Welcome to The MHB Podcast. This is Michael Baun. And welcome to my 210th episode. In this episode we’re going to continue our study of Matthew’s gospel. We are in chapter 10. In this chapter Jesus presents something of an ordination sermon or a briefing to His twelve disciples as He prepared them to become apostles. We finished the previous chapter with Christ observing the crowds of people in the cities and villages where He and His disciples traveled. He showed His disciples how the people were like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus told His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” In rapid response to their prayers Jesus raises the disciples up and commissions them as workers in His harvest. When we pray for that which is within the will of God we can be assured our prayers will be answered.
This chapter presents the general commission which was given to them, including detailed instructions for how they were to go about the work. The apostles are each named in this chapter and included among them is Judas Iscariot who went on to betray Jesus. Jesus instructs His apostles concerning who they were to speak to, what they were to preach about, and how they should do miracles. He also gives them instruction about general behavior. In this chapter Jesus warns His disciples what kind of suffering they should expect and from whom they should expect it. He tells them how to react when persecuted and encourages them to bear up cheerfully under their sufferings. This chapter is a monologue of guidance for the twelve apostles of Christ, but it’s similarly useful for all Christians today and especially those who do the work of the ministry. So let’s begin by reading verses 1-4:
Mat 10:1-4
1 Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him.
Jesus appointed His disciples to be His apostles. Apostles were like ambassadors for the Kingdom of God. They held the important office of preaching the gospel and teaching the holy scripture. Notice how Jesus promoted His apostles from within. All of these men had previously been called to be His disciples and had attended Him constantly for some time. He told some of them at the outset that He would make them fishers of men, and the apostolic confirmation fulfilled that promise. By raising His closest disciples into apostolic commission, Jesus models for us the wisdom of conferring honors and graces by degrees. It’s not appropriate to appoint a fresh convert into spiritual leadership. We must first see if we can trust them with a little before granting them a lot. Much like a gradual sunrise, the light of honor shines more and more across time for those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. Depending on how toxic your generation is, a minister may not see any honor at all until he passes into eternity.
The disciples were in a state of probation up until this point. Jesus didn’t need to do this to test them Himself, indeed Christ knows what is in the heart of man from the beginning. He even knew Judas Iscariot would go on to betray Him. Yet He selected each of them and walked them through this process to provide an example to His church. This probationary period communicates how the ministry is a great trust, and vesting this trust in the wrong person can have severe consequences. Paul writes to Timothy that he should test the applicant men and appoint them as deacons only once they’ve proven themselves beyond reproach. Paul warns Timothy not to lay hands on anyone too hastily lest he share the responsibility for their sins. The human condition is such that some men’s sins are public and easily identified, while others are camouflaged and harder to spot.
The probationary period for the disciples was not merely to test their hearts, but it was also to prepare them for the great work ahead. Jesus does not call you to serve the kingdom of God without first preparing you to do so. In fact He prohibited His apostles from moving forward until the Spirit of God fell upon them. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit, not our own talents, that we may be effective in the work God has called us to. Taking His disciples to walk and live alongside Him was the best possible preparation He could give them. Acquaintance and communion with Jesus is the most important preparatory experience for the work of the ministry. If you desire to serve Jesus, you must first be with Jesus by following Jesus.
Even the apostle Paul had Christ revealed both to him and in him before he began to preach among the Gentiles. So even the man who wrote the majority of the New Testament would have been ineffective as a preacher of the gospel had Jesus not been revealed in him first. That’s how imperative being Christlike is to the work of the ministry. Part of maintaining this requisite fellowship with Christ means faith in action. You should endeavor to do the will of God when given the opportunity. It also means developing a habit of prayer as well as meditation on scripture.
As part of their apprenticeship under Jesus, the disciples were with Him as His pupils in the scripture. He taught them privately in addition to His public preaching. He opened the scriptures to them in a way that enhanced their understanding beyond what was given to the general public. Part of being in Christ’s inner circle meant the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven were made plain to you. Anyone who aspires to be a teacher of the things of God must first be a learner. The minister must receive education and then give to others what he has been taught. A gospel minister cannot be commissioned until gospel truth is understood by him. Paul emphasizes the importance of entrusting these truths to men who are able to teach. Understanding information is not sufficient for being a good teacher — you must also be able to communicate the information you understand. To entrust the teaching ministry to one who is unable to teach is a mockery to God and the Church. Proverbs says, “He cuts off his own feet and drinks violence Who sends a message by the hand of a fool.” Jesus was careful to thoroughly educate His disciples before sending them forth with their commission.
Their promotion from disciples to apostles can also be seen as a step forward in their familiarity with Jesus. They began as followers who were students of the ministry, and now they had been elevated to partners in God’s work. The Lord exalts those who humble themselves. In the Old Testament the Levitical priests were said to draw near unto God. They approached God more closely than the common people. While I do hold to some aspects of the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, I also believe there is a higher standard for those who are called as ministers of God. They are given a closeness with Christ which both empowers them and holds them accountable in ways the laity simply are not. To draw near to God as a minister of the gospel is an honor which should strike awe upon the person who is called.
