Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
The verse completes the list of the twelve whom Jesus called and sent to preach the kingdom, heal the sick and cast out devils, naming Simon and Judas who later handed Him over. Jesus deliberately united Judas with the others though he was imperfect in principle, to give him training and opportunity to improve in character. Judas shared fully in that trust, laboring with the disciples, exercising power to heal and cast out devils, and carrying the shared funds, yet he never fully surrendered to be daily converted, but cherished covetousness and desire for control until he sold his Lord for a trifling sum and betrayed Him with a kiss. Being numbered among the disciples did not make him a Christian, any more than having a name on church books makes a member a Christian, and his end is the pattern for those who have knowledge of the truth without being sanctified by it. Jesus’ long patience with him teaches believers not to be disheartened by false brethren who will remain until the close of time, and his history warns all not to treasure defects and refuse correction but to receive Christ’s words and be changed and overcome.
The Commission of the Twelve
Matthew 10:4 stands within Christ's commissioning of the disciples, which provides work for every soul. That work is sacred and is to be carried out in the Spirit of Christ. Those engaged in it are to do their part while trusting Jesus to heal, for He Himself is the Healer. The whole surrounding chapter is filled with instruction concerning the work and the dangers confronting God's people in this time. It warns that followers of Christ will meet opposition and betrayal.
In verse 4 Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot are named among those Jesus called and commissioned for ministry, including Judas who afterward betrayed Him. Their commission united preaching the word with healing the sick and casting out devils in Jesus' name as connected parts of one work. Verse 4 thus places Judas among the twelve sent to preach the kingdom of God as laborers gathering people for eternal life.
Judas Chosen Yet Unconverted
Jesus deliberately chose Judas Iscariot and united him with the other disciples as one of the twelve, even though he was not perfect and was not right in principle, for he cherished selfishness. Being chosen did not mean he was perfect, and Christ did not reject him for his faults, but gave him place among the twelve to give him opportunity to improve in character through the education and training given to all followers. The grace of Christ received into the heart would have converted him from selfishness and worked wonderful changes in him, as it did in John and Peter.
Judas was given a place with the twelve and trusted to do evangelistic work, accompanying the other disciples on their tours. He witnessed Christ's ministry and healing and labored with the apostles in the unselfish service Christ instructed them to do. He was endowed with power to heal the sick, to cure diseases, and to cast out devils. He was entrusted with handling the believers' shared funds for expenses.
He did not fully surrender himself to Christ, and he failed to be converted daily and to become a sanctified and polished instrument prepared for the Master's use. His old hereditary and natural tendencies remained and gave Satan opportunity to lead him to dishonor the Master and to imperil his own soul. He cherished selfishness, which is an attribute of the devil, and covetousness remained in his heart and grew as he indulged it. His unchecked spirit of superiority and desire to exercise authority and control over the other disciples gave the enemy access to his heart and mind. Although Jesus' teaching exposed the evils of greed and fraud, Judas took offense instead of turning from his sin.
His apparent concern for the poor concealed his desire to control the money for himself. At Mary's anointing of Jesus he objected to the use of costly ointment to honor Him, treating it as waste and using concern about waste as an excuse for his covetousness. Jesus defended her act as an anticipation of His burial, saying that the poor would always be present but He Himself would not remain with them. Opposition to light arose in his heart, and because he did not receive Christ's words and correct his course of action, he treasured his defects as if they were precious treasure until they poisoned the whole man in principle, in spirit, in life, and in character. So identified, he is the one who betrayed Jesus, betraying Him with a kiss and selling his Lord for a trifling sum of money.
Lessons for Believers Today
Being counted among the twelve did not make Judas a Christian, just as having a name on the church books never makes a church member a Christian, for men and women become sons and daughters of God by doing the Word, and God requires the whole-sided, undivided interests of those He has chosen. He was deliberately chosen even though he was not perfect, and with that choice came power to heal the sick and cure diseases, yet he failed to be converted daily and to become a sanctified and polished instrument for the Master's use. Because he remained subject to temptation, Satan was able to use his old hereditary and natural tendencies to dishonor the Master and imperil his own soul.
