Matthew 9:36-10:8

Contemporary English Version

³⁶^(A) When he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them. They were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷^(B) He said to his disciples, “A large crop is in the fields, but there are only a few workers. ³⁸Ask the Lord in charge of the harvest to send out workers to bring it in.”

Jesus Chooses His Twelve Apostles

(Mark 3.13-19; Luke 6.12-16)

10 Jesus called together his twelve disciples. He gave them the power to force out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and sickness. ²The first of the twelve apostles was Simon, better known as Peter. His brother Andrew was an apostle, and so were James and John, the two sons of Zebedee. ³Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew the tax collector,^[a] James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus were also apostles. ⁴The others were Simon, known as the Eager One,^[b] and Judas Iscariot,^[c] who later betrayed Jesus.

Instructions for the Twelve Apostles

(Mark 6.7-13; Luke 9.1-6)

⁵Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions:

Stay away from the Gentiles and don't go to any Samaritan town. ⁶Go only to the people of Israel, because they are like a flock of lost sheep. ⁷^(C) As you go, announce that the kingdom of heaven will soon be here.^[d] ⁸Heal the sick, raise the dead to life, heal people who have leprosy,^[e] and force out demons. You received without paying, now give without being paid.

Footnotes

10.3 tax collector: See the note at 5.46.
10.4 known as the Eager One: The Greek text has “Cananaean,” which probably comes from a Hebrew word meaning “zealous” (see Luke 6.15). “Zealot” was the name later given to the members of a Jewish group that resisted and fought against the Romans.
10.4 Iscariot: This may mean “a man from Kerioth” (a place in Judea). But more probably it means “a man who was a liar” or “a man who was a betrayer.”
10.7 will soon be here: Or “is already here.”
10.8 leprosy: See the note at 8.2.