As a general rule for all Christians but especially so for ministers, it’s better to be quick to learn than quick to teach. Part of the human condition is such that we are often ignorant of our own ignorance. We don’t know how much we don’t know. Because of this spiritual blindness, it can be easy to feel like you’ve arrived in terms of your sanctification and your education. Ceasing to develop your spiritual maturity or your education in the scriptures virtually guarantees hardship in life and in ministry. The solution to this is to keep your eyes and ears open for learning opportunities. Treat every person around you, regardless of age or experience, as if they know something important which you need to know. Your default setting as a Christian and as a minister should be listening and learning — teaching should come only during moments where God opens the door to it and calls you forward. If you don’t wait for a clear call in this way, you’re in danger of taking the honor upon yourself without God’s blessing in the work.
Jesus gave His disciples authority in His name to cast out unclean spirits and command men into obedience. This doesn’t mean He gave them power to force men to obey the gospel, rather He gave them divine authority to represent the gospel as ambassadors of God. Any authority in heaven or on earth has its origin in Jesus. Jesus has all power in all domains without limitation and this means subordinate powers are ordained by Him. Throughout history Christians have struggled with this doctrine of God appointing world powers — especially so when those powers are evil authoritarians. Respect for earthly powers as being God-ordained does not extend to obeying these powers at the expense of defying God. Righteous disobedience under a despotic regime is favorable to commission of sin in capitulation to that regime’s orders. But understanding even the most terrible of world leaders are appointed by God gives us the peace of realizing they are not ruling beyond His sovereignty. He is still in control.
So what do we say in situations where a tyrant ascends the ranks of power and brutalizes the people he’s conquered? Does this mean God appointed the tyrant so that he would do evil things, therefore making God responsible for the acts of evil? Not so. In scripture we world leaders appointed by God to work His purposes even if the leader doesn’t know God and fails to realize he’s executing God’s purpose. The Persian king Cyrus was appointed by God to liberate the Jews from Babylonian captivity — but the entire time Cyrus simply believed he was working his own will of conquest. In order to make an accurate evaluation of the moral character of a leader’s actions, we need to know the purpose of his actions. If God is able to work His own purposes through a leader, unbeknownst to the leader himself or the observers, it makes the project of moral evaluation remarkably difficult. Sin is sin, yes, but if God chooses to use the sinful actions of a dictator to accomplish His divine purpose it doesn’t make His purpose any less divine.
Jesus bestowed authority onto His disciples much the same as Moses bestowed authority to Joshua at the end of his life. The fact that Christ was able to grant divine authority to human beings is a testament to the fullness of His power as Mediator between man and God. Jesus imparted power sufficient for the apostles to perform the same caliber of miracles as He Himself did. They were to perform these miracles in Jesus’ name. Jesus specified His apostles to receive this power for a couple of reasons. The first and primary reason is because the advancement of the kingdom of God through the preaching of the gospel is purposed to subdue Satan’s principalities and powers and cure the world of disorder. Second is that Christ’s apostles were sent out as destitute men who didn’t have any earthly reason why anyone should take them seriously. They were not wealthy. They were uneducated. That had no formal station in society. Since they lacked these worldly accolades, it was important for them to have miracle-working power in order to verify their authenticity as messengers from God.
Notice how the power Jesus gives His apostles is directly opposed to Satan and his kingdom. He gave them the power to cast out unclean spirits. When thinking of demons or unclean spirits, it’s useful to remember the primary ways Satan works in this world: through doctrinal error and carnal debauchery. Satan works by deceiving humanity with lies about God and lies about God’s word. Satan works through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Jesus gave His apostles power to restore individuals from these possessions, and this restoration is what destroys Satan’s works and his spiritual kingdom. The apostles set forth to correct the record on worldview-shaping questions like who we are, why we’re here, who God is, and where we’re going.
Jesus also gave them power to heal all manner of sickness and disease. This power to heal was given both to prove their authority as well as to provide a practical benefit to their work as missionaries. Physically healing those who received the gospel confirmed the word of God is both faithful and worthy of acceptance. It also opens a window into the heart of God that His desire is to heal the desperate and to save the lost. Contrast the Christ-like miracles with the miracles of Moses, whose secondary effects were often to destroy. Notice I’m saying secondary effects here — the primary purpose of Moses’s miracles was still to accomplish God’s will for His people — so it’s not that Moses or his miracles were evil. It’s just that the miracles of Christ and His apostles were pointing towards a different aim: to show that not only is Jesus the great Teacher and Ruler of this world, but He is also the great Redeemer of it.
