INTRODUCTION
Jesus has already warned that His coming and the mission of the Twelve divides families (10:21), and He returns to that theme at the end of the discourse (vv. 34-36). He is the Prince of Peace, but the peace He brings comes after He brings a sword.

THE TEXT
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’” . . . (Matthew 10:34-11:1).

MAN AGAINST FATHER
Jesus describes the mission of the Twelve as a “harvest” (9:37-38), an eschatological image of separation and judgment (cf. 13:30). As they spread out throughout Israel, they separate wheat and tares. The sword of Jesus cuts into families. In verses 35-36, Jesus quotes a series of phrases from Micah 7, where the prophet describes a time of social and political chaos. Because the wicked “thorns” dominate Israel, the Lord is sending an invader and the Jews can’t trust one another (Micah 7:1-6). Jesus’ ministry brings a similar crisis. Some family members turn to Jesus, some don’t. When later the Romans invade, family divisions become even more intense. Jesus demands that His disciples cling to Him, even if it costs them all the security, affection, and benefits of family life (v. 37).

TAKE UP THE CROSS
Matthew 10:38 is Jesus’ first reference to the “cross,” the first in the New Testament. Significantly, it refers not to Jesus’ own cross, but to the cross of the disciples. Christians have often understood Jesus’ words about cross-bearing as a general exhortation about suffering. In the context, it refers to the threats of mission and specifically the threat of being cut off from families. In the chiastic structure of the passage, it links to Jesus’ warnings about persecution (vv. 16-23). The Twelve literally have to be ready to die on Roman crosses, since their families members will deliver them to Gentile governors. Jesus assures them, however, that this apparent loss of life is actually the way to life (v. 39).

RECEIVING JESUS
The Twelve go out bearing Jesus’ authority and carrying on His mission. They are His representatives, and therefore receiving them is equivalent to receiving Jesus Himself (v. 40). In fact, there is another level to the chiasm of sending and reception: The Father sent Jesus who sent the Twelve; receiving the Twelve is receiving Jesus and the Father. Jesus is satisfied with minimal reception. The Twelve are “prophets,” “righteous men,” and “little ones” (vv. 41-42), and whoever gives them as little as a cup of cold water receives a reward. We are far more stingy than Jesus.

FINISHED WORDS
Like the sermon on the mount (7:28), this discourse ends with the report that “Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples” (11:1). The phrase reminds us of Genesis 2:1. God spoke for six days, and then His creative work was “finished.” Jesus, the living Word, speaks the word of new creation, and then “finishes.”