The apostles were members of the family of Jesus, and they had accompanied Him as He traveled on foot through Galilee. They had shared with Him the toils and hardships that overtook them. They had listened to His discourses, they had walked and talked with the Son of God, and from His daily instruction they had learned how to work for the elevation of humanity. As Jesus ministered to the vast multitudes that gathered about Him, His disciples were in attendance, eager to do His bidding and to lighten His labor. They assisted in arranging the people, bringing the afflicted ones to the Saviour, and promoting the comfort of all. They watched for interested hearers, explained the Scriptures to them, and in various ways worked for their spiritual benefit. They taught what they had learned of Jesus, and were every day obtaining a rich experience. But they needed also an experience in laboring alone. They were still in need of much instruction, great patience and tenderness. Now, while He was personally with them, to point out their errors, and counsel and correct them, the Saviour sent them forth as His representatives.

Dette kapitel er bygget op over Matt 10; Mark 6,7-11; Luk 9,1-6
Apostlene var medlemmer af Jesu familie, og de havde ledsaget ham, medens han til fods drog gennem Galilæa: De havde delt med ham den møje og modgang, som de mødte. De havde lyttet til hans taler, de havde vandret og talt sammen med Guds Søn, og gennem hans daglige undervisning havde de lært, hvordan de skulle arbejde for menneskers oprejsning. Medens Jesus hjalp de store skarer, som samledes om ham, gik disciplene ham til hånde med den største iver for at adlyde hans befalinger og lette ham arbejdet. De hjalp ved at holde orden blandt de mange mennesker, bringe de syge hen til Frelseren og bidrage til, at alle befandt sig godt. De holdt øje med de tilhørere, der var interesserede, forklarede dem skrifterne og virkede på forskellige måder til gavn for deres sjæle. De lærte andre,hvad de selv havde lært af Jesus, og hver eneste dag bragte dem nye, rige erfaringer. Men de trængte også til at gøre erfaringer ved at arbejde alene. De behøvede stadig megen belæring, stor tålmodighed og overbærenhed. Nu, medens Frelseren personligt var sammen med dem og kunne gøre dem opmærksom på deres fejltagelser og råde og vejlede dem, udsendte han dem som sine stedfortrædere.