I’ll emphasize here that the apostles were given power to heal all manner of disease — even those sicknesses considered incurable. These included diseases so virulent and permanent that physicians themselves avoided the person suffering from them. Again this provides a stark distinction between the apostles and the fraudulent faith-healers of today. The apostles weren’t healing only certain sickness with partial efficacy and delayed recovery. They were healing all diseases with comprehensive efficacy in a manner that was both immediate and permanent. Part of the reason Christ empowered His apostles to heal without limitation was to illustrate the gospel’s power to spiritually heal without limitation. There is no spiritual sickness, no amount of sin (apart from blaspheming the Holy Spirit) for which the gospel cannot heal. The sufficient power of Christ in His gospel completely renews the mind and restores the heart of man — no matter how bad this heart may seem.
This passage supplies the number and names of those who were commissioned as apostles. Simon who was called Peter, Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother. Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. An apostle is a messenger of God. The prophets were also called God’s messengers. Apostles share the significance of angels in that they are both sent from God. Even Jesus Himself is referred to as an apostle because He was sent from the Father.
These apostles Christ commissioned are ambassadors for God. Pastors and ministers today share this designation of being sent of Jesus, but the apostles are unique insofar as they were eminently called and gifted to found the Church. Once Jesus ascends to heaven in the book of Acts, He expands the apostolic office to include those who assist this first generation of Christian church-planters. This sending forth of miraculously gifted ministers is called the apostolic age — which has since ended and been followed by the church age — and that’s where you and I live today.
Jesus appointed twelve apostles which is symbolic of the twelve tribes of Israel as well as the twelve sons of Jacob who were patriarchs of those tribes. I’ve said before that Christianity is not the enemy of Judaism — rather it’s the culmination of it. The gospel Church is the eternal Israel of God. The twelve apostles are the twelve spiritual fathers of this Israel. Israel as passed down from the patriarchs and through the lineage of David achieves its final form in the gospel church.
The twelve apostles, appointed by Christ, sit as judges over the twelve tribes of Israel. They took up the holy work of establishing the Church and communing between God and man. In Revelation we see symbolic references to the twelve as stars which make up the church’s crown. There are also twelve foundations to the city of the new Jerusalem. There were twelve precious stones in the breastplate of Aaron. There were twelve loaves on the table of the show-bread. Twelve wells of water at Elim. So we see the apostles as well as the tribes of Israel taken into account by God as He establishes this symbolic significance across the narrative of scripture.
It was a great honor for these men to be named as apostles of Christ. But Jesus says something peculiar to them regarding this honor. In Luke’s gospel He says, “”Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.” So even being given the extremely exclusive title of one of the original twelve meant little compared to the truth of their eternal salvation. It’s hard for us to wrap our minds around, but even the most powerful rulers to ever walk the earth should regard their own salvation this way. You could be given all the kingdoms and all the wealth of the world and this value would not measure up to your salvation in heaven. That’s why Jesus says, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
While the twelve were given the honor of being apostles of Christ, not all of them were equally famous across time. We know very little about Bartholomew and Simon the Zealot compared to other apostles like Peter and John. Simon the Zealot was probably born in Cana of Galilee, but beyond that we don’t know much about him. Despite their lack of record, undoubtedly these men were just as faithful in their service to Jesus as the others. The same is true of many ministers today. It’s impossible to evaluate a pastor’s faithfulness based on his name recognition. Some of the most faithful servants of God have lived and died without anyone knowing their names. Many of them have even been forgotten after death. But God sees everything and He never forgets their service. Their true, real impact on the kingdom of God echoes across time.
In this initial list of the twelve we see the apostles are grouped into pairs. This is because Jesus sent them out two by two. There were several reasons for this. It was practically useful to have a partner in ministry — he could help you when you needed it and strengthen areas where you had weakness. One could remember details the other forgot so as to present a more complete and accurate narrative. Scripture also says, “In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.” Since the broader population expected a multi-witness report before vesting their trust in a claim, it helped the advancement of the gospel to send them out in pairs.
Also note how three of the pairs were brothers: James and John, Peter and Andrew, as well as the other James and Thaddeus. You’ve heard it said that you should never go into business with your family members. Working with the things of God seems to run contrary to this. The family, when it’s properly ordered from God’s design, is actually a great strength in the ministry. It’s a noble aim to maintain friendship and fellowship among those whom are related to you. Doing ministry alongside family is a biblical virtue which provides all sorts of benefits otherwise unavailable to you.
In this list of apostles we see that Peter is named first. There could be several reasons for this. Of the twelve, Peter was the most forward as well as the most vocal. Many times he answered Christ’s questions before any of the rest of them did. At times he appeared bravest among the twelve despite his threefold denial of Christ during the passion. Catholics and Protestants would argue over whether Peter held a privileged position among the twelve, with Catholics claiming Peter is the first in a line of apostolic succession which defines the only Christ-authorized Church.
