But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to councils, and in their synagogues will scourge you.The mention of synagogues identifies the enemies mentioned a moment before. Opposition to Christ and his holy religion, at first, came almost exclusively from the Jews. read more
Yea, and before governors and kings shall ye be brought for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.This prophecy was fulfilled when the apostles were arraigned before Herod (Acts 5:18; 12:1), before the Sanhedrin, and perhaps before other authorities. read more
Matthew 10:17-18. But beware of men— "Though I order you to be meek and patient under injuries, I do not mean that you should not be on your guard, and, as far as is consistent with conscience and duty, avoid them: no, the more circumspect you are, the better; for, after all,you will meet with many indignities, and often be in danger of death, even from the hand of public justice." They will deliver you up to the Sanhedrim, or consistories, and scourge you in their synagogues. Scourging is a... read more
17. But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the councils—the local courts, used here for civil magistrates in general. and they will scourge you in their synagogues—By this is meant persecution at the hands of the ecclesiastics. read more
18. And ye shall be brought before governors—provincial rulers. and kings—the highest tribunals. for my sake, for a testimony against them—rather, "to them," in order to bear testimony to the truth and its glorious effects. and the Gentiles—"to the Gentiles"; a hint that their message would not long be confined to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The Acts of the Apostles are the best commentary on these warnings. read more
3. Jesus’ charge concerning His apostles’ mission 10:5-42Matthew proceeded to record Jesus’ second major discourse in his Gospel: the Mission Discourse. It contains the instructions Jesus gave the 12 Apostles before He sent them out to proclaim the nearness of the messianic kingdom. Kingsbury saw the theme of this speech as "the mission of the disciples to Israel" and outlined it as follows: (I) On Being Sent to the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel (Matthew 10:5-15); (II) On Responding to... read more
The perils of their mission 10:16-25Jesus proceeded to elaborate on the dangers the apostles would face and how they should deal with them.In His descriptions of the opposition His disciples would experience, Jesus looked beyond His death to the time of tribulation that would follow. Then the disciples would have the same message and the same power as they did when He sent them out here. The narrow road leading to the kingdom led through a period of tribulation and persecution for the... read more
"But" (Gr. de) does not introduce a contrast here but shows how the disciples should apply the warning Jesus just gave them. Opposition would come from the Jews. The courts in view could be either civil or religious. This is the only occurrence of the plural "courts" or " local councils" (Gr. synedria) in the New Testament. The responsibility of these courts was to preserve the peace. The scourging in view would be the result of judicial action, not mob violence. [Note: Douglas R. A. Hare, The... read more
This prediction has caused problems for many interpreters since there is no indication that the disciples appeared before governors and kings during the mission that followed. As mentioned above, Jesus was evidently looking beyond their immediate mission to what His disciples would experience after His death, resurrection, and ascension. [Note: Hagner, p. 262.] read more
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E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Matthew 10:18
And = Yea and; or And . . . kings also. before. Greek. epi. for My sake = on account of Me. Greek. heneken. for = with a view to. against = unto. Gentiles = nations. read more