Jesus' long patience with perverse human nature in bearing with Judas, who was numbered among the apostles though he later betrayed Him, teaches Christians not to become disheartened by false brethren in the church, who will remain until the close of time. His end is the pattern for all who have a knowledge of the truth without being sanctified by it, for they work out wrong and corrupt characters and do more harm because of the knowledge they have. Such unsanctified knowledge leads to departure from the faith, confederating with apostates, and betrayal of sacred trusts. His being chosen did not mean he was perfect or rejected for his faults, yet his inherited and natural tendencies, left unconverted, gave Satan opportunity to lead him to dishonor Christ and endanger his own soul.
His example warns that those who undermine confidence in God's guidance can follow the same path and, unless converted, become enemies of God's work, for his unchecked spirit of superiority and desire to exercise authority over his fellow disciples on their evangelistic tours gave the enemy access to his heart and mind until he betrayed Jesus with a kiss. He had witnessed Christ's ministry and healing and had labored with the apostles in the unselfish service Christ commanded, and he was entrusted with handling the money for expenses, yet his apparent concern for the poor concealed his desire to control the money for himself. When Mary anointed Jesus with costly ointment he objected on the ground of waste, but Jesus defended her act as an anticipation of His burial, saying the poor would always be present but He Himself would not be. Judas-like opposition from covetous motives, by persons who may belong to Christ's company, still occurs in churches and other organizations.
His history is a warning not to refuse light and correction and treasure defects as if precious, but to receive Christ's words, correct the course of action, and be refined, changed and overcome. He was deliberately united with the other disciples and given place among the twelve even though he was not right in principle, for he cherished selfishness, which is an attribute of the devil, in order to give him opportunity to improve in character building through the education and training given to all Christ's followers. The grace of Christ received into the heart would have converted him from selfishness and worked wonderful changes in him, as it did in John and Peter, but he did not receive Christ's words and improve and did not correct his course, so the painstaking efforts and many lessons of the divine Teacher were lost upon him. Covetousness remained in his heart though he was entrusted with the believers' shared funds, and it grew as he indulged it, and although Jesus' teaching exposed the evils of greed and fraud he took offense instead of turning from his sin, using concern about waste to excuse his objection to Mary's use of the ointment to honor Jesus. Opposition to the light arose in his heart until he treasured his defects as if they were a precious treasure, and they poisoned the whole man in principle, in spirit, in life, in character, until he sold his Lord for a trifling sum of money.
The verse completes the list of the twelve whom Jesus called and sent to preach the kingdom, heal the sick and cast out devils, naming Simon and Judas who later handed Him over.
Jesus deliberately united Judas with the others though he was imperfect in principle, to give him training and opportunity to improve in character.
Judas shared fully in that trust, laboring with the disciples, exercising power to heal and cast out devils, and carrying the shared funds, yet he never fully surrendered to be daily converted, but cherished covetousness and desire for control until he sold his Lord for a trifling sum and betrayed Him with a kiss.
Being numbered among the disciples did not make him a Christian, any more than having a name on church books makes a member a Christian, and his end is the pattern for those who have knowledge of the truth without being sanctified by it.
Jesus’ long patience with him teaches believers not to be disheartened by false brethren who will remain until the close of time, and his history warns all not to treasure defects and refuse correction but to receive Christ’s words and be changed and overcome.
The Commission of the Twelve
Matthew 10:4 stands within Christ's commissioning of the disciples, which provides work for every soul. That work is sacred and is to be carried out in the Spirit of Christ. Those engaged in it are to do their part while trusting Jesus to heal, for He Himself is the Healer. The whole surrounding chapter is filled with instruction concerning the work and the dangers confronting God's people in this time. It warns that followers of Christ will meet opposition and betrayal.
In verse 4 Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot are named among those Jesus called and commissioned for ministry, including Judas who afterward betrayed Him. Their commission united preaching the word with healing the sick and casting out devils in Jesus' name as connected parts of one work. Verse 4 thus places Judas among the twelve sent to preach the kingdom of God as laborers gathering people for eternal life.
Judas Chosen Yet Unconverted
Jesus deliberately chose Judas Iscariot and united him with the other disciples as one of the twelve, even though he was not perfect and was not right in principle, for he cherished selfishness. Being chosen did not mean he was perfect, and Christ did not reject him for his faults, but gave him place among the twelve to give him opportunity to improve in character through the education and training given to all followers. The grace of Christ received into the heart would have converted him from selfishness and worked wonderful changes in him, as it did in John and Peter.