The apostle Matthew, who of course wrote this gospel, is joined with Thomas. This gospel records Thomas’s name first, but in Mark’s gospel as well as Luke’s gospel Matthew’s name is listed first. There are other places in Matthew’s gospel where we see him, out of humility, hold himself to a lower position like he does here. It is a Christian virtue for ministers of God to hold each other in higher regard than they hold themselves. Another detail worth noting is how Matthew calls himself, “the tax collector” in this gospel account.
To be a publican or tax collector was a shameful occupation which one might be tempted to conceal after repentance and conversion. It would be like if a former drug-dealer or prostitute converted and became a pastor. He might think twice about reminding others of his old occupation. But Matthew communicates the value of remembering where you came from as Christ shapes you into who you’re meant to be. Such a practice keeps you humble because it highlights Christ’s intervention in your life and glorifies His grace that He would choose someone like you and turn your life around. Matthew the apostle was once Matthew the tax collector, just as Paul the apostle was once Saul, infamous persecutor of Christians.
In every account Judas Iscariot is listed last, and always with the dishonorable epithet: who also betrayed Him. There is no doubt Jesus knew from the beginning Judas was a betrayer. Christ could see the work of Satan inside the hearts of men as plainly as we see each other. At times He even saw it in Peter, who would go on to be the founding rock of His church. Many people ask why Jesus would include Judas with the twelve to begin with. The principal reason is because Judas was destined to turn Christ over to the authorities for crucifixion. It was written in the prophecies. But another good reason is to show His Church that evil can still break out even among the best societies.
We should not be surprised when we are betrayed in ministry. Neither should we automatically assume the betrayal reveals a problem with our own leadership. Jesus is the perfect Leader, and even He was betrayed. Until this world ends and we pass into the perfected kingdom of God, we have to accept the truth that there are tares among the wheat, wolves among the sheep, and serpents within the hearts of men. Despite the difficulty of this reality, there is a great day of discovery coming when evil will be unmasked and separated from the flock of God. Until that day comes we should follow Christ’s example and move forward with the ministry even while knowing Judas is among us. Let’s read verses 5-15:
Mat 10:5-15
5 These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go 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, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven 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 bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support.
11 “And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city.
12 “As you enter the house, give it your greeting.
13 “If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, 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.
This passage presents Jesus giving further instructions to His disciples for how they should conduct themselves as apostles of God. In the Old Testament when Jacob blessed each of his sons, the blessings were called commands. And in this passage these commands from Christ confer blessings to those who hear them. The first part of His instruction concerns the people who His disciples should try to reach and the places where His disciples should travel. Christ forbids them from bringing the gospel to the Gentiles nor to the Samaritans. The timing wasn’t right. In order for the prophecies to be fulfilled the Jews must first reject the gospel before the Gentiles are grafted in by it.
The disciples couldn’t avoid the Samaritans because they lived in between Judea and Galilee. The Samaritans were a legacy of the mongrel people whom the Assyrian king planted throughout Samaria. So the disciples had to use their roads and travel through their lands, but Christ forbid them from entering any of their cities along the way. By His own sovereign will Jesus withheld Himself from the Gentiles and Samaritans at first. If the gospel is withheld from a region, this also means the special revelation of Jesus Christ is also withheld from that region. Of course this restraint on the disciples was only temporary, and as we see at the close of this gospel, Christ commissions His apostles to go into all the world and teach all nations.
Jesus appropriated His own ministry specifically to the Jews prior to His crucifixion. This is why Paul refers to Him as a minister of the circumcision. We see this initial specificity for the Jews again at the opening of John’s gospel which reads: “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” The Jews were called children of God through Abraham, but as Judaism bloomed into its fullest revelation in Christianity — heritage from Abraham was proven subordinate to faith in God and being born of the Spirit of God.
This logical, eternally ordained progression from Judaism into Christianity is called supersessionism or fulfillment theology. Misunderstanding this doctrine has been the cause of tremendous antisemitism across the pages of history. Poorly educated Christians have believed themselves justified to view the Jews as enemies of God — and therefore enemies of themselves. But Paul is clear that from the standpoint of God’s choice the house of Israel is beloved for the sake of the fathers. Jesus looked upon the Jews with compassion as lost sheep without a shepherd. They were given the gospel first so they might be gathered in from the straying paths of their sins. Just as God was their Shepherd to lead them in the Exodus from Egypt, so now Jesus is their Shepherd to lead them into the kingdom of heaven.
Right here in this passage Christ calls the Jews, “the lost sheep of Israel.” He described them that way for a reason, so that His disciples might understand the Jews’ desperate need for a Savior. This would give His disciples a sense of urgency and diligence as they went about the work. Not to mention the fact that all twelve of the disciples themselves were Jewish. Jesus led them to have an appropriate perspective of compassion for the people whom they knew so well.
The primary task with which Christ appointed His disciples was to preach. Throughout Church history, itinerant preaching has been the principal, God-ordained method of bringing the gospel to all nations. The topic of their preaching was to be predicated on the central thesis that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. This was the text upon which they were called to expound. The purpose was to announce to the house of Israel that the kingdom of the Messiah, who is the Lord from heaven, is now to be established in accordance with the scriptures.
