Today's Bible Passage is "Matthew 9:35 - 11:1"
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The Workers Are Few 35
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their
synagogues,
proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and
sickness. 36
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them,
because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
37
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but
the workers are
few. 38
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers
into his harvest field.”
1
Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to
drive out
evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
2
These are the names of the twelve
apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew;
James son
of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3
Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas
and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4
Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
5
These twelve Jesus sent out with
the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or
enter any town of
the Samaritans. 6
Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7
As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has
come near.’ 8
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive
out
demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
9
“Do not take along
any gold or silver or copper in your belts— 10
no bag for the
journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth
his keep.
11
Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy
person and stay at his house until you leave. 12
As you enter the
home, give it your greeting. 13
If the home is deserving, let your
peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14
If
anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or
town
and shake the dust off your feet. 15
Truly
I tell you, it will
be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for
that
town. 16 I
am sending you
out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as
innocent
as doves.
17 “Be on your
guard; you will be handed over to the
local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18
On my account
you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and
to the
Gentiles. 19
But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to
say, or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20
for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking
through
you.
21
“Brother will betray
brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against
their
parents and have them put to death. 22
You will be hated by everyone
because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23
When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell
you, you
will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man
comes.
24
“The student is not
above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25
It is enough
for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their
masters. If the
head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members
of his
household!
26
“So do not be afraid
of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or
hidden
that will not be made known. 27
What I tell you in the dark, speak
in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the
roofs.
28 Do not be afraid of those
who kill the body but
cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both
soul
and body in hell. 29
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not
one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s
care. 30
And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 So don’t be
afraid; you are worth more than many
sparrows.
32
“Whoever acknowledges
me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33
But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in
heaven.
34
“Do not suppose that
I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace,
but a
sword. 35
For I have come to turn
“‘a
man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
36
a man’s enemies will be the members of his own
household.’[c]
37
“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.
38 Anyone who
does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39
Whoever finds his
life will lose it,
and whoever loses his
life for my sake
will find it.
40
“Anyone who welcomes
you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent
me. 41
Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a
prophet’s reward, and
whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive
a
righteous person’s reward. 42
And
if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these
little ones because he is my disciple, truly I tell you, he will
certainly not
lose his reward.”
Matthew
11
1
After Jesus had finished
instructing his twelve
disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of
Galilee.
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