THE TWO COMMISSIONS

Matt. 10:5-15, “These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.  

Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.   And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.   And when ye come into an house, salute it. 

And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.   And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.   Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.” 

Matt. 28:18-20, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” 

II. THE TWO COMMISSIONS COMPARED

1) Both Given By Christ Jesus is the originator of the limited commission in Matthew 10 and the Great Commission in Matthew 28 and Mark 16.

2) Both Have A Saving & A Condemning Factors “And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.   And when ye come into an house, salute it.  And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.   And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.  

Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.” MarK 16:15, 16, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

3. Both Are Proven By Signs The Limited: Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.  The Great Commission: Mark 16:17, 18, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” 

II. THE TWO COMMISSIONS CONTRASTED

1) Exclusion vs. Inclusion “These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Why the Exclusion in the Limited Commission? First, the apostles were not prepared spiritually to preach to the Gentiles. The reply to Jesus for the Gentile woman wanting Jesus to heal her daughter: “Send her away, for she crieth for us” (Matt. 15:23). When was not granted access into the villages of the Samaritans, James and John said, “Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?” (Luke 9:54).

The apostles were not mature enough to preach to the Gentiles. One does not have to go far in the gospel stories to see confusion and immaturity in these men. Sometimes they were unsure of him, at other times they marveled at His abilities. There were even times when they argued who would be chief among them (Lk. 9:46, 22:24).

The most important reason why the exclusion: GOD HAD A PLAN Eph. 1:3, 4, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” 

2. No Provisions vs. Many Provisions “Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.”  

Luke 22:35-38, “And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.  Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.  For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end.  And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.” 

1 Cor. 4:11, “Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it.” 

3. The Kingdom At Hand vs. The Kingdom Established. “And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The marching orders for the great commission are given in the gospels, but the actual event would not take place until the day of Pentecost when the church was established.

III. THE TWO COMMISSIONS CONCLUDE

1. The Limited Commission Concluded With the Death of Christ. Though the Jews would be the first to enter the New Testament church in Acts 2, the borders of the kingdom would spread throughout the world. The Jewish nation would cease to exists, and a New Israel would arise. Col. 3:11, “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.”

The Great Commission Ends With the Second Coming of Christ. Col. 3:11, “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.”

2. The Limited Commission Is Greatly Rejected Isa. 8:14, 15, “And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.  And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.”  Act 2:36, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 

Isa. 53:3, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

The Great Commission is Greatly Accepted Isa. 2:2, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.”

Micah 4:1, 2, “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.   And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”