This never meant political revolution or overthrow of the Roman government — as some mistakenly believed. It meant each person was called to repent of their sins and forsake them. As the kingdom of heaven approaches, the proper response is to repent of your sins. Many people intuitively understand this even today. As your life begins to wane in old age and your mortality reveals itself, it’s common for people to seek God as they sense the end is near. It’s better to make this change while you are still young so that you might lead a life which is effective in honoring God — but repenting and receiving the gospel is still the best decision you’ll ever make even if you make it on your deathbed.
Those who heard the apostles’ call to repentance could expect to hear more about the long-sought-after Messiah shortly. But first the repentance was necessary in order for them to be ready to receive His doctrine, to believe in Him, and to submit to His lordship. You might think of this initial preaching from the apostles as well as from John the Baptist as the morning light which precedes the rising sun.
There was a stark difference between the apostles’ call to repentance and Jonah’s preaching that Nineveh would be overthrown. One is a warning which precedes hope and the other is a warning which precedes destruction. Jonah’s preaching was given specifically to Nineveh because that’s what they needed to hear in order to reform. As ministers of the gospel today, we must be careful to preach the correct message. Too many preachers have mistakenly motivated the gospel by attempting to instill fear of destruction. A biblically appropriate fear of God is wise, but the key thrust of the gospel is that we should repent because God has something so much better in store for us when we do. We have a Savior and we have adoption into the house of God as children of God.
When Jesus says the kingdom of God is at hand He’s saying it’s available to us right now even before we die. When the Spirit of God indwells you, an intersection of heaven and the present moment is established in your heart. The kingdom of God is established within you. The point of this is to say having the mind of Christ and living in such a way that honors God does’t merely save you from Hell. It actually is, truly, the best possible life on offer.
Remember how we noted the apostles’ call to repentance is the same topic of preaching done by John the Baptist and Christ Himself earlier. There is great value in repeatedly preaching biblical truth. As ministers of God we must resist the trap of growing weary of repetition. Throughout scripture we see the people of God memorializing the works of God in their lives. We need constant reminders so that we don’t forget what God has done and consequently what God will do. Repetition is also important because the same person may hear the gospel dozens of times in his life before he’s ready to receive it. On the day his heart is ready to receive Jesus, even if he had been in church his entire life, for him it will be like hearing the gospel for the very first time.
Scripture says Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. This fact alone resigns us to a lifetime of repeatedly preaching the same glorious truths about God. Truths which could be repeated long after we die and still never grow stale. On the day of Pentecost when the Spirit of God was poured out, the Christian Church was formed and the kingdom of God arrived. Even two thousand years later the kingdom of God is still present within us and must remain the subject of our preaching.
Just as John the Baptist and the apostles preached the kingdom of God was at hand, now we ourselves continue to preach that it has arrived. Now, in addition to repentance, our sermons are colored with the good news of Jesus Christ and adoption into the house of God. In this dispensation it’s our job to tell people about the precepts and privileges of the kingdom of God which are available to them right now. In the same way as John and the apostles announced the kingdom of God is at hand, now we must announce a kingdom of glory which is yet to come. This kingdom of glory is eternity in heaven and a future redeemed creation. We should speak and teach of it often so that we might motivate listeners to be urgent and diligent in their ministerial work today.
Jesus gave His disciples power to work miracles in order to confirm their doctrines as divine truth. The purpose of the miracles was to prove to listeners the gospel they preached originated in God. Observers would agree such divine power would not be associated with a lie. This was only necessary because the apostles were doing the work of establishing the foundation of the Church. Now that we live in the church age, the Spirit of God confirms the truth of the gospel by converting the hearts of men and transforming their minds. When we see a person’s life changed by Christ, we understand something divine has happened which goes beyond the mortal realm. To witness a person’s transformation is tantamount to witnessing the miracles of Christ and His apostles. The doctrines of God are so well attested in the gospel that if we ask God for more miracles before we accept His word, we’re speaking from a lack of faith and we are guilty of tempting God.
Also notice how the powers Christ gives them are oriented toward doing good things. They weren’t powers meant only to impress people. The disciples weren’t levitating mountains or calling fire down from heaven — they were healing the sick and cleansing the lepers. The apostles of Christ are sent into the world to be a blessing on the public. Such a blessing symbolized the spirit of the gospel itself: healing and goodness born of God’s love for us. To be ambassadors for the kingdom of God meant the disciples should be agents of God’s goodness and His mercy which is over all His works. The kingdom of God always advances in two, distinct-yet-interconnected ways: through practical good works and through spiritual transformation. Spiritual transformation involves healing those who are spiritually sick and resurrecting those who are dead in their sins to new life in Jesus.
