Day 5 - Thursday - Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament - Logos

 Matthew 10:1–42

Chapter 10 begins with the list of the twelve apostles whom Jesus chose (vv. 1–4), undoubtedly based on the number of tribes of Israel in OT times (cf. 19:28). Jesus is reconstituting God’s covenant community among his followers. The rest of the chapter contains his instructions to the Twelve, both for their first short-term mission (10:5–16) and for the rest of the “church age” (10:17–42). The reference to the lost sheep of Israel’s house (10:6) may allude to Jer. 50:6 (see also Isa. 53:6; Ezek. 34). The disciples are charged to proclaim the same message of the kingdom that John and Jesus preached (see above, pp. 11–12, 18). Their miracle-working ministry (10:8) will rely on the same texts as Jesus’ ministry, too (esp. Isa. 35:5–6). The reference to Sodom and Gomorrah (10:15) recalls the events of Gen. 18:20–19:28. The overthrow of these cities had become proverbial already in OT times (Isa. 1:9; 13:19; Jer. 23:14; 50:40; Amos 4:11; see Davies and Allison 1988–1997: 2:179). “Shrewd” is a natural characteristic to attribute to serpents (10:16), in light of the description of the serpent in the garden (Gen. 3:1).

In the second half of the chapter (10:17–42), the family strife predicted in 10:21 echoes Mic. 7:6 and foreshadows 10:35, which will quote this text explicitly. Verse 30 seems to echo 1 Sam. 14:45, on not allowing a hair of Jonathan’s head to fall to the ground. Verse 37 contains an echo of Deut. 33:9, in which Levi says that he had no regard for his parents, he did not recognize his brothers, and he did not acknowledge his own children but watched over God’s word and guarded his covenant. “Receiving a prophet” in 10:41 may hark back to the stories about the reception of Elijah by the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:9–24) and of Elisha by the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:8–37). “Little ones” as a designation for the disciples (10:42) may have been borrowed from a text such as Zech. 13:7, Matthew will more explicitly cite later (26:31) (Davies and Allison 1988–1997: 2:229).

OT Old Testament

esp. especially

OT Old Testament

 Blomberg, Craig L. “Matthew.” Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI;  Nottingham, UK: Baker Academic;  Apollos, 2007. 35. Print.