Day 17: A Compassion That Sends Us
Wednesday Rhythm
Bible Reading
Going Deeper
Bible Reading: Matthew 10:1–42
The Twelve Apostles
1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 2 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 Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “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. 7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers,cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. 9 Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. 11 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart.12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. 15 Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.
Persecution Will Come
16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.
Have No Fear
26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
Not Peace, but a Sword
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Rewards
40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. 41 The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
Going Deeper
Compassion That Sends Us
Matthew 9:37–38 ESV
“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’”
Matthew 10 begins before the chapter number. At the end of Matthew 9, Jesus travels through cities and villages teaching, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing disease and affliction. When He sees the crowds, He has compassion for them because they are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He then tells His disciples that the harvest is plentiful, the laborers are few, and they should pray for the Lord of the harvest to send out workers.
The disciples are told to pray for workers, and then Matthew 10 opens with Jesus calling those same disciples, giving them authority, and sending them. They become part of the answer to their own prayer. That movement is important because compassion can remain safely emotional. We can see a need, feel genuine concern, and agree that someone should do something while never considering that Jesus may be inviting us to participate.
We can pray for hurting families, lonely people, struggling children, overwhelmed parents, neglected communities, and people who have never heard the gospel while quietly assuming that the answer to those prayers will always involve someone else. Jesus does not allow the compassion of His disciples to remain at a distance. He teaches them to see the need, pray about the need, and then become willing to enter it under His authority.
The description of the crowds as sheep without a shepherd reaches back into the larger story of Scripture. Throughout the Old Testament, shepherding becomes an image for leadership. Kings, priests, and other leaders were responsible for guiding, protecting, feeding, and caring for God’s people. When those leaders became corrupt or self-centered, the people suffered.
Ezekiel 34 gives one of the clearest examples. God confronts the shepherds of Israel because they have been feeding themselves instead of caring for the flock. They have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bound up the injured, brought back those who wandered, or searched for the lost. The sheep have been scattered because no one was faithfully shepherding them.
God then promises that He Himself will search for His sheep, rescue them, feed them, bind up the injured, and strengthen the weak. He also promises to place over them one shepherd from the line of David. When Matthew tells us that Jesus sees the harassed and helpless crowds and responds with compassion, he is showing us more than an unusually kind teacher. Jesus is doing what God promised the true Shepherd would do. He is seeking, healing, teaching, gathering, and restoring people who have been neglected or scattered. The compassion of Jesus reveals His identity.
That makes the opening of Matthew 10 even more significant. Jesus does not only fulfill the promise of the Shepherd Himself. He begins forming a community that will participate in His shepherding work. He calls twelve disciples by name, gives them authority, and sends them toward people who are lost.
The number twelve is not accidental. Israel was formed around twelve tribes, and Jesus is now gathering twelve apostles. Matthew is showing us that Jesus is renewing the people of God around Himself. These disciples are not chosen because they are impressive, powerful, or obviously qualified. The list includes fishermen, a tax collector, a political zealot, and Judas, who will eventually betray Jesus. They are ordinary and deeply imperfect people whose authority comes entirely from the One who calls them.
Jesus gives them authority over unclean spirits and over disease and affliction. The authority remains His even though they are sent to exercise it. They are not independent spiritual heroes developing their own ministry or building their own reputation. They are representatives acting under the direction of Jesus.
That protects Christian compassion from becoming a savior complex. When we encounter someone who is hurting, it is easy to begin believing that everything depends on us. We may feel responsible for fixing the person, changing their decisions, repairing every consequence, or carrying needs that exceed our ability. What begins as compassion can become control, exhaustion, or pride because we have quietly placed ourselves in a role that belongs to Jesus.
We are not the Savior; we are sent by the Savior. That distinction allows us to care deeply without pretending we are unlimited. We can listen, serve, give, speak truth, offer practical help, and remain present while recognizing that the power to transform a life belongs to Jesus. We do not enter another person’s pain as though we are the answer. We enter as people who know and represent the One who is.
Jesus initially instructs the Twelve not to go among the Gentiles or Samaritans but to go to the lost sheep of Israel. That can sound surprising because the Gospel of Matthew will eventually end with Jesus sending His followers to make disciples of all nations. These instructions are not contradictions. Matthew is showing the mission unfolding in stages.
God had made promises to Israel, and Jesus came as Israel’s Messiah. His ministry demonstrates God’s faithfulness to those promises. The good news goes first to Israel, but it never ends there. Even before Matthew 10, the Gospel has included Gentiles in the genealogy of Jesus, brought wise men from the nations to worship Him, and shown Jesus praising the faith of a Roman centurion. By Matthew 28, the mission expands explicitly to every nation.
