The twelve "apostles" were in a unique position: they had seen the Risen Lord and were commissioned by Him. Thus, they were the authentic teachers. Matthew does not use the term "apostle" anymore in the rest of the Gospel but prefers the word "disciples", representing all future disciples of Jesus and in a special way the later leaders of the Church. The twelve apostles are the nucleus of the new Israel - the Church.

They are empowered to struggle against forces that create unjust structures in our life which operate in a latent manner and eat at the root of miseries of people like sickness and disease. Each time the Word of God is proclaimed in our liturgy, catechetics, BEC we are also faced with the challenge to fight against social sins - the "unclean spirits" we succumb to. Discipleship is about giving oneself over to being an instrument of the Gospel. Whatever our state in life, our particular vocation, each one of us is called to bear witness as the apostles did, by the lives we lead and the people we serve. Either we become signs of hope by truly making God present or deny hope by failing to allow the God of Jesus to break in.