Wednesday after Sexagesima Sunday
Posted on February 23, 2022 by under
Scripture: St. Matthew 10:2-16 (NKJV)
10:2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who 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 Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9 Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, 10 nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.
11 “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 If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!
16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
Devotion
The Apostles had a great task ahead of them when Jesus sent them out to preach the Kingdom of Heaven. They were put in a vulnerable situation, as sheep among wolves, not giving any thought for their own well-being, but only for the work of the Ministry. This task would prove to be a test of their faith, their service, and their determination. To pass this test they would have to seek strength and courage—not from themselves, but from God.
In their vocations as called and ordained ministers of the Word, pastors today must still have this kind of determination and trust in the gracious provision of the Lord, putting their service to God and to His Church before their own welfare. St. Paul writes to Timothy, “To this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe” (1 Tim. 4:10).
God provides for His servants through the Church. Many pastors have sacrificed much in their service to the Church; it is only fitting that the Church in turn supports them. The service that Christ’s ministers offer and give to the hearers is supposed to be reciprocated and given back to them by the hearers. Those who hear the peace of the Gospel and believe it in true faith, if they are really driven according to the New Man by the Spirit of God, will want to help support its ministry.
Prayer: O Lord God, Who seest that we put not our trust in anything that we do: Mercifully grant that by Thy power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