Jesus ordered His disciples to perform their healings free of charge. Being gifted with such rare power undoubtedly presented a golden opportunity to capitalize and enrich themselves. Who wouldn’t pay the highest sum to be cured of disease? The disciples were instructed to heal the sick as a free act of grace. The character of these actions is reflective of how the gospel itself is given as a free act of God’s grace. Scripture says we are justified as a gift of God’s grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.
Jesus reminded His disciples the reason they should give freely is because they themselves received freely. Being given the power to heal the sick didn’t cost them anything. Therefore they should not abuse this gift for their own worldly advantage. In scripture we see a character named Simon who witnesses the power of the Holy Spirit being given to believers by the apostles through the laying on of hands. When he saw this he offered the apostles money in exchange for this power. The apostles rebuked him, because it was self-evident he intended to use the powers to win money to himself. God does good things for us entirely for free and often without us even noticing He did them. In the same way, the Christian should aspire to do good things to others just as freely as Christ has done them for us.
Next Jesus discusses the provision which must be made for His disciples as they embark on this evangelistic journey. He explains that they are to make no provision for themselves when He says, “Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support.” The idea here is that, while their ministry should be offered freely, as workers in the kingdom of God they are worthy of the support which is extended to them. This specific mission He was about to send them on wasn’t a long mission. It was a short excursion followed by a return to their Master. They wouldn’t need provision for a long journey and so He didn’t want them to be encumbered with it or to spend their own resources on it.
He was also training them to be faithful to God for their daily bread. In Matthew 6:25 Jesus says, “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” They should seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to them. This is the essence of divine providence and if we fail to trust God for each days’ provision, we’ll never be brave enough to set out on the path He has called us to. If our trust is in the storehouse of goods and resources, eventually we’ll need more and more saved up before we feel comfortable doing what God has commanded us to do.
There is no person who can more safely trust in God for His provision than those workers who are employed for His kingdom purposes. This doesn’t mean ministry will make you rich, or even that it should make you rich. It just means God will look after them for their daily bread. To put this in a more practical perspective, imagine how much effort a proper minister invests in building relationships within his community. These relationships become a potential source through which God will provide shelter, bread, and clothing for the minister. A well-loved minister is far less likely to become homeless than a secluded individual who invests all of his trust in the material goods he has stored up. So long as we are faithful to God and to our duty, with diligence to do our work well, we can cast all our worries and cares upon God with the understanding that He will provide.
Jesus set the expectation for His disciples that they should anticipate being fed by the people to whom they preached. This is distinct from God’s provision coming in the form of miracles like it did with the prophet Elijah or even the Hebrew people during their Exodus from Egypt. Instead of raining manna down from heaven, God would incline the hearts of men to be generous towards them. Wealth and luxury are never promised to ministers of the gospel — but faithful provision most certainly is. Scripture is clear when Paul teaches the Corinthian church, “Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar? So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.”
In addition to the biblical mandate to provide a living for those who preach the gospel, it also makes common sense to do so. Being a minister of the gospel is difficult work which requires a large investment of time and attention to perform well. If a pastor is forced into bi-vocational ministry, he’s not going to be able to service his kingdom duties at their highest potential. There is simply not enough time in the day. A church community who lack a full-time shepherd will never be as healthy as those who have one. Jesus considered it wise for His disciples to trust God and trust their countrymen enough to expect comfortable subsistence among them. It’s the pastor’s job to be grateful and thankful when his congregation supplies him with his necessities. He should never seek extra luxuries as a condition of his preaching the gospel.
The disciples went abroad into lands largely unfamiliar to them. They were uninvited, unexpected, and didn’t know any of the people in the cities where they preached. So they needed some instruction as to decorum. What should they do if they are well-received? How about if they are rejected? Christ gave them full instructions to ensure they were prepared to do their work well. Their first job was to inquire who inside the town was worthy. This meant some individuals in the town were better disposed to receive the gospel preachers than others. Even in a generation given over to corruption and apostasy, Jesus expected members of the elect to be present in each town where the disciples traveled.
This expectation teaches us that even in the worst of times there will be some Christians who distinguish themselves as more charitable and more godly than others. These are those people who swim against the mainstream of cultural decay. They are like wheat among the chaff. There are accounts of these saints even in places like Auschwitz during the Holocaust. Individuals who survived by maintaining a sense of transcendental meaning and purpose. Individuals who remained faithfully committed to the truth even when deception was ascendant. The Roman Emperor Nero is infamously regarded as an evil tyrant, yet we know there were saints in his household as well.
It doesn’t matter how dark our surroundings become, we always have the opportunity to fear God and keep His commandments. God’s grace protects our right to spiritual improvement, to the acquisition of knowledge, and to the brightening of the light within us. It’s important to remember Jesus is not saying there are some who deserve gospel grace more than others. Indeed none of us deserve it. He’s simply saying there are some whose hearts are better postured to receive it. There are some who are less likely to trample the pearls under their feet.
