Matthew 9:35-10:8

This passage occurs in the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), year A.  Depending on when Easter falls, it moves; most recently it was the Gospel passage for June 18, 2023.

Summary:  A couple of preaching thoughts
- Jesus does not have compassion fatigue.  We do!
- Jesus realizes he must equip others to accomplish the ministry of God
- Jesus connects healing, preaching and teaching.  Body, mind and soul are connected.
- Jesus instructs the disciples to heal people even though they will get sick again.  The point is not always fundamentally to solve the problems of the world, but to faithfully respond to Jesus call.

πασας, πασαν (all forms of πας, meaning "all", 9:35; 10:1).  Jesus goes to ALL the towns healing ALL diseases and ALL sickness.  Likewise, Jesus disciples are given authority over ALL diseases and ALL sickness.

διδασκων...κηρυσσων...θεραπευων (9:35, see also 4:23)  It is interesting that we find these three verbs connected with each other.  For Jesus, preaching and teaching were connected with healing.  Have we separated these actions?  In the ancient world, healing was seen as divine, but often associated with sacrifice, not preaching and teaching!

θεραπευω (or its noun form, θεραπεια, "healing", 9:35)  This is where we get the word "therapy."  The word original meant service to the gods.  Those who served gods, especially those who served the ancient god of medicine, Asclepius, would make sacrifices on behalf of the sick and then interpret their dreams to develop a treatment recommendation.  So the therapists brought healing.  The ancient world saw no fine line between body, mind and spirit.

εσπλαγχνισθη (form of σπλαγχνιζομαι, meaning "have compassion", 9:36)  I've pointed it out many times; we likely all remember from Greek at Seminary, but the word for compassion comes from intestines.  Jesus gut turns over!  Again, body and mind are connected!

ερριμμοι (participle from ριπτω, meaning "thrown", 9:36)  This participle is translated as helpless, which is fine, but it is a bit more moving to hear it in the Greek -- "thrown down."  I think of how many people in our culture feel knocked down these days.

αυτου ("his", 9:38)  A reminder that the harvest belongs to God, not churches or their leaders!

νεκρους εγειρετε (meaning "raise the dead", 10:8)  Interestingly, a number of later manuscripts drop this phrase.  It seems too powerful.  Jesus can't really mean to have the disciples raise the dead.  Or can he?!  Jesus gives a great deal of authority and powers to his followers.  For what do we use this power?  How do we ignore it?

It is also worth noting that the healing sickness and leprosy as seen as similar actions to raising the dead and casting out demons.  Body, mind and spirit, all related!

A pastor friend of mine has begun offering that ministry is humans teaching humans how to be human.  Or something like this.  The point is that ministry isn’t simply about helping people escape the miserable conditions of this world.  Jesus has a strong bent in his ministry toward this life.  I think you could argue that all of the healing that Jesus offers and equips his disciples for revolves around helping people to live in intimacy with God, fellowship with each other and service to the broader society.  In short, the abundant life; we become human again as we are healed.

So what then — are we to give up on the reality of everlasting life?  I would say a strong no to that.  However, how is the ministry that heals people in this life connected to the ministry that proclaims the everlasting salvation of God?  That is a question we all must ponder; the corresponding epistle reading from Romans 5 is a powerful study in the connection between the past, present and future work of Christ. If I were reflecting on this particular passage in Matthew alone though, I might say that ministry is getting people used to dying and rising…so that one day its not that big of a deal when we rise for the final time!  

δωρεαν ελαβετε, δωρεαν δοτε:  Without cost you have received, without cost give.  The word δωρεαν comes from the word for gift.  God gives and so we give too.  (For those looking to go further: Romans 3:24 indicates that our justification is δωρεαν.)