78 – Jesus Instructs The Twelve; Matthew 10:5-15; Mark 6:7-11; Luke 9:1-5
Matthew 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not [a]go [b]in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; 6 but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as you go, [c]preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven [d]is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. 9 Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, 10 or a [e]bag for your journey, or even two [f]coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his [g]support. 11 And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay [h]at his house until you leave that city. 12 As you enter the [i]house, give it your [j]greeting. 13 If the house is worthy, [k]give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, [l]take back your blessing of peace. 14 Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.
Mark 6:7 And He *summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; 8 and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no [a]bag, no money in their belt— 9 but [b]to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two [c]tunics.” 10 And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you [d]leave town. 11 Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust [e]off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.”
Luke 9:1 And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. 2 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing. 3 And He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a [a]bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have [b]two tunics apiece. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there [c]until you leave that city. 5 And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”
Footnotes (Matthew)
a. Matthew 10:5 Or go off
b. Matthew 10:5 Or on the road of (Gr hodos: way or road)
c. Matthew 10:7 Or proclaim
d. Matthew 10:7 Lit has come near
e. Matthew 10:10 Or knapsack, or beggar’s bag
f. Matthew 10:10 Or inner garments
g. Matthew 10:10 Lit nourishment
h. Matthew 10:11 Lit there until
i. Matthew 10:12 Or household
j. Matthew 10:12 I.e. the familiar Heb blessing, “Peace be to this house!”
k. Matthew 10:13 Lit your peace is to come upon it
l. Matthew 10:13 Lit your peace is to return to you
Footnotes (Mark)
a. Mark 6:8 Or knapsack or beggar’s bag
b. Mark 6:9 Lit being shod with
c. Mark 6:9 Or inner garments
d. Mark 6:10 Lit go out from there
e. Mark 6:11 Lit under your feet
Footnotes (Luke)
a. Luke 9:3 Or knapsack or beggar’s bag
b. Luke 9:3 Or inner garments
c. Luke 9:4 Lit and leave from there
Commentary
In the passage from Matthew, Jesus begins by telling the disciples where to go on their mission. The region of Galilee was composed of many cities, several of which were Greek, and some of which were Jewish. Jesus’s commission in this passage was for His disciples to go to the Jewish cities only, to the extent “that they were not to enter into a road even leading to the Gentiles, nor were they to enter into a city of the Samaritans” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary, pg. 1194). By beginning with an exclusive offer to Jewish people, Jesus was demonstrating God’s will to fulfill His desire for Israel to have its kingdom, led by its rightful king (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary, pg. 1194). The gifts and instructions Jesus gave to His disciples in these passages were very specific and were intended for a targeted mission at that time. Jesus later gave instructions to the seventy, and I will save the comparisons for when we get to those passages. However, because of the specificity of this mission, we may not need to think that this is Jesus’s proposed plan for everyone who wants to evangelize in His name. Here is a sermon that has some insights into the way this mission was intended for a specific group of people, at a specific time https://youtu.be/6IUZu-TxXl0.
Despite the clear instructions to the disciples only, St. Francis of Assissi famously used this passage as the basis for his life and ministry. After being exposed to the corruption of the Roman church and seeing the plight of the Roman poor population, he heard a sermon on Matthew 10:7-10 and determined to live the rest of his life in poverty, as a servant, preacher, and healer of the poor. Others were inspired to follow suit, and this group continued to commit themselves to service and poverty, rejecting the agency of the organized church, and adhering only to the example set by Jesus and the disciples in this short passage (The Word in Life Study Bible, pg. 1649). However, he only modeled his ministry after certain aspects of the commission; for instance, he obviously did not limit the scope of his reach to Jews only. I do not say this to diminish his efforts or contribution, but perhaps to explain that not every Christian is called to minister in quite this way.
Following the geographical directions in Matthew, Mark 6:7 contains Jesus’s practical instruction for the disciples to go out in pairs. The system of sending missionaries two by two is a standard that was set in Ecclesiastes 4:9 “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.” In Matthew, Jesus then tells them to proclaim that the kingdom of Heaven is at hand. The warning about the nearness of the kingdom of God was a reference to a physical kingdom predicted in Old Testament prophecy (Isaiah 2:1-4; 11:1-9; Amos 9:11-15; Micah 4:6-8), in which Jesus will reign over the world, from a throne in Jerusalem. Those prophetic verses are below, in the References.