The law of God is written on the hearts of men. This means even if a person has never been exposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ, he is equipped with what he needs to be personally predisposed to it. His conscience testifies to himself when he’s breaking God’s moral code and when he is satisfying it. Ministers should accept it as a fortunate blessing from God when they encounter people whose spirits are already conditioned to accept the gospel as true. This is why even if you fail to codify the scriptures to a child as he or she grows up, you should at least strive to teach them right from wrong. If your own moral compass is calibrated to the universal ideals of scripture, then the education you offer the child will invigorate the law of God which is already etched on his or her heart. This is just one way that a person becomes well-positioned to receive biblical truth.
The disciples shouldn’t waste their time trying to find the best inn or public lodging where they could stay. They didn’t bring any money with them and they were forbidden from selling miracles for profit. Instead they were directed to stay in the private homes of those who expressed hospitality toward them. These were gracious homeowners who were content with receiving an apostle’s reward: that is prayer and preaching. The disciples weren’t trying to find the wealthiest people in town. Generosity in this case was less about wealth and more about the quality of one’s character. They needed to find people who would not begrudge the expense of hosting gospel preachers.
Fellowship is an inextricable element of what it means to be a Christian. When you accepted Jesus as your Savior and trusted Him as Lord of your life, you also accepted those who are His people. A genuine Christian can have easy fellowship with another genuine Christian because they’re both aiming at the same thing. This only becomes complicated when one or both begin aiming elsewhere. As Christians we should rejoice in the presence of other Christians, but we must remain awake to the reality of Judases being among us as well as Satan’s influence over the hearts of men — even if it’s only a partial influence. Unrepentant sin breaks down our ability to have fellowship because it shifts the aim of the unrepentant sinner. Shift this aim sharply enough and you can no longer walk hand-in-hand with those who are following Christ.
Throughout his travels the apostle Paul was diligent to identify who were his brethren in each town he landed. While a Christ-follower is humble and for this reason doesn’t draw attention to himself — it’s often easy to notice who are the faithful and who are not. The faithful stand in stark contrast to those who are enslaved to sin or dominated by the world. They live honest, sober lives even in the midst of drunken debauchery. The integrity of their character gleams in the dark like the light from a city on a hill. His household as well as his relationships carry the imprint of his godly sacrifices and his moral consistency. This truth was so reliable that in any given town most inhabitants knew where the local seer’s house was.
Once the disciples found someone worthy of hosting them, Jesus instructed them to remain at that house until they were finished in that town. They were encouraged to make the best of whatever God’s providence brought them, and they were prohibited from shifting around location-to-location every time they encountered and inconvenience or something they didn’t like.
With that said, this focus on one home per town implies the disciples would never stay very long in each town they visited. Their visits would be short enough that there would never be a need to change lodging locations. The disciples’ integrity and trustworthiness aided in their ability to stay in one location multiple days. Those who are liars, abusers, wolves in sheep’s clothing, or otherwise up to no good tend to need to move around a lot. They can’t stay in any one location very long before the townsfolk discover their wickedness. This nomadic lifestyle is also true of psychopaths in our own context today.
Not only should the homeowners extend hospitality to the disciples, but the disciples should aspire to be gracious guests during their stay. This friendliness was to begin the moment the disciples walked through the door. Christ is careful to instruct them to give the homeowner and his family a greeting. It would be a token of their humility to accept the lodging with gratitude. They should be thankful and happy to be joining the host. Part of this initial salutation would function as a bridge to further communication. Presenting themselves as friendly and approachable helped build the rapport necessary for a successful presentation of the gospel.
As a Christian you should never underestimate the value of small talk. Many people dislike small talk because they believe it’s inherently meaningless. What difference does it make if you spend ten minutes in the lobby talking to someone about the weather? This devaluing of small talk betrays a misunderstanding of its most prominent purpose. Small talk is a bridge. If you maintain careful attention during meaningless conversations about shallow topics — you’ll notice plentiful opportunities to branch away into deeper waters. You never see these branch-points if you fail to pay careful attention or worse yet: if you avoid small talk altogether.
Another reason why salutations are so important is because they give us precious insight as to whether a person will receive us warmly or reject us coldly. These aren’t fool-proof strategies, as there are some people whose social anxiety is so strong they treat everyone in a standoffish manner. But for those who are well-adjusted to social interaction, salutations show us whether our deeper topics are welcome with them. Those who reject our salutations will often reject any more substantive messages we have for them. Those who are unfaithful with a little will also be unfaithful with much.
The apostles embarked on their evangelistic journeys knowing full-well they had the authority of the Son of God Himself endorsing their message. Yet they were prohibited from using this authority to command subservience. Acceptance of the gospel out of love and faith is not the same as acceptance of the gospel by the force of the sword. Apostles of Christ, as well as evangelical Christians today, are expected to be courteous and civil. Although they carry a serious message concerning a fallen world, they are not to be morose or ill-tempered in the way that they conduct themselves.
