Mat 10:16 "Remember it is I who am sending you out, as sheep into the midst of wolves; prove yourselves as sagacious as serpents, and as innocent as doves.
Mat 10:17 But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to appear before Sanhedrins, and will flog you in their synagogues;
Mat 10:18 and you will even be put on trial before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness to them and to the Gentiles.
Mat 10:19 But when they have delivered you up, have no anxiety as to how you shall speak or what you shall say; for at that very time it shall be given you what to say;
Mat 10:20 for it is not you who will speak: it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Mat 10:21 Brother will betray brother to death, and father, child; and children will rise against their own parents and will put them to death.
Mat 10:22 And you will be objects of universal hatred because you are called by my name; but he who holds out to the End--he will be saved.
Mat 10:23 Whenever they persecute you in one town, escape to the next; for I solemnly tell you that you will not have gone the round of all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
Mat 10:24 "The learner is never superior to his teacher, and the servant is never superior to his master.
Mat 10:25 Enough for the learner to be on a level with his teacher, and for the servant to be on a level with his master. If they have called the master of the house Baal-zebul, how much more will they slander his servants?
Introduction
Jesus has granted the Disciples the Authority to drive out evil spirits and heal every disease and sickness. He gave them clear instructions where to not go and where to go - only to the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel.
He told what to Preach - proclaiming like a herald. The Kingdom of God is near. They were to dispense God’s deliverance and healing without charge; for free.
They were to stay in the one house of a worthy or good man in each town where they were received.
Now Jesus continues with more warnings and instructions
Mat 10:16 "Remember it is I who am sending you out, as sheep into the midst of wolves; prove yourselves as sagacious as serpents, and as innocent as doves.
Notes
"Remember it is I who am sending you out, as sheep into the midst of wolves;
Sheep are noted for their innocence and suitability for sacrifice. Jesus, Himself, was called the Lamb of God, by John the Baptist. John 1:29
Sheep in the midst of wolves are very vulnerable and easily wounded and killed.
I remember the wild dogs that attacked my nephews’ sheep in the night and killed many.
prove yourselves as sagacious as serpents, and as innocent as doves. WNT
Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves NIV
be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves. MKJV
Barnes Notes : Serpents have always been an emblem of wisdom and cunning, Gen_3:1. The Egyptians used the serpent in their hieroglyphics as a symbol of wisdom. Probably the thing in which Christ directed his followers to imitate the serpent was in its caution in avoiding danger. No animal equals them in the rapidity and skill which they evince in escaping danger. So said Christ to his disciples, You need caution and wisdom in the midst of a world that will seek your lives. He directs them, also, to be harmless, not to provoke danger, not to do injury, and thus make their fellow-men justly enraged against them. Doves are, and always have been, a striking emblem of innocence. Most people would foolishly destroy a serpent, be it ever so harmless, yet few are so hard-hearted as to kill a dove.
Mat 10:17 But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to appear before Sanhedrins, and will flog you in their synagogues;
Mat 10:18 and you will even be put on trial before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness to them and to the Gentiles.
Notes
But beware of men;
Pay attention and be cautious about men.Strongs
Be on your guard against men NIV Because they will deliver you up before the Sanhedrins and will flog you in their synagogues. The Jewish leaders were not to be trusted so take heed and be aware of what could happen even if you are innocent.
you will even be put on trial before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness to them and to the Gentiles.
This prediction was completely and abundantly fulfilled, Act_5:26; Act_12:1-4; Act_23:33; Act_26:1, Act_26:28, Act_26:30. Peter is said to have been brought before Nero, and John before Domitian, Roman emperors; and others before Parthian, Scythian, and Indian kings. They were to stand there to bear a testimony against them; or, as it might be rendered, to them. That is, they were to be “witnesses to them” of the great facts and doctrines of the Christian religion; and if they rejected Christianity, they would be witnesses “against” them in the day of judgment. The fulfillment of this prophecy is a signal evidence that Christ possessed a knowledge of the future.
Mat 10:19 But when they have delivered you up, have no anxiety as to how you shall speak or what you shall say; for at that very time it shall be given you what to say;
Mat 10:20 for it is not you who will speak: it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Notes
“ have no anxiety as to how you shall speak or what you shall say; for at that very time it shall be given you what to say;
Illustration
I was brought before the Court in the trial of an Algerian thief named Benghazi. The Muslim judge said in the court to the thief ‘you’d better tell the truth today because we have someone here who is going to tell the truth anyway. I had never been in a court of law in my whole life up to my 57th year. It was a great experience since my father had been a Lawyer.
