Jesus sends out the Twelve

Matthew 10:1-42

Key verse: 10:1

“He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.”

In today's passage, Jesus calls his twelve disciples and sends them out on a short term mission trip. The mission field is the lost souls of Israel. It was the disciples' first chance to go out into the world and put Jesus' teachings into practice. But what should they do? Jesus gave very detailed instructions about what to do and what to expect. Jesus gave them all necessary preparations, including the authority from God to go out. As we study this passage, I pray we may refresh our calling as Jesus' disciples and grow to be courageous disciples who have absolute faith in Jesus.

Look at verse 1. “He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.” This event takes place after Jesus asked the disciples to pray for the Lord to send out harvest workers. (Matt 9:38) When Jesus saw all the people suffering from sin in Israel, he had great compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus came as the Good Shepherd to lead wandering people back to God. However Jesus' time on earth would be limited. So it was God's plan to raise up Jesus-like shepherds who could tend to wandering sheep after Jesus.

Verse 1 begins, “He called his twelve disciples...” It is a mystery why Jesus chose twelve people. Historically, this number was significant because it represented the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus wanted to reach out to the whole world (Matt 28) but he didn't choose a lot of people. This was God's wisdom. Sometimes we may feel that serving only a handful of people with God's words and prayer is insignificant. However, to Jesus raising twelve disciples was very important, and it was one of the main works during his ministry. Crowds come and go, but disciples of Jesus impact the world for generations to come.

“He called” means that Jesus called them. Being called as Jesus' disciple doesn't depend on our own efforts or zeal. It originates in Jesus' heart and compassion for the lost world. So being called as Jesus' disciple is the one-sided grace of God which we should always be thankful for. While we were still sinners, Christ called us through Bible teachers and saved us.

The word “disciple” means learner. In those days disciples committed themselves to a teacher to follow him and learn from him. They didn't study for only a few hours a day. Instead, they lived with their teacher and shared life together. In this way, Jesus' disciples learned more than subjects and techniques. They learned the inner heart of Jesus. They learned to think like him. They learned to live like him. They learned to share like him. Although the disciples were all ordinary people from various backgrounds, Jesus had vision to make them great and united. The more time we spend in intimate fellowship with Jesus, the more we become like him.

So what should the disciples do? Verse one says, “[he] gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.” Their main work would include driving out evil spirits and healing. Of course, this is work which only God can do. The world has seen many smart people such as Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. However, none of them could drive out the evil spirits in people. Evil spirits are Satan's agents. They are stronger than people. They work to rob the joy and peace from our lives. I know one young man who has been suffering from evil spirits for several years. Although he is young and a very able person, he became paralyzed because of lustful sin. Even though he wants to find a job and study hard, he has no power or motivation to do so. Even worse, he became very depressed and lonely and can't make friends with others. He feels trapped like a prisoner in his situation. But the situation isn't the problem. It is a sin problem. May God help us to pray for this man until Jesus sets him free by his power and he gets healed. Amen!

Look at verses 5-6. “These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.” Jesus' disciples can't just go wherever they please. They must follow God's leading and instructions very carefully. This verse doesn't mean that Jesus didn't care about the Gentiles or the towns of Samaria. In fact, Jesus later gives instructions about what to expect when they are sent out to these regions. (Matt 10:18-19) More than anything, Jesus wanted to teach the disciples obedience to his words. When we think about Japanese mission, there seem to be many places we can go. For example, large cities have more business opportunities and better schools for children. However, Jesus' disciples shouldn't follow their own plans or ideas. They must obey Jesus and stay or go where Jesus calls them.

In verse 7, Jesus said, “preach this message: The kingdom of heaven is near.” The kingdom of heaven was near because Jesus was with them. Through his death on the cross, Jesus would open the door to the forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God. When we believe this Jesus, the kingdom of God is born in our hearts and we are given a free ticket to enter heaven when Jesus returns. When we think about our lives, it's possible we'll live for at most 60 more years. Then we will sleep until Jesus returns. The kingdom of heaven is near.

The message about God's kingdom should not be taught quietly or only in a church. The disciples should share it wherever they go. They should share it on the streets. They should share it in restaurants. They should share it with friends, workmates, children, in the park, and when they ride public transportation. Proclaiming the message of salvation is not just a weekend job. It is our lifestyle. Jesus said it should be proclaimed from the rooftops. (Matt 10:27)

Of course, preaching boldly like this isn't easy for many people. Satan often plants fear in our hearts or robs us of our compassion for others. When we read this passage carefully, we see that the main topic Jesus addresses in sending out the disciples is their fear. Jesus repeats four times not to worry and not to fear men (19, 26, 28, 31). Satan's main work is to plant fear or doubt in people. We fear rejection. We fear being mocked by others. We fear losing things such as our friends, family, jobs, or personal time. However, Jesus said not to fear. When we feel fear in our hearts, we must fight to overcome it. We must learn to live by faith in Jesus alone. We must learn to obey Jesus absolutely in all circumstances.

