The Mission of the Disciples

Today's passage describes how Jesus called his disciples, lived with them, and appointed them as preachers and as apostles with authority. At the time, the Pharisees were fixated on the formal keeping of the Law and ignored love and mercy, the true meaning of the Sabbath; they condemned Jesus' good deeds and looked for a chance to kill him. But Jesus, as Lord of the Sabbath, declared that it is right to do good and save life, and broke through their stubborn preconceptions.

Jesus appointed the disciples so that they would be with him, so that he could send them into the world to preach the gospel, and so that he could give them authority to drive out demons. Peter and Judas Iscariot were both called as apostles, yet because of their own greed and fear they came to completely different ends. Peter went through deep repentance after his failure and became a foundation of the church, but Judas did not repent and in the end fell from his place of mission. This shows how important humble faith and obedience to the truth are, rather than position or power.

We need to ask ourselves whether we are trapped in our own thoughts and feelings and turning away from the truth, and whether we fall to Satan's temptations and easily throw away what is precious. As the lives of Peter and Judas Iscariot warn us, we must not forget that the choices we make now determine eternal outcomes. Today's passage asks how we should set our hearts so that we can live as believers who stay with Jesus and boldly proclaim the gospel.