Second Sunday after Trinity
“These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Summary
The magic number 12 is back. Last week we recalled that a team of 12 is a Kingdom Team, a team chosen to do the work of God in the world. Today in Matthew 9:35 - 10:23 Jesus sends out his 12 disciples, recalling the 12 tribes of Israel gathered at mount Sinai in Exodus 19:2-8. The problem with picking a people for a team is that some will be left out of the team. In this morning’s gospel Jesus’ team are sent out to do the work of God: healing, liberating, restoring, unifying. But they are only sent to the people of Israel, the original Team Kingdom, the team that were told in Exodus that they were God’s “treasured possession out of all the peoples.” This all feels a bit elitist, a bit undemocratic. Yet these teams, the one gathered by Moses in Exodus and the one gathered by Jesus in Matthew, are not formed for their own benefit. Yes, they are to be “a priestly kingdom and a holy nation” but what this means is that they have a job to do and that job is for the benefit of all God’s people. To be holy does not mean to be any better than anyone else (even Judas is on the team) it means to be anointed, consecrated, to be set aside for God to use to bring healing, freedom and life to God’s world. The People of God are only the People of God to the extent that they are being a blessing to all God’s people.
READING
Matthew 9.35-10.8
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’
Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax-collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.
