The Twelve Apostles are Sent

Mark 6:7; Luke 9:1

10 And awhen He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, bwho is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and 1Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 cSimon the 2Cananite, and Judas dIscariot, who also betrayed Him.

The Twelve Apostles are Instructed

Mark 6:8–13; Luke 9:2–6, 12:2–10

5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: e“Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of fthe Samaritans. 6 gBut go rather to the hlost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 iAnd as you go, preach, saying, j‘The kingdom of heaven 3is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, 4cleanse the lepers, 5raise the dead, cast out demons. kFreely you have received, freely give. 9 lProvide neither gold nor silver nor mcopper in your money belts, 10 nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; nfor a worker is worthy of his food.

11 o“Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. 12 And when you go into a household, greet it. 13 pIf the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. qBut if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 rAnd whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, sshake off the dust from your feet. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, tit will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!

16 u“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. vTherefore be wise as serpents and wharmless 6as doves. 17 But beware of men, for xthey will deliver you up to councils and yscourge you in their synagogues. 18 zYou will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 aBut when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For bit will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 cfor it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

21 d“Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 And eyou will be hated by all for My name’s sake. fBut he who endures to the end will be saved. 23 gWhen they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have hgone through the cities of Israel ibefore the Son of Man comes.

24 j“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If kthey have called the master of the house 7Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! 26 Therefore do not fear them. lFor there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, mspeak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 nAnd do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather ofear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in 8hell. 29 Are not two psparrows sold for a 9copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 qBut the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

32 r“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, shim I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 tBut whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

34 u“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to v‘set 1a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and w‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ 37 xHe who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 yAnd he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 zHe who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

40 a“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 41 bHe who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 cAnd whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

11 Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to ateach and to preach in their cities.

Rejection of John the Baptist

Luke 7:19–30

2 bAnd when John had heard cin prison about the works of Christ, he 1sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You dthe Coming One, or do we look for another?”

4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 eThe blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and fthe poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he who is not goffended because of Me.”

7 hAs they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? iA reed shaken by the wind? 8 But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, jand more than a prophet. 10 For this is he of whom it is written:

k‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,

Who will prepare Your way before You.’

11 “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 lAnd from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 mFor all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to receive it, he is nElijah who is to come. 15 oHe who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Rejection by Jesus’ Generation

Luke 7:31–35

16 p“But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, 17 and saying:

‘We played the flute for you,

And you did not dance;

We mourned to you,

And you did not 2lament.’

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a 3winebibber, qa friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ rBut wisdom is justified by her 4children.”

Rejection of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum

Luke 10:12–15

20 sThen He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago tin sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I say to you, uit will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, vwho 5are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say to you wthat it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”

Invitation to Come to Jesus

25 xAt that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that yYou have hidden these things from the wise and prudent zand have revealed them to babes. 26 Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 27 aAll things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. bNor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. 28 Come to cMe, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you dand learn from Me, for I am 6gentle and elowly in heart, fand you will find rest for your souls. 30 gFor My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”