All the passages then proceed with the delegation of heavenly power and authority to the disciples. “Christ granted His twelve disciples power and prerogatives over demons and sickness never exercised by man either before or after. The purpose of this was to place a divine seal of approval upon their message as well as to meet the needs of people” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary, pg. 1276). He also granted the authority for these men to proclaim blessings and curses over cities. Blessings “may … be proclaimed through [God’s] official representatives, as by the father of a household (Gen 27; 48; 49), by the priestly Aaronic blessing (Num 6:22-27), through the king (2 Sam 6:18), or the apostle (the introductions and closings of the NT epistles)” (The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 1, pg. 625).
From a leadership perspective, The Word in Life Study Bible points out some interesting traits manifested in the delegation that takes place here, and earthly leaders may have some take-aways. Despite the fact that the disciples had proven themselves to be spiritually immature (and would continue to do so), Jesus imparted real authority to them and sent them out, unsupervised, to execute His instructions. Performing these duties was part of their growth process, and it helped to mature them while they still had Jesus as a resource on Earth. Earthly leaders today tend to delegate superficial tasks and heavily supervise the completion of those tasks, in order to ensure a satisfactory outcome, whereas their subordinates and the organization would accrue greater benefit from sharing real responsibilities (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1799). This is risky, as it was for Jesus.
We don’t often think of Judas’s contribution to the story of Jesus’s ministry, except in the context of his betrayal. However, he was sent on this mission, just as the other disciples were, and he dutifully shared the message of the gospel as he had been challenged to do, even in the face of the danger Jesus predicted for them. Further, Jesus eventually gave Judas the responsibility to handle the money allotted for His provision and that of the other disciples. Although these were part of the things that had to take place in order for Jesus to fulfill the burden of sacrifice the Father had placed upon Him, it is unlikely that earthly leaders would want to expose themselves to the risk that they could be betrayed or spectacularly failed by someone to whom they had given critical responsibilities. However, this risk is inherent in the execution of good leadership. There unfortunately will be times when subordinates do not meet expectations, but leaders who want to imitate Jesus will strategically delegate responsibility, anyway. Additionally, there will be times when we are paired with coworkers to complete an assignment, and our partners betray us (imagine being the disciple who had been paired with Judas for this mission, and later feeling personally betrayed by what he did to Jesus). We can still do good work, in spite of the circumstances and the people with whom we labor.
The passage in Matthew closes with the declaration that judgment will be less severe for the most evil cities in history than for the cities that do not accept the disciples’ message. Some scholars propose that the reason Jesus says judgment will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah is that those cities did not have the advantage of witnessing the miracles Jesus and the apostles were doing.
Because Jesus mentions Sodom and Gomorrah in this passage, it is worth remembering why they were such a well-known reference among those acquainted with the Old Testament (Genesis 19). These two cities were part of the land Lot received from his uncle Abraham. When the Lord visited Abraham (along with some angels), to tell him that Sarah would have a baby, the Lord told Abraham that He intended to leave there to investigate the evil being done in Sodom and Gomorrah and potentially destroy them because of the grave sins being committed. Abraham pleaded with the Lord to preserve Sodom (Lot’s dwelling place), and the Lord agreed not to destroy the city if He found at least 10 righteous citizens. As the heavenly men arrived in Sodom, Lot, unaware of their mission and Abraham’s plea, invited them to stay at his house (he in fact insisted, probably because he knew what fate awaited them if they did not have safe refuge). As evidence of the depravity in the city and the lack of any righteous citizens, a mob that included every man in the city came to Lot’s house to try to beat down his door and rape the heavenly visitors. The Lord determined to destroy both cities and granted Lot an opportunity to escape, despite that Lot’s track record (i.e. his treatment of his daughters) did not align with the qualities of righteousness we would expect. It’s possibly even more telling that Lot was righteous by comparison to the other citizens; if God would save someone who would have surrendered his virgin daughters to a lustful mob and would later get drunk and commit incest with both of them, how bad must the rest of the population have been? And, by extension, how bad must the people have been who did not welcome the disciples when they went on this mission? Rejection of the gospel is a very grave matter, indeed.
“The Prayer of St. Francis
Lord,
Make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light; and
Where there is sadness, joy.
Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”
References
Matthew 10:5
2 Kings 17:24 Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its towns.
Luke 9:52 He sent messengers on ahead, who went into a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him.
