Jesus describes a violent and tumultuous mission (Matthew 10). They Twelve will display great power, and arouse vicious opposition. They will advance the kingdom, but the violent will try to arrest the kingdom by force, by crosses and killings and exclusions. But the last words of this discourse give us a sense of what Jesus is accomplishing through this mission.

The chapter break between Matthew 10-11 is not a good one. Each of Jesus’ discourses in Matthew end with this kind of statement about Jesus finishing His words. Like the sermon on the mount (7:28), this discourse ends with the report that “Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples” (11:1).

This isn’t just a statement about Jesus ending His discourse. The phrase reminds us of Genesis 2:1. God spoke for six days, and then His creative work was “finished.” God formed, and divided, and rearranged things for six days, and then sat back and saw that His finished world was good. God doesn’t face any opposition in creation, but the creation week includes acts of dividing and separating. When God acts to recreate the world after the fall, these creative acts of dividing and separating become acts of violence, but with the same end – to make the world new.

And now, Jesus, the living Word, speaks the word of new creation. He gives instructions to the Twelve, words of new creation, and as the Twelve – and we – carry out these words of new creation, Jesus is bringing His sword to divide and break and destroy. But then, like His Father, His words will finish, and the mission will finish, and the world will be renewed. Then Jesus will sit enthroned on His kingdom, and rest, knowing that all his works are “good.”