In the beginning, Jesus' disciples couldn't overcome their fear. For example, before Jesus' cross, Peter denied even knowing Jesus three times. When Peter relied on his own strength, he couldn't conquer the fear problem. But through several failures, he became humble and learned to trust in Jesus. When we read the Book of Acts, we see that Peter was completely changed. He stepped up as a leader and proclaimed boldly about Jesus. He healed many people including even raising dead people to life, by using Jesus' name with confidence. Jesus' disciples don't do the work by themselves. They do all things through faith in the power and love of Jesus.

Since coming to Japan, I learned more about my fear problem. It is not easy to preach about Jesus among unbelievers. Even praying before others in the workplace is a hard thing to do. But Jesus said, “don't be afraid.” Although Jesus sent out the disciples, actually they didn't go by themselves. Jesus gave them authority. This means the Spirit of Jesus went with them. They could drive out demons because Jesus was with them. They could heal others because Jesus was with them. Although we can't see Jesus, he is with us until the very end of the age.

When we were in Chicago, I remember Sarah Barry told us a story about her mission life in Korea. In those days, taking airplanes wasn't so popular so she needed to travel by ship from America to Korea. The trip took a long time. While on the boat, she wondered why she was going to Korea and she realized it was because Jesus was sending her. There was no other reason. Like Jesus called his disciples and told them to go to the lost people of Israel, so Jesus had called her to go from America to Korea. In the same way, Jesus called us to Japan. We are here because of Jesus. We are in Oita because of Jesus. I am working in a computer company because of Jesus. We belong to Jesus. Jesus wants to use us as bold witnesses. Jesus wants to help us overcome the fear problem and be spiritual victors. The secret is to abide in Jesus and be Jesus' disciple day by day.

Look at verse 32. “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.” Acknowledging Jesus before men means to share about Jesus. It is to share about Jesus' ministry. It is to share our personal testimony of how Jesus changed our lives. People will have different reactions. However, changing how people react isn't our job. Our job is to share about Christ and keep moving on until we find people who are hungry to hear the gospel message and make an environment where Jesus can raise them as disciples.

Look at verses 37-38. “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” Being a disciple of Jesus requires total commitment to Jesus. We must love Jesus first, with all our heart, all our soul, and all our strength. Jesus didn't say we shouldn't love others. Jesus meant the priority must be on him.

Jesus also said that disciples must carry their cross and follow Jesus. The cross was God's mission for Jesus. So carrying our cross means to obey God's mission for our life. A cross is heavy. Carrying it can be very difficult and sometimes it feels like dropping it and living without it would be easier. However, Jesus said that whoever loses his life for Jesus' sake will find it. It means that those who follow Jesus faithfully to the end will get a great reward. It is a life with God in this world and in the paradise to come!

Look at verse 42. “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” Jesus' disciples should be compassionate toward the needy. In this world, there are many people who lack even basic food and drink. Many have no homes and suffer from diseases. Especially in the hard economy, there are several people even in Oita who need basic support. Although we don't have much, when we give freely what we have, we show the merciful love of God and can win others for Christ.

In today's passage, we learned many things about what it means to be Jesus' disciple. Jesus' disciples learn from Jesus. They obey Jesus. They live like Jesus and do the same things Jesus did. May God help us to overcome fear and be obedient disciples of Jesus who live by faith.

Happy Thanksgiving!

HE HAD COMPASSION ON THEM

Matthew 9:18-38

Key verse: 9:36

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

In the 1500's, settlers traveled by boat from Europe to Canada. The journey was long and hard and many people died. In 1578, Martin Frobisher from England held a formal ceremony in Newfoundland to give thanks to God for surviving the long journey. Around the same time, French settlers came with Samuel de Champlain and also held huge feasts of thanks. They also gladly shared their food with the native Canadians. The tradition of giving thanks continued for many years and finally on January 31st, 1957, Parliament proclaimed “A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed.”

Of course, giving thanks to God isn't only a Canadian thing. In Japan we also have many things to be thankful for such as a peaceful country, mountains, the ocean, delicious food, hot springs, family, children, massage chairs, and high technology. Personally, we also receive many great blessings from God. Tomorrow is a holiday to remember sports and health in Japan. I hope we may also use it to give thanks to God for all the blessings we received this year.

In Matthew 9:18-38, Jesus did many great things which people were thankful for. He healed many diseases. He taught about the Kingdom. He asked the disciples to pray for the Lord to send out harvest workers. Especially, Jesus was full of compassion. Jesus didn't care about his own schedule. Jesus didn't live for himself. Jesus only cared for others with his full attention and affection. When we think about Jesus' compassion, I believe we can be really thankful.