The movement from Israel to the nations reveals both the faithfulness and generosity of God. He keeps the promises He made, and through their fulfillment He extends blessing outward to the world.
The message the disciples carry is the same message Jesus has been proclaiming: the kingdom of heaven has drawn near. Their words are accompanied by actions that reveal what God’s reign looks like. They care for the sick, confront spiritual bondage, restore those who have been treated as unclean, and announce that God’s rule is breaking into a world damaged by sin.
The message and the actions belong together. Christian compassion is never less than telling people about Jesus, but it is also not only words. The gospel addresses guilt, alienation, spiritual bondage, broken relationships, wounded communities, suffering bodies, and the whole human person. We should not act as though someone’s physical pain is unimportant because we care about their soul, and we should not act as though practical help removes the need for reconciliation with God.
Jesus teaches His disciples to proclaim and demonstrate the kingdom. Their actions do not replace the message, and the message does not excuse them from caring about suffering.
He also instructs them not to fill their bags with extra money, clothing, or provisions for the journey. They are to depend on God’s provision through the hospitality of the people they meet. This does not establish a permanent rule that Christians should never plan, save money, or prepare for ministry. Jesus is teaching these disciples something specific about dependence as He sends them on this mission.
They will not be able to confuse their effectiveness with their resources. They must trust the One who sent them and receive help from other people along the way. Dependence can be uncomfortable because many of us would rather be the person giving help than the person receiving it. Giving can allow us to feel capable and in control, while receiving requires humility. It reminds us that participation in the mission of Jesus is not a one-directional movement in which strong people rescue weak people. Everyone remains dependent on God, and God often provides through the faithfulness of others.
The disciples will also discover that not everyone welcomes them. Jesus tells them to look for people who will receive them, remain in those homes, and offer peace. When a town refuses the message, they are to leave and shake the dust from their feet.
Compassion does not guarantee acceptance. We can care sincerely, speak truth gently, and offer help without being received. Another person may misunderstand our motives, reject what we say, or refuse the invitation Jesus is extending through us. That rejection can tempt us to become discouraged and avoid making ourselves vulnerable again, or it can make us controlling as we try to force an outcome. Jesus allows neither. The disciples are responsible for faithful witness, but they are not responsible for controlling the response.
There is freedom in understanding the difference. Faithfulness means obeying what Jesus asks us to do and treating people in a way that reflects Him. It does not mean that every conversation ends the way we hope, every relationship is restored immediately, or every act of compassion produces visible change.
Jesus then becomes even more honest about what being sent will involve. He tells the disciples that He is sending them out as sheep among wolves. They must be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Compassion is not naïve; it does not require ignoring danger, abandoning discernment, or trusting everyone without wisdom.
Jesus knows His followers will face hostility. He tells them to be alert, thoughtful, and aware of the world they are entering. At the same time, they must remain innocent. They cannot respond to manipulation with manipulation, hatred with hatred, or violence with violence. Wisdom without innocence can become suspicion and self-protection, while innocence without wisdom can become carelessness. Jesus calls His disciples to hold both together. They must recognize danger without allowing danger to shape them into the kind of people who create it.
This becomes especially important when opposition comes. Jesus warns that His followers may be handed over to councils, brought before governors and kings, betrayed by people close to them, hated because of His name, and forced to flee from one place to another. Following Jesus does not guarantee a life in which everyone recognizes our good intentions.
Yet Jesus tells them that when they are brought before authorities, the Spirit of the Father will give them what they need to say. Their dependence continues even in opposition. The same Jesus who sends them into difficult places does not abandon them when those places become costly.
The chapter reaches deeper as Jesus explains that following Him may create division even within families. He says that anyone who loves father or mother, son or daughter more than Him is not worthy of Him, and anyone who will not take up the cross and follow Him cannot be His disciple.
These are difficult words, but Jesus is not teaching His followers to neglect or despise their families. Scripture repeatedly commands love, honor, faithfulness, and care within families. Jesus is exposing the depth of allegiance required by discipleship. No human relationship, even the closest and most precious, can be given the place that belongs to Him.
For the first disciples, this was not theoretical. Following Jesus could bring rejection from their community and conflict within their households. Compassion does not mean avoiding every difficult truth in order to keep everyone comfortable. Sometimes love requires faithfulness to Jesus when others do not understand or approve.
