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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadMatthew Poole Commentary - Matthew 10:6 - 10:6
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Ver. 5,6. Here Christ limiteth their ministry to the Jews. The apostle tells us, Rom_15:8, Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to conform the promises made unto the fathers; and the apostle tells the Jews, Act_13:46, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you. Therefore in this his first mission, he restrains his apostles from going to the Gentiles, to whom they had afterwards a commission to go, Mat_28:19, and did go, but not before the Jews had judged themselves unworthy of everlasting life, Act_13:46, by rejecting and blaspheming the gospel, and persecuting the ministers of it. They are also commanded not to go
into any city of the Samaritans. The Samaritans were partly Jews apostatized, and partly heathens, descended from those whom the king of Syria sent thither, when the ten tribes were carried into captivity, 2Ki_17:6, and from some Jews left in the land. You shall read of their religion there, 2Ki_17:31-41. They were perfectly hated by the Jews, and as perfect haters of them, as may be gathered from Luk_9:52,53Jo_4:9. Our Lord, partly in regard they also were no better than Gentiles, and so hated as they were of the Jews, would not suffer these his first ministers to go and preach amongst them. Not that they were forbidden (if some particular persons, whether Gentiles or Samaritans, came to them) to preach to them, but only not to make it their work to go into their country or cities; the time was not yet come for this great light to shine upon the Gentiles.
But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. By Israel he here meaneth the two tribes that clave to the house of David, for the ten tribes ever since their captivity {2Ki_17:6} had lost their share in that name. He calls them lost sheep in the sense that Jeremiah speaks, Jer_1:6, My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray. So that lost sheep here signifies wandering sheep, for want of proper guides. The Jews at this time had miserable teachers, so as they wandered as lost sheep. And this comporteth with what we had in the last verses of the former chapter. There was a great harvest and but few labourers; he is therefore providing them labourers, shepherds that should gather those scattered sheep into one fold.