements of the law, which was never based on people's actions, but instead on their relationship with God.  Jesus alone was able to meet all the requirements of this perfect relationship.

Matthew 9:9 says, And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.  Jesus was still calling His disciples, and when He saw Matthew, a tax collector, Jesus told him to come and follow Him.  Jesus first called fishermen and now He called a tax collector, who was despised by most.  Matthew had to have had faith in Jesus, because he arose and followed Him.  Verse ten states, And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.  We can assume that this was Matthew's house, but whatever house it was, publicans and sinners joined Jesus and His disciples for the meal.  Jesus will always invite even the vilest of sinners to join Him by faith in His sacrifice for salvation.  People must come to Jesus just as they are, and He will willingly accept them.  Verse eleven says, And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?  Some of the religious leaders, Pharisees, questioned the disciples about Jesus eating with publicans and sinners.  The Pharisees took pride in believing that they were morally superior to other people because of their strict adherence to God's law.  They did no go to Jesus to get an answer to their question.  Those who would attempt to discredit Jesus today will often attempt to do so by getting His followers or disciples to question what Jesus teaches.   Verse twelve declares, But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.  Though the Pharisees did not ask their question to Jesus, He heard what they were asking.  We can never question God, whether directly or indirectly, without Him knowing about it.  That is why, if we have a question about God's teachings, we should go to God for the answer.  Jesus said that those who were whole didn't need a physician.  Verse thirteen states, But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.  The Pharisees thought themselves to be the ultimate authority on God's word, but Jesus told them to go and learn what He meant by saying the whole didn't need a physician, but the sick did.  Jesus said that He would have mercy instead of sacrifice and call sinners and not the self-righteous to repentance.  We should never attempt to limit who can come to Jesus for salvation, but instead should reach out to the lost of the world.  We should never become so self righteous that we feel that anyone is unworthy of salvation, no matter how sinful they may be.