Judas was given a place with the twelve and trusted to do evangelistic work, accompanying the other disciples on their tours. He witnessed Christ's ministry and healing and labored with the apostles in the unselfish service Christ instructed them to do. He was endowed with power to heal the sick, to cure diseases, and to cast out devils. He was entrusted with handling the believers' shared funds for expenses.
He did not fully surrender himself to Christ, and he failed to be converted daily and to become a sanctified and polished instrument prepared for the Master's use. His old hereditary and natural tendencies remained and gave Satan opportunity to lead him to dishonor the Master and to imperil his own soul. He cherished selfishness, which is an attribute of the devil, and covetousness remained in his heart and grew as he indulged it. His unchecked spirit of superiority and desire to exercise authority and control over the other disciples gave the enemy access to his heart and mind. Although Jesus' teaching exposed the evils of greed and fraud, Judas took offense instead of turning from his sin.
His apparent concern for the poor concealed his desire to control the money for himself. At Mary's anointing of Jesus he objected to the use of costly ointment to honor Him, treating it as waste and using concern about waste as an excuse for his covetousness. Jesus defended her act as an anticipation of His burial, saying that the poor would always be present but He Himself would not remain with them. Opposition to light arose in his heart, and because he did not receive Christ's words and correct his course of action, he treasured his defects as if they were precious treasure until they poisoned the whole man in principle, in spirit, in life, and in character. So identified, he is the one who betrayed Jesus, betraying Him with a kiss and selling his Lord for a trifling sum of money.
Lessons for Believers Today
Being counted among the twelve did not make Judas a Christian, just as having a name on the church books never makes a church member a Christian, for men and women become sons and daughters of God by doing the Word, and God requires the whole-sided, undivided interests of those He has chosen. He was deliberately chosen even though he was not perfect, and with that choice came power to heal the sick and cure diseases, yet he failed to be converted daily and to become a sanctified and polished instrument for the Master's use. Because he remained subject to temptation, Satan was able to use his old hereditary and natural tendencies to dishonor the Master and imperil his own soul.
Jesus' long patience with perverse human nature in bearing with Judas, who was numbered among the apostles though he later betrayed Him, teaches Christians not to become disheartened by false brethren in the church, who will remain until the close of time. His end is the pattern for all who have a knowledge of the truth without being sanctified by it, for they work out wrong and corrupt characters and do more harm because of the knowledge they have. Such unsanctified knowledge leads to departure from the faith, confederating with apostates, and betrayal of sacred trusts. His being chosen did not mean he was perfect or rejected for his faults, yet his inherited and natural tendencies, left unconverted, gave Satan opportunity to lead him to dishonor Christ and endanger his own soul.
His example warns that those who undermine confidence in God's guidance can follow the same path and, unless converted, become enemies of God's work, for his unchecked spirit of superiority and desire to exercise authority over his fellow disciples on their evangelistic tours gave the enemy access to his heart and mind until he betrayed Jesus with a kiss. He had witnessed Christ's ministry and healing and had labored with the apostles in the unselfish service Christ commanded, and he was entrusted with handling the money for expenses, yet his apparent concern for the poor concealed his desire to control the money for himself. When Mary anointed Jesus with costly ointment he objected on the ground of waste, but Jesus defended her act as an anticipation of His burial, saying the poor would always be present but He Himself would not be. Judas-like opposition from covetous motives, by persons who may belong to Christ's company, still occurs in churches and other organizations.
His history is a warning not to refuse light and correction and treasure defects as if precious, but to receive Christ's words, correct the course of action, and be refined, changed and overcome. He was deliberately united with the other disciples and given place among the twelve even though he was not right in principle, for he cherished selfishness, which is an attribute of the devil, in order to give him opportunity to improve in character building through the education and training given to all Christ's followers. The grace of Christ received into the heart would have converted him from selfishness and worked wonderful changes in him, as it did in John and Peter, but he did not receive Christ's words and improve and did not correct his course, so the painstaking efforts and many lessons of the divine Teacher were lost upon him. Covetousness remained in his heart though he was entrusted with the believers' shared funds, and it grew as he indulged it, and although Jesus' teaching exposed the evils of greed and fraud he took offense instead of turning from his sin, using concern about waste to excuse his objection to Mary's use of the ointment to honor Jesus. Opposition to the light arose in his heart until he treasured his defects as if they were a precious treasure, and they poisoned the whole man in principle, in spirit, in life, in character, until he sold his Lord for a trifling sum of money.