11 Faithful Men and 1 Traitor ~ reflex on Matt. 10:1-7
Jesus sent his twelve apostles. Twelve is more than a number to the Jewish people. It is a sacred number, the number of the sons of Jacob, the number of the tribes of the nation of Israel. Jesus chooses 12 of his followers to work closely with him. To do what? Jesus is making clear that he is choosing 12 men to establish the new kingdom; he is symbolically expressing his intention to reconstitute Israel around Himself, announcing that the Jewish hopes for a renewed Israel were coming to fulfillment in the Kingdom he is proclaiming.
He calls them, and the Gospels give us their names, even when we hear no more about them or their background. They are real men with real lives and hopes, which they leave behind in order to participate in the mission of the Anointed One, for whom they have waited. Jesus calls them to himself, trains them, teaches them the ways of the Kingdom, allows them to experience the joy and peace of the Kingdom, and then he SENDS them out as ambassadors in his name, with his authority: “Jesus… gave them authority.”
In the preceding chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, we see Jesus doing exactly the things he is sending the apostles to do: preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and healing people, noting that the people are like “sheep without a shepherd.” And now he sends the Twelve to those lost sheep to preach the Kingdom and “cure every disease and every illness”. He does not say that they have any power or authority of their own; he gives the authority to do these things. It’s interesting that Judas, who would later betray Jesus, and who was undoubtedly already known to be less than completely trustworthy, was also sent out; Jesus keeps giving opportunities to accept the Truth, repent, and be faithful to him!
The apostles are told to begin with the lost sheep of the house of Israel, who should have been prepared to receive the Gospel through their long history. But in many cases, they refused to receive it. Judas, who was one of the privileged few to walk closely with Jesus, refused it, choosing to rely on his own ideas and skills to manipulate the situation for himself. After Pentecost, the apostles will finally understand that the Good News of the Kingdom is for the whole world, and be empowered to carry it to Samaritans and pagans. They do this in Christ’s name, with his authority, relying on his grace, not their own skills or resources. They know from experience that they are weak and incapable on their own, but that the way of Christ, though often hard to grasp with the understanding, always makes sense to the heart. And they will sacrifice their very lives to share this Good News.