To read the texts click on the texts: Isa30:19-21,23-26; Mt 9:35-10:1,6-8
The
text of today begins with what is known as a Summary statement. It states
succinctly the ministry of Jesus which is both word and action. It forms an
inclusion with a similar summary in 4:23 and thus brackets what comes between,
namely the Sermon on the Mount (Chapters 5-7) and the Miracle Cycle (Chapters
8-9). Through this Summary, Jesus is portrayed as Messiah in words and deeds.
This Summary statement and Jesus’ observation of the crowd, who appear to him
as harassed and helpless sheep without a shepherd, serves also as an
Introduction to the Mission Discourse in Matthew (10:1-42) which is the second
Discourse in the Gospel of Matthew.
By
placing this Introduction at the beginning of the Mission Discourse, Matthew
succeeds in conveying that the Mission of the Disciples is at one with, is
continuous with, the Mission of Jesus. Like Jesus, they, too, are called to say
and do. They, too, are called to word
and action. They, too, are called, like Jesus, to make the Kingdom that they
proclaim a tangible reality.
The
disciples’ mission is not voluntary activity initiated by them; rather, they
are chosen, authorized, and sent by God through Christ. It is his authority
with which they are sent. They are to speak and act in Jesus’ name. The content
of their missionary proclamation is that the kingdom of heaven has indeed come.
This is a kingdom that is not theoretical but extremely practical and
down-to-earth. This is why the verbal proclamation has to be accompanied by
action. The actions they perform are actions of healing, of making whole. Since
the kingdom of heaven is given by God freely and gratuitously, their
proclamation and actions must also be done freely and without charge. God’s
kingdom cannot be purchased and need not be purchased, since it is God’s free
gift.
The
mission that Jesus inaugurated continues even today. It is, even now, a mission
that must consist of both word and action. The word that is spoken must be a
word that enhances and builds up. The
action that is performed must be an action that heals and makes whole.
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