The Correct Meaning of Matthew 10:23

ONE OF the controversial verses in the Bible is Matthew 10:23. Matthew quotes Jesus Christ as speaking these words which many have misinterpreted to create confusion in the minds of Christian believers.

The verse reads: “When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”

Many have erroneously interpreted this verse to mean that Jesus Christ promised His disciples that He was going to die, ascend to the Father in heaven and return to judge the world before His disciples who He had sent could finish preaching in the Jewish towns.

But this explanation of the verse is erroneous and must be corrected. It is not proper to take a portion of Scripture and explain it out of context.

It is necessary that we read the whole Chapter to understand the pre-text and post-text and compare and contrast it with other related passages of Scripture to be able to have proper insight and understanding.

Consequently, the first verse we must begin to read in order to understand the text is Matthew 10:1 through to verse 42 and then we must continue from Matthew 11:1 forward.

In Matthew 10:1, it is written: “And he (Jesus) called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction…These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go…to the lost sheep of Israel” (emphasis mine).

In verse 23, Jesus said: “When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”

We must pay attention to the clause: “…you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel…”

Christ was speaking directly and specifically to the 12 apostles He sent. Remember that in verse 5, it is written, “These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

So, Jesus told them: “you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” These words of Christ to His disciples are the cause of the whole controversy.

Now, there are two basic questions to ask if we are to clearly understand the text. Firstly, where did Jesus Christ tell His disciples that He was going to? Secondly, where would He come from?

Answers to these questions would help us to understand the passage better. We know that in the passage, Christ Jesus did not talk about His death, burial or resurrection let alone talk about going to heaven.

So, exactly where did the Saviour of the world say He was going to, and where would He come from after sending His 12 apostles?

It is not proper to rush in making unsubstantiated claims that Matthew 10:23 does not make sense or that it was either fulfilled in the first century or that Christ would not come back.

As I stated earlier, a person who decides to teach from the Bible must not quote a verse out of context and make definitive claims. There is always the need for wider reading of chapters and verses to be able to make meaning out of a verse.

An avid reader of the Bible and more importantly the Gospel of Matthew would know the right answer to the two questions asked above.

It is clearly stated in Matthew 11:1 that: “When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.”

But in which region were those cities? The New International Version of the Bible described them as “towns of Galilee.”

So, now, it is clearly indicated that Christ Jesus did not ascend to heaven after instructing His 12 disciples to go and preach the gospel. He went to preach in towns of Galilee.

Thus, certainly Matthew 10:23 does not mean that Christ would come from heaven, but from those cities after preaching there.

By James Quansah

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