Look at verse 18. “While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, 'My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.'” “While he was saying this,” refers to Jesus' teaching about new wineskins. John's disciples had asked about fasting and Jesus taught that being Christian isn't about following a set of rules legalistically. The Christian life is a very fresh and exciting life as we live by faith in God Almighty. Every day we should study the Bible with the excitement and enthusiasm of our two sons who are eager to do sumo wrestling in the morning. Those who have learning minds and are always willing to grow and be challenged will discover the real power that is in the gospel.

While Jesus taught about this, a ruler came to him regarding his daughter who had died. We guess this man loved his daughter very much. Maybe he played with her every day after school. Then one day, she became sick. He took her to the doctor but she didn't get better. He began giving her more and more medicine but nothing worked. He traveled to Fukuoka, Osaka, and Tokyo to find the best hospitals but nobody knew what was wrong. Maybe he stayed up late every night by her bedside, praying to God that she would get better. But in the end he was powerless and his daughter died. As parents, we can guess the pain he felt to see one of his children die before himself. In desperation, he ran to Jesus with faith that if Jesus touched her she would be brought back to life. The life of his daughter depended totally on Jesus. This man was a ruler, but he humbly bowed down before Jesus' authority. Being humble before Jesus is the right attitude we should have.

Jesus got up and went with him and the disciples to his home. But along the way something else happened. A woman who had been suffering from a discharge of blood for twelve years came to Jesus. Twelve years is a long time. Twelve years ago, the winter Olympics were held in Nagano, Google was founded as a company, and President Bill Clinton was accused of sexual relations. For twelve years, this woman suffered from cramps and bleeding. She couldn't go in hot springs or sit comfortably. According to Moses' law she was unclean (Lev. 15:25) and should be isolated from society. Most people didn't want to go near her. But Jesus said, “Take heart, daughter... your faith has healed you.” Jesus loved her like a father. Jesus saw her faith and agony and had mercy on her. While nobody else could fix this problem, with only a few words, Jesus healed her completely. Jesus has the power and compassion of God.

By the way, what happened to the ruler's daughter? Look at verses 23-24. “When Jesus entered the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, he said, "Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him.” In Jewish culture, it was common to hire people to play instruments and wail loudly at funerals to help others go through the mourning process. But to Jesus, this wasn't necessary. Although this woman had died, from Jesus' point of view, she was only sleeping. Sometimes we think of death as a scary thing. But to Jesus it is the same as sleeping. When we wake up we will be totally refreshed and believers will be welcomed into the Kingdom.

Look at verse 25. “After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.” Jesus performed a great miracle. If Jesus raised someone from the dead today, I guess there would be videos of it all over Youtube and everyone would hear about it. Jesus had the power to infuse life into a woman who was dead. In John 11:25, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Jesus' power to do such work depends on our faith. If we look closely at the events in this chapter we see that Jesus' work was often in response to somebody's faith in Jesus. Having this kind of faith isn't easy. Even for Christians who have some faith, it is not easy to grow our faith more. But the level of our faith is directly related to our intimacy and relationship with God. Hebrews 11:6 says that it is impossible to please God without faith. Faith is believing that God exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Sometimes we have troubles in our lives such as job, ministry, or children. We may wonder how God will work. The problem is not God's power or love. It is a question about our faith. So how can we have more faith? Romans 10:17 says, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” We can have faith when we read and study the Bible.

In verses 27-34, Jesus heals two blind men and one man who was possessed by demons. When the crowds saw it, they were amazed and said that nothing like this had ever been seen in Israel. Jesus never studied medicine. Yet he did way more than any doctor today could do. It is because Jesus is the incarnation of God.

Look at verse 35. “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.” In addition to performing many healings, Jesus went through all the towns and villages preaching the good news of the kingdom. Jesus didn't stay in only one spot. He always followed the leading of the Holy Spirit and taught the word of God boldly.

Look at verse 36. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” As Jesus went from town to town, he saw many sick and needy people. He healed not because he wanted to show off his power, but because he had genuine compassion for the people. As we know, sheep are not so smart. They have bad eyesight, short legs, and easily go astray. Sometimes they see a green pasture which looks delicious, but without a shepherd they may not know there is also a wolf waiting for them. Sheep get lost without a shepherd. Sheep don't know what to do without a shepherd. Without a shepherd, sheep are powerless, helpless, and doomed for destruction.

Jesus saw the people and he saw they were like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus came as the Good Shepherd. He came to help lead people away from their sinful lives and turn their eyes to God. Jesus came to protect, provide, and care for people. He worked hard and woke up early to make sure all the sheep were safe. Jesus had great compassion for the sheep.

