Year 9, Day 184: Matthew 10

Theological Commentary: Click Here

In Matthew 10, Jesus begins to instruct His own disciples.  The instructions that He gives them are rather significant.  There is much to learn here about how leaders train leaders.

First, notice that Jesus tells His disciples to start by staying to their own kind.  It’s good to practice where you are familiar.  There are all kinds of things that can go wrong in leadership, especially when the number of variables are increased.  When we limit the number of variables, we have a better chance of success.  To develop good leadership, Jesus wants His disciples to be able to experience success.

Second, notice that Jesus is very realistic about what will happen.  He tells them that they may be rejected.  He warns them that authority might not even see eye to eye with them.  He tells them that even their families might not understand what they are doing – after all, Jesus’ own brothers thought He was insane!

Third, Jesus also speaks of reward.  In fact, Jesus speaks of reward twice.  Note that Jesus tells His disciples to not ask anything of the people to whom they are ministering.  In other words, the burden of leadership is upon the leader, not the ones being led.  It is hard to speak truth and genuinely lead when one’s livelihood rests upon how well a person is received.

Also note that Jesus speaks about reward at the end of the chapter when He speaks about the Father.  Those who receive His disciples will also receive Jesus.  They will get a reward from the Father, because they are receiving a righteous person for the sake of being righteous.  In all of this, though, note that Jesus’ perspective is on righteousness. 

Godly leaders do what is right because it is right.  We receive those around us who are righteous because they are righteous.  We don’t lead because of what we can gain.  We don’t make friends because of what they can do for us.  We don’t lead because of the way that it can improve our status, our social standing, our position, or our popularity.  We lead because it is what righteous people do.

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