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Called and Sent!

Scripture reading for October 26: Matthew 10:1 “And He called to Him His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.” . . .(vs 5-8) “These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying, give without pay.””

In today’s reading, Jesus followed up on His call to pray to the Lord of the harvest for laborers by calling the twelve disciples to active duty. He gave them authority to cast out demons and heal diseases, even to raise the dead! They were to proclaim the kingdom of heaven was at hand and then demonstrate the heart of compassion the King had given them through healing and deliverance. The twelve had willingly become Jesus’ disciples. In order to follow their Master and His plan, they now needed to come to Him for the needed empowerment. They then had to obey His orders to go.

It is interesting that Jesus told them specifically not to go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans. Jesus first focus was to direct ministry to the lost sheep of Israel. They had been set apart by God through the covenant of Mt. Sinai and taught by God’s called leaders, judges and prophets. These disciples were to go to the nation of Israel first with the Gospel and healing. This wasn’t to be a chance to make money either. Each disciple had freely received a calling to follow and had been given authority without charge. They were to freely give it away. God would meet their needs as He saw fit.

Prayer: Father God, what a blessing it is to follow Jesus and offer ourselves to Him to use for His purposes! He is full of compassion for the lost and wants none to perish! Fill me with the Holy Spirit and use me to freely give the Good News. Amen.