When we think about out own lives, we can see that Jesus had much compassion on us. While we lived in darkness and sought the meaning of life, Jesus sent us Bible teachers. When we sinned and failed to live a holy live, Jesus 100% embraced without any condition. When we needed money, Jesus gave us a job. When we prayed for students, Jesus sent faithful ones and grew them. When we prayed for children, Jesus kept them healthy. When we think about what we've done for Jesus, we see that it is almost nothing. Yet Jesus did everything for us. Jesus is the God of compassion. Jesus gives endlessly without expecting anything in return. In the end, Jesus even gave up his life for us on the cross so that we could be set free and have full life which extends into all eternity.

When I think about this past year, I see that Jesus did many things for me. Although I sometimes complain about my job, Jesus was very merciful to me in a bad economy. Although the pay seems low, Jesus is using it to grow me as a good manager and leader in Japan. He is helping me to understand the hearts of Japanese people and live among them. Sometimes our sons Nobuto and Hikaru can be tiring, but they bring me much joy. Even though I am very selfish, my wife Tsukasa sacrifices many things to care for me and the family. Last night, while I was walking back from the gym, I noticed there was a black fall sky with many stars. It is amazing that God created this whole universe. Especially, there was one big star which reminded me of the Magi who travelled many kilometers to go see Jesus who was born around 2000 years ago. God's history is really fantastic, and I am so thankful that I am able to be a part of it.

Look at verses 37-38. “Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Jesus had set the good example for the disciples to be compassionate toward others. He also understood the spiritual condition of the disciples. So he didn't tell them directly to be compassionate. Otherwise, they might run away. Instead, he encouraged them to pray. When they prayed, Jesus knew that God would speak to them and give them a personal calling. By praying for God to send out harvest workers, they would eventually understand that God was first calling them to go out and preach the good news of the gospel, heal others in the name of Jesus, and be compassionate to each other.

The world is full of needy people. Especially, people need help to solve their sin problem and be saved. There are people in Oita. There are people in China. There are people in Afghanistan. There are people in North Korea. There are people everywhere who are in desperate need of the gospel. The problem is most urgent. Jesus said, the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. May God help us to remember Jesus' teaching and example and go out as harvest workers.

In today's passage, we learned more about Jesus' ministry. When we think about this ministry, we are very thankful to Jesus. I believe this is the real meaning of Thanksgiving. Even if we don't have traditional food and few people gather, we can have a most joyful Thanksgiving when we think about the grace of Christ. Amen!

The fall season is coming soon...

Greetings!

I thank God for blessing our summer. Especially, God gave us an encouraging conference with Nagasaki UBF with the theme to live by faith.

Soon fall is coming which means delicious mikan season! Although it is still quite hot outside and still feels like summer, we are preparing to serve the new fall term with Matthew's gospel. This week we're finishing the Sermon on the Mount.

Also, our free English classes resumed recently. They are being held every Saturday afternoon in Compall Hall. If you're interested in attending, please send us an email at oita.ubf@gmail.com. Both English and Japanese are okay.

May the God of heaven and the grace and love of Christ be with you always!

Summer prayer requests

We thank God for blessing our John's gospel study over the past year and a half. Please pray for God's blessing on our final two lessons and we may learn Jesus to the end.

After finishing John's gospel, we'll begin studying Matthew. Please pray for this as well as our summer outreach and retreat with Nagasaki UBF in August (details will be posted on our main site soon...).

We're excited to see what the Holy Spirit is going to do this summer!

Thanksgiving and Prayer requests

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)

God, thank you for...
(1) Your unconditional love and mercy toward sinners.
(2) granting Ray a full time computer programming job this month.
(3) blessing our spring retreat with Nagasaki UBF
(4) bringing Suguru to worship with us this Sunday

God, we pray for...
(1) You to help us grow as men and women of love
(2) Your blessing on our Easter program April 4th
(3) Your work in S., D., and N.
(4) Hannah and Anna's safe journey from Korea this week.
(5) Andy (Waterloo, Canada) to get postdoc funding/job
(6) Your mercy on our nation Japan!

Happy New Year!

I thank God for blessing us in countless ways in 2009. As we enter 2010, we want to hold God's word from Acts 28:30,31:

"For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ."

Based on these verses, we pray to use our house church like Paul's rented house to share about God's kingdom and Jesus boldly.

One new thing that will be happening this year is our free English classes every Wednesday night at Compall Hall (near Oita train station). We hope to use this to make friends with University students and build good relationships. The classes will be held every Wednesday evening starting this week. Please pray for invitation, appropriate materials, and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Next week, we'll have a special one year anniversary pioneering worship service.

Let's continue praying for our existing and potential students (D., S., and C.)

May God help us to live as kernels of wheat this week.

Ray