Taking up a cross would not have sounded inspirational to the first people who heard it. A cross represented shame, suffering, and death. Jesus is telling His disciples that being sent in His name requires surrender. They cannot carry His authority while building their lives around self-preservation.
This does not mean Christians should seek suffering or remain in abusive situations because pain is supposedly more spiritual. Jesus sometimes tells His disciples to flee persecution, and wisdom may require leaving danger. Taking up the cross means that obedience to Jesus matters more than protecting our comfort, reputation, control, or preferred version of life.
The compassion of Jesus is costly because it moves toward people. It touches those others avoid, shares tables with those others condemn, speaks truth when silence would be easier, and remains faithful when love is misunderstood.
Still, Matthew 10 is not a chapter of fear. Jesus repeatedly tells His disciples not to be afraid. He reminds them that two sparrows are sold for a small amount, yet not one falls apart from the Father’s care. Even the hairs of their heads are numbered. They are worth more than many sparrows.
The disciples are not promised protection from every painful experience. Jesus has just told them that opposition will come. Instead, they are promised that nothing they face will place them outside the knowledge and care of the Father.
That is the security that makes courageous compassion possible. We do not have to protect ourselves at every moment because the Father already sees us. We do not have to make every person approve of us because our identity is held by Him. We can take faithful risks, speak when silence would be easier, and move toward needs that interrupt our plans because our lives are not held together by our ability to control every outcome.
The chapter closes by turning attention toward the people who receive those Jesus sends. Whoever receives the disciples receives Jesus, and whoever receives Jesus receives the Father who sent Him. Even something as small as giving a cup of cold water matters to God.
Not every act of participation will be dramatic. Some people are sent into new places, while others participate by opening a home, sharing a meal, giving financial support, offering encouragement, caring for children, praying faithfully, or providing a cup of water. The mission of Jesus includes those who go and those who make faithfulness possible.
That matters because we can assume participation only counts when it is public, difficult, or impressive. Jesus pays attention to small acts of hospitality that may never be noticed by a crowd. Compassion does not need an audience to matter.
As we continue this week, think about the needs Jesus has allowed you to see. Perhaps you have been praying for a person, family, school, neighborhood, church, or situation for a long time. Is it possible that part of God’s answer involves a step of obedience from you?
That does not mean you are responsible for solving everything you have noticed. The need may be far larger than your ability. Begin by asking a more focused question: “Jesus, what part of this are You asking me to enter?”
Your part may be a conversation, an invitation, a gift, a meal, an apology, a commitment to pray, a willingness to serve, or the courage to speak about Jesus. It may involve going somewhere new, or it may mean paying closer attention to the people already around you.
The disciples did not send themselves. They were called, authorized, instructed, and sent by Jesus. Our compassion must remain connected to Him in the same way. We need His direction so that we do not confuse every opportunity with an assignment. We need His wisdom so that care remains loving and sustainable. We need His power because lasting transformation cannot be produced through our effort alone.
Yesterday, we wrote down one name and asked Jesus to help us see that person again. Today, ask whether seeing them is leading toward a step. Compassion sees, compassion prays, and compassion becomes willing to participate. The disciples prayed for workers and then discovered that Jesus was sending them. We should be prepared for Him to do something similar in us.
Prayer
Jesus, thank You for seeing people who are harassed, helpless, overlooked, and scattered. Thank You for being the Shepherd who seeks the lost, strengthens the weak, binds up the injured, and brings people near.
Forgive me for the times I have allowed compassion to remain only a feeling. Show me where I have prayed for someone else to respond while ignoring the step You may be placing in front of me. Give me wisdom to recognize what is mine to carry and humility to remember that I am not the Savior.
Teach me to serve under Your authority rather than relying on my own strength. Keep me wise without becoming suspicious and innocent without becoming careless. When faithfulness is misunderstood or rejected, help me leave the outcome in Your hands.
Show me one place where compassion should become participation today. Whether the step is visible or quiet, help me obey with courage. Use my words, time, resources, home, attention, and presence in whatever way reflects Your kingdom. Thank You that the Father sees me, the Spirit helps me, and You remain with everyone You send. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Cross-References for Further Study
Numbers 27:15–18
Ezekiel 34:1–16
Matthew 9:35–38
Luke 10:1–12
Matthew 28:18–20
Questions to Carry
Where might Jesus be asking me to become part of the answer to something I have been praying about?
How can I serve with genuine compassion while remembering that Jesus is the Savior and not me?