Text: Matthew 9:35 – 10:8
I still remember the day I painted with oil colors for the first time in my middle school art class. Unlike working on paper, applying mixed paints onto a rough canvas was far more difficult than I had imagined. As a beginner, trying to perfectly capture the still life before me, I kept painting over my mistakes.
The advantage of oil paint is that once it dries, you can paint over it. However, there is a limit. If you keep applying layer after layer to cover up errors, the surface becomes thick, rough, and eventually, the painting is ruined. A canvas messy with layers of conflicting colors—that was my very first oil painting.
While meditating on today’s passage, a heavy question weighed on my heart: “Is my faith—and the current state of our modern church—like that overworked canvas, thickly layered with the colors of the world?” When we look at Jesus’ instructions as He sent His twelve disciples into the world, we cannot help but notice a stark contrast with the familiar ways of the modern church.
1. The Missing Half: The Ministry of Healing
Looking at the big picture of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus first teaches the ethics of the Kingdom in the Sermon on the Mount (Chapters 5-7). Then, in Chapters 8 and 9, He actively lives out those teachings.
“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.” (Matthew 9:35)
Jesus’ ministry stood on two main pillars: Proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom and Healing. Theologian Guy Nave Jr. points out that while the core message of the early apostles was the “arrival of the Kingdom of God,” the modern Western church heavily emphasizes only the “salvation of the soul.”
To Jesus, relieving the physical and social suffering of people was just as important as saving their souls. Preaching a gospel of salvation while ignoring the cries of the broken in reality is an incomplete gospel. Jesus taught us to pray, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” God’s sovereign rule must permeate not only the eternal spiritual realm but also the present suffering of this world.
2. The Temptation of Materialism and Purity
One of the sharpest contrasts between Jesus’ instructions to His disciples and the modern church lies in our attitude toward material wealth.
“Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts—no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff…” (Matthew 10:9-10)
Of course, workers deserve their daily bread. However, we cannot erase the reality that the modern church has been deeply infected by materialistic values. As Scripture warns, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). If a church’s decisions are driven by finances rather than God’s will, it has already stepped onto the path of corruption.
The Pharisees, whom Jesus sternly rebuked, were not corrupt from the beginning. After returning from the Babylonian exile, they were the most devout group, striving to live strictly by God’s Word. But over time, as they accumulated wealth and power, they became corrupted. That is why Jesus commands His disciples to be “as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Purity without shrewdness makes one naive; shrewdness without purity leads to corruption.
3. The Thick Layers of Selective Obedience
When observing Korean immigrants adapting to life in the United States, I often noticed an interesting phenomenon. Parents would enforce traditional patriarchal authority over their children, yet they would conveniently ignore the positive American etiquette of respecting women and the vulnerable. This is a classic example of dual rationalization—cherry-picking only what is convenient for oneself.
Shamefully, Christians often commit this same selective obedience when interpreting the Bible. We gladly quote Old Testament verses to justify the pursuit of material blessings, yet we easily dismiss Jesus’ strict warnings about wealth. Pastors sometimes invoke the spiritual authority of Moses to assert their power, while turning a blind eye to the ultimate humility of Jesus, who washed feet and died on a cross. When interpretations conflict, our ultimate standard must always be Jesus Christ.
We preach love, yet stories of genuine forgiveness are rare among us. We lose our temper over the slightest inconvenience. Isn’t this the exact image of a canvas ruined by too many messy layers of paint?
Dear brothers and sisters, an unskilled painter ruins a canvas by constantly painting over mistakes. It is time for us to scrape off the thick layers of rationalization and greed. Let us return to a blank canvas and redraw the pure, transparent Gospel of Jesus Christ—the One who healed the broken and lived exactly as He taught. May we all become true disciples who humbly walk in His footsteps.