Matthew 10:5-8

Chapter 10 of Matthew is titled, “Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles”. Up until now, they had been called disciples. The Greek word for disciple means “learner”. The Greek word for apostle means “one who is sent”. An apostle is given the authority of the One who sent them. So it was a time for them to do what they had learned.

Verses 2 through 4 of chapter 10 here list the twelve men that Jesus is sending out. I am unsure of the timeline on this mission. I wish I knew just how long these mean had been following Jesus or how long after this mission trip it was until He was crucified. But, never the less, they were sent with Jesus's authority.

Verse 8 is the big attention getter here. This is exactly what Jesus wanted. He still had not gone to the cross- so this wasn’t a mission to go explain about His death, burial, and resurrection for salvation. This was a healing mission trip and Jesus was giving these 12 men the authority and ability to do exactly all that He had been. Jesus told them, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!”

Since Jesus's death, burial, and resurrection, by the power of the Holy Spirit and His authority, we can pray for healing for people too. I love how God works!