Luke 10:33 But when a Samaritan on a journey came upon him, he looked at him and had compassion.
Luke 17:16 He fell facedown at Jesus’ feet in thanksgiving to Him–and he was a Samaritan.
Matthew 10:6
Jeremiah 50:6 My people are lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray, causing them to roam the mountains. They have wandered from mountain to hill; they have forgotten their resting place.
Ezekiel 34:4 You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bound up the injured, brought back the strays, or searched for the lost. Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty.
Matthew 15:24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Matthew 10:7
Matthew 3:2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Luke 10:9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’
Luke 10:11 Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off as a testimony against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’
Matthew 10:8
Numbers 18:7 But only you and your sons shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and what is inside the veil, and you are to perform that service. I am giving you the work of the priesthood as a gift, but any outsider who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death.”
Isaiah 55:1 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost!
Acts 8:20 But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!
Matthew 10:9
Luke 10:4 Carry no purse or bag or sandals. Do not greet anyone along the road.
Luke 22:35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you out without purse or bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered.
Matthew 10:10
1 Samuel 17:40 And David took his staff in his hand, selected five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag. And with his sling in hand, he approached the Philistine.
Luke 10:7 Stay at the same house, eating and drinking whatever you are offered. For the worker is worthy of his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
1 Corinthians 9:14 In the same way, the Lord has prescribed that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
1 Timothy 5:18 For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and, “The worker is worthy of his wages.”
Matthew 10:12
1 Samuel 25:6 and say to him, ‘Long life to you, and peace to you and your house and to all that belongs to you.
Psalm 122:7 May there be peace within your walls, and prosperity inside your fortresses.”
Psalm 122:8 For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.”
Ezekiel 2:5 And whether they listen or refuse to listen–for they are a rebellious house–they will know that a prophet has been among them.
Matthew 10:13
Psalm 35:13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, but my prayers returned unanswered.
Matthew 10:14
Luke 10:11 Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off as a testimony against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’
Acts 13:51 So they shook the dust off their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.
Matthew 10:15
Ezekiel 16:48 As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did as you and your daughters have done.
Matthew 7:22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’
Matthew 11:22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
Matthew 11:23 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.
Matthew 11:24 But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
Matthew 12:36 But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.
Luke 10:12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
Mark 6:7
Mark 3:13 Then Jesus went up on the mountain and called for those He wanted, and they came to Him.
Luke 10:1 After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of Him to every town and place He was about to visit.
Mark 6:8
Luke 10:4 Carry no purse or bag or sandals. Do not greet anyone along the road.
Luke 22:35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you out without purse or bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered.
Mark 6:9
Matthew 3:11 I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come One more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Mark 6:11
Luke 10:11 Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off as a testimony against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’
Acts 13:51 So they shook the dust off their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.
Luke 9:1
Matthew 4:24 News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed–and He healed them.
Matthew 8:9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one to go, and he goes; and another to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to do something, and he does it.”
Mark 3:13 Then Jesus went up on the mountain and called for those He wanted, and they came to Him.
Luke 10:1 After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of Him to every town and place He was about to visit.
Luke 9:3
Luke 10:4 Carry no purse or bag or sandals. Do not greet anyone along the road.
Luke 22:35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you out without purse or bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered.
Luke 9:5
Luke 10:11 Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off as a testimony against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’
Acts 13:51 So they shook the dust off their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.
Commentary
Isaiah 2:1 The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the Lord Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it. 3 And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.
Isaiah 11:1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; 4 But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. 5 Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist. 6 And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. 7 Also the cow and the bear will graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. 9 They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.
Amos 9:11 “In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, And wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins And rebuild it as in the days of old; 12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom And all the nations who are called by My name,” Declares the Lord who does this. 13 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “When the plowman will overtake the reaper And the treader of grapes him who sows seed; When the mountains will drip sweet wine And all the hills will be dissolved. 14 “Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, And they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, And make gardens and eat their fruit. 15 “I will also plant them on their land, And they will not again be rooted out from their land Which I have given them,” Says the Lord your God.
Micah 4:6 “In that day,” declares the Lord, “I will assemble the lame And gather the outcasts, Even those whom I have afflicted. 7 “I will make the lame a remnant And the outcasts a strong nation, And the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on and forever. 8 “As for you, tower of the flock, Hill of the daughter of Zion, To you it will come— Even the former dominion will come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.
On The Path 