Matthew 10:1
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Gave them authority (edwken autoi exousian). "Power" (Moffatt, Goodspeed). One may be surprised that here only the healing work is mentioned, though Luke ( Luke 9:2 ) has it "to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick." And Matthew says ( Matthew 10:7 ), "And as ye go, preach." Hence it is not fair to say that Matthew knows only the charge to heal the sick, important as that is. The physical distress was great, but the spiritual even greater. Power is more likely the idea of exousia here. This healing ministry attracted attention and did a vast deal of good. Today we have hospitals and skilled physicians and nurses, but we should not deny the power of God to bless all these agencies and to cure disease as he wills. Jesus is still the master of soul and body. But intelligent faith does not justify us in abstaining from the help of the physician who must not be confounded with the quack and the charlatan.