CHAPTER 17 A fourfold twelve are sent forth and forbidden to eat what is gotten by taking life. They who take not up their cross are not worthy of Him.
And Jesus went up into a mountain to pray; 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. Now the names of the Twelve Apostles are these who stood for the twelve tribes of Israel:
Peter called Cephas for the tribe of Reuben; James for the tribe of Naphtali; Thomas called Dydimus for the tribe of Zabulon; Matthew called Levi for the tribe of Gad; John for the tribe of Ephraim; Simon for the tribe of Issachar. Andrew for the tribe of Joseph; Nathaniel for the tribe of Simeon; Thaddeus for the tribe of Zabulon; Jacob for the tribe of Benjamin; Jude for the tribe of Dan; Philip for the tribe of Asher. And Judus Iscariot a Levite, who betrayed Him, was among them but he was not of them. And Matthias and Barsabbas were also present with them.
Then He called in like manner twelve others to be Prophets, men of Light, to be with the Apostles and show unto them the hidden things of God. And their names were Hermes Aristobulus, Selenius, Nereus, Apollos, and Barsabbas; Andronicus, Lucius, Apelles, Zachaeus, Urbanus, and Clementos. And then He called twelve who should be Evangelists and twelve who should be Pastors. A fourfold twelve did He call, that He might send them forth to the twelve tribes of Israel, unto each four.
And they stood around the Master, clad in white linen raiment, called to be a holy priesthood unto God, for the service of the twelve tribes whereunto they should be sent.
These fourfold twelve Jesus sent forth and charged them, saying, I will that ye he my twelve apostles, with your companions, for a testimony unto Israel. Go ye into the cities of Israel and to the lost sheep of Israel. And as ye go preach saying, The kingdom of Heaven is at hand. I have baptized you in water, so baptize ye them who believe.
Anoint and heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils; freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold nor silver nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves; for the workman is worthy of his food; and eat that which is set before you, but of that which is gotten by taking life touch not, for it is not lawful to you.
And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy, and there abide till ye go thence. And when ye come into a house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, your peace will come upon it, but if it be not worthy, your peace will return to you.
Be ye wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Be ye innocent and undefiled. The Son of man is not come to destroy but to save; neither to take life, but to give life to body and soul.
And fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.
[…] Yea, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore; if God cares for the sparrow, shall He not care for you?
It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servants as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? Fear them not therefore; for there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, nor hid that shall not be known.
What I tell you in darkness that speak ye in light when the time comes; and what ye hear in the ear that preach ye upon the housetops. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father which is in Heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in Heaven.
Verily I am come to send peace upon Earth, but when I speak, behold a sword follows. I am come to unite, but behold a man shall be at variance with his father, and the daughter with her mother, and the daughter-in-law with her mother-in-law; and a man’s foes shall be they of his own household; for the unjust cannot mate with them that are just.
They who take not up their cross and follow after me are not worthy of me. He that finds his life shall lose it, and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it.”
