Commentaries:
People's Commentary (NT)
Matthew 10:6
The lost sheep of the house of Israel. The lost descendants of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Compare this commission with the one given to
the apostles after the death and resurrection of the Lord
(Matthew 10:5 28:19). In this commission the apostles are forbidden to
go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, and are confined to the house of
Israel. In the other they are commanded to go into "all the world"
(Matthew 24:14) and to "preach the gospel to every creature"
(Mark 16:15); to go "first to Jerusalem, and to Judea, and to
Samaria and to the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). The
first commission is Jewish; the second is world-wide. Yet both are
given by the same Lord; why this wide difference? Because the new
dispensation was not ushered in until after the resurrection. The
Jewish law, national, exclusive, a wall of partition from Gentiles,
was yet in force. Christ, "born under the law", and the apostles also
were under it until it was removed. They could not keep it and yet
become missionaries to the Gentiles. But when Christ died the old
dispensation, the law, died with him. "The handwriting of ordinances
was nailed to the cross" (Colossians 2:14). The old covenant passed away
when the new came into force, sealed with the blood of Christ. After
the death and resurrection of Christ, the law ceased to be binding
upon the apostles. The distinctions of Jew and Gentile were destroyed.
Hence, under the new covenant, the world-wide covenant, there was a
new commission that would send the gospel to all the world. The old
covenant was with the seed of Abraham; the new covenant embraced all
nations. See Hebrews 8:13.
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
Matthew 10:6
Matthew 15:24
Matthew 28:18
Mark 6:7
Mark 16:15
Luke 9:1-6
Luke 10:3-12
DISCLAIMER: Church of the Great God (CGG) provides these resources to aid the individual in studying the Bible. However, it is up to the individual to "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). The content of these resources does not necessarily reflect the views of CGG. They are provided for information purposes only.
E-mail this page