Don’t Worry about what you are to say but the Holy Spirit will tell what to say.
Those two Courageous Iranian Christian women who were imprisoned in Tehran said to the interrogators that they will be released when the Lord God decides and not when they decide. They were able to witness to their captors and were more free to witness in the prison cells than outside. Maryam and Marzieh are great women of God who have been tried in the fire and come through as pure gold.
Mat 10:21 Brother will betray brother to death, and father, child; and children will rise against their own parents and will put them to death.
Notes
Betrayal in families especially muslim families is very common with the so-called ‘honour killings’.
A young Iranian woman came to Australia with her husband. She had two children and then found the Lord with her teen - age son and daughter. She was murdered publically by her husband for her faith in Christ.
Mat 10:22 And you will be objects of universal hatred because you are called by my name; but he who holds out to the End--he will be saved.
Notes
Warning of Hatred against Christians
It is not just in some pagan country or foreign land where Christians are hated. There is a definite campaign here in Australia by a certain atheistic group based on the Darling Down who intend to have Chaplains kicked out of Australian schools. Thank God the Government here realises the great work that Chaplains are doing to help emotionally disturbed students to find their way.
It is similar now in the US military where chaplains are not allowed to mention Christian teachings when dealing with Soldiers.
What is happening in Northern Nigeria is simply abominable. God sees the suffering of Nigerian Christians at the hands of that ‘death cult’. The Kingdom of God is advancing and ‘the gates of hell’ shall not prevail
Mat 10:23 Whenever they persecute you in one town, escape to the next; for I solemnly tell you that you will not have gone the round of all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
Notes
Persecute G1377 διώκω diōkō Thayer Definition:
1) to make to run or flee, put to flight, drive away
2) to run swiftly in order to catch a person or thing, to run after
2a) to press on: figuratively of one who in a race runs swiftly to reach the goal
2b) to pursue (in a hostile manner)
3) in any way whatever to harass, trouble, molest one
3a) to persecute
3b) to be mistreated, suffer persecution on account of something
4) without the idea of hostility, to run after, follow after: someone
5) metaphorically, to pursue
5a) to seek after eagerly, earnestly endeavour to acquire
Part of Speech: verb
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| Fleeing ISIS and Mosul |
WHEN IT IS TIME TO ESCAPE AND FLEE THEN DON’T BE FOOLHARDY. GET OUT QUICKLY NOT WORRYING ABOUT THE MATERIAL LOSSES.
I remember an older missionary warning a young missionary lady not to return to her dangerous area. She did and was raped and murdered within one week. This was not necessary. She could have been alive to fight another day.
The Student is not Greater than his Master
Mat 10:24 "The learner is never superior to his teacher, and the servant is never superior to his master.
Mat 10:25 Enough for the learner to be on a level with his teacher, and for the servant to be on a level with his master. If they have called the master of the house Baal-zebul, how much more will they slander his servants?
Notes
Baal-zebul
The disciple is not above his master ... - That is, you must expect the same treatment which I have received. They have called me, your Master and Teacher, Beelzebub, the prince of the devils (see Mat_12:24; Luk_11:15; Joh_8:48), and you must expect that they will call all of the family by the same name. “Beelzebub” was a god of the Ekronites. See 2Ki_1:2. The word literally means “the god of flies,” so called because this idol was supposed to protect them from the numerous swarms of flies with which that country abounded. The correct reading here, as in Luk_11:15, Luk_11:18-19; Mar_3:22, is supposed to be, not “Beelzebub,” but “Beelzebul” (Griesbach, Hahn, Robinson, Lexicon) an Aramean form of the word meaning the “god of dung” or “filth.” The name, thus altered by the Jews by changing a single letter, was given to Satan to express supreme contempt and aversion. The Jews seem to have first given to Satan the name of a pagan god, and then, to express their sense of the character of Satan, to have changed that name by altering a single letter so as to express their aversion in the most emphatic manner. By giving the name to Christ, they poured upon him the greatest possible abuse and contempt. Barnes Notes
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