The first of five sermons Jesus gives in Matthew is the Sermon on the Mount. Today’s gospel lesson is the conclusion of the second, the Mission Sermon. It begins with these words, “And [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 infirmity.”[1] He named the twelve “apostles”—“messengers”—and charged them to take up his mission, “proclaim ‘that the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.’ ”[2] They are to heal as heals, to raise the dead as he raises the dead, to cleanse lepers as he cleanses lepers, and to cast out demons, as he casts out demons.
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