Matthew 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease
Have you ever been introduced to a family, youth group, or some group of ten or twelve people who get off their fifteen-passenger van and three minutes later you can’t remember their names? Well, in Matthew 10 we are introduced to the twelve disciples or apostles, and we have their names. We have Peter, Andrew, James. Do you remember James? Is it the son of Alphaeus or the son of Zebedee? There are two James’. Then there is a man whose surname is Thaddaeus whom we don’t hear much about, and then we all know Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus. So, we are introduced to who they were and what they had. Invariably when Jesus called them, they forsook all and followed Him, and they did so very quickly.
Verse 1 says, “And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease…” It goes on to talk about these men who followed the Lord Jesus. Now, what they had was a result of that to which they were called; it was what their call demanded. We very quickly read these verses and think, “Ok, we are in a different dispensation now. We can’t heal sickness.” Or we think, “Hey, that’s what I do. I heal sickness.” That might be a worthy conversation, but you are kind of missing the most basic of points when you launch headlong into that. What they had was a result of that to which they were called.
The fact is, if you can heal disease, then do it. The reason you are not healing disease is because that is not something God has given you to do. What you can do is an indication of what God would have you to do. I’m not saying that you are the sum and substance of your natural abilities. What I am saying is that God will enable you to do what God calls you to do. The takeaway is give what you’ve got and take what you are given.
It is all too easy to say, “Well, I wish I could do this. I wish I could have her gift or his talent.” Don’t do that. It’s easy also to be arrogant and think, “Well, they are a nice person, but they can’t do thus and so,” as if your gift is the standard for everyone else around you. We’ve been given a variety of gifts, and at the moment I’m not talking specifically about any one shading of that word. I am talking about your spiritual gifts, natural gifts, temperament, and natural inclinations. It has all been given to you by God whether naturally or supernaturally. So, take what you have been given and give what you have got.
Judas was a man who wanted something different. He wanted what he didn’t have. He wanted Jesus to be something that He wasn’t. He wanted to receive something that he hadn’t. There is no commentary on any of these disciples except for Judas of whom it says, “Who also betrayed him.” Judas betrayed the gifts he had been given when he betrayed the Giver. Someone says, “I don’t think Judas ever healed sickness and disease.” We can speculate, but the Bible doesn’t tell us explicitly here. We do know that Judas was called to follow, he did, and Jesus gave the disciples power. The bottom line is, Judas betrayed his gift the moment he betrayed the Giver.
The converse is also true. Friend, you are betraying the Giver, the Lord, when you betray your gifts. When you squander them and don’t give them. We should know what we have, but at the same time we shouldn’t be obsessed with what we have. Maybe you don’t know what your gifts are. The way to find out is to just start giving. You can’t give a million dollars? Well, just give a dollar. You are not a genius? Well, learn what you can. You’re not a great communicator? Ok, give a kind or helpful word when it is just one on one. You cultivate your gifts when you cultivate your giving. God doesn’t want to give to you. He wants to give through you.
In verse 8, Jesus says to these men, “Freely ye have received, freely give.” I should give in the same way I receive. Later he talks about the persecution they will receive and He says, “For it is not ye that speak, but the spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.” In verse 27 He says, “What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light.” You can’t give what you have not been given. So, just give what you have and God will give more. Cultivate the gifts by cultivating your giving because what you have has been given by God. So, give what you’ve got.