Brief Sermon Notes for 06 13 2020

Notes for 06 13 2020 Sermon - Second Sunday after the Pentecost 

Matthew 9:35-10:8

35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. 

Sickness and disease are healed and replaced with a longing for God’s Reign. 

36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 

Crowds: the poor (90% of people who own 10% of wealth), they are harassed and helpless 

Sheep: lost / scattered / without grounding or home 

37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

This is gonna be a lot of work and will take a lot of time and even skill. Ask God for help--in the form of more people and in the form of endurance for you. 

1 Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. 

So Jesus started with what he had: these guys. And though the message was the kingdom, they told people about it by living it (healing, exorcising, etc. right now). 

2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

These were all real people with real names. And one would switch teams and try to kill Jesus. Spoiler: He would succeed in his betrayal, with the help of the government and their soldiers. 

5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 

We are starting with a focus on those who have heard about the Reign. (In interpreting this I would either preach against the text’s exclusive nature or preach in favor of strategically focusing in one geographic area at a time in order to build one’s team of disciples who will, in turn, go elsewhere and among more people (as happens in Acts--in the long run). 

7 As you go, proclaim the good news, "The kingdom of heaven has come near.' 8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. 

Again, the message is at the front, spoken in word and deed--miraculous acts plant a longing for the radically reoriented world, the Reign of God on earth. 

This isn’t about money for you, but about a world where all can eat and be happy--with or without cash.