In his letter to Philemon, Paul articulates the importance of loving acceptance over compulsory obedience when he says, “Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper, yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus.” Similarly God Himself said in Hosea, “I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love, And I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws; And I bent down and fed them.” While our initial contact with the special revelation of God comes through the works of men preaching the gospel, the bonds which last for eternity are made up of our love for God Himself.
Part of the reason for the instructed salutation was for the disciples to observe the feedback each homeowner would give them. Based on what they observed, they were to judge the maturity of his spirit and move forward accordingly. It does no good for the kingdom of God nor for those who hear its testimony if pearls are cast before swine. Attempting to aggressively proselytize someone whose heart is not ready to receive the gospel will only push them further away. Do this enough times and you’ll earn a reputation for being insufferable and this reputation will precede you into circles that are otherwise amenable to the message of Jesus Christ.
As for those who play host to good men and good ministers, you can be sure the eyes of God are watching how you treat them. Jesus told His disciples to extend a blessing over the houses of those who accepted them, and to take their blessing back away from the houses of those who rejected them. You might wonder how they would encounter individuals unworthy of their blessing if, upon arriving at the city, they inquired as to who was worthy. The answer likely has to do with the often unreliable opinion which was common to the people on the ground. Which people were worthy of the disciples’ attention probably depended on who you asked. For example young, wayward men might think more highly of the town’s prostitutes than they should. While the disciples did in fact make inquiry, they reserved conclusive judgment to their own discernment. They used their own wisdom, given to them by Christ, to sort out who was who.
This doesn’t mean they withheld the gospel in some kind of elite exclusivity. In fact the opposite is true. Their common salutation, “peace be unto you” was used both as pleasantry and a proclamation that the peace of God has come with them in the gospel. Upon Christ’s instructions, they were to put up the gospel prayer for all people and whoever revealed himself as unworthy would be viewed as such in the sight of God. The disciples should leave it to God to determine who is worthy of salvation because only God knows the heart of a man. Only God knows every man’s true character. And in this case, when deciding which houses to bless, the disciples need not fear losing anything if they bless the wrong house. Their blessing would simply return to them much like David’s prayers for his ungrateful enemies returned to him.
This same posturing of maximum possible charity is important for us to remember today. It’s not our job to judge who is worthy of our prayers or our courtesy. We should be extending these things to all people as the opportunities arise. God does not share His responsibility in determining who is worthy and who is not. It’s God’s job alone to decide whether our prayers have an impact on a person — as well as the timing of such impact. If God shared His powers of divine judgment with human beings, we’d never make it through the day without devastating mistakes. We simply do not have enough information.
If the disciples entered a house with a salutation and the occupants received them warmly, the disciples were told to let their peace come upon them. This meant giving the occupants more of their time and more of their company. It meant preaching the gospel to them: preaching peace by Jesus Christ. In contradistinction, if the occupants of the house rejected them rudely and withheld hospitality, they were to simply allow their blessing of peace to return to them. This was not an occasion for violence or dispute, they need only quietly turn their backs on the occupants and move on to the next house or city.
These occupants, revealing themselves unworthy by how they rejected the disciples, would be cut short of a great blessing. This careless neglect of wisdom causing the loss of a great blessing is a dynamic we’ve read about in other passages of scripture as well. This is exactly what happened with Esau when he carelessly traded away his birthright for a bowl of stew. Again we saw Saul lose his entire kingdom merely by making sacrifices which God Himself ordered him not to make. Never underestimate the destructive power of arrogant carelessness. Many life-destroying sins didn’t come from a cold, calculating heart. They simply happened, very fast, during moments of arrogant carelessness.
Something I love about Christ’s preparation of the disciples was that He just directly told them some people would reject them. You have to put yourself in to the mind of a disciple at this moment. You’ve spent thousands of hours with Jesus Christ Himself. You’ve been given a doctrine which you truly believe leads to eternal salvation. And most magnificently, you’ve been given supernatural, miracle-working powers for the confirmation of this doctrine. It’s easy to become convinced that any person you meet will universally accept what you have to say. But Jesus knows the wickedness of men and He knows that despite all of this, there are still some which will reject it. So it was important for the disciples to know that as well.
This is important for Christians and ministers to keep in mind today. It doesn’t matter how powerfully or eloquently you preach the gospel. It doesn’t matter how irresistible your powers of persuasion become. There will still be some people who refuse to listen to you and who will show you contempt. They’ll hate you so much they’ll be unwilling to give you even basic respect. If the scriptures are not enough for them, then even seeing a person raised from the dead would not be enough for them. Those who hate the gospel will often hate gospel preachers as well. These two hatreds walk in close unison together. But both of these hatreds are reducible to a hatred of God Himself — and they will be reckoned as such in the final judgment.
When the occupants of a house rejected the disciples, the disciples were told to shake the dust off their feet and depart from that house. This reaction represents how the gospel does not linger long with those who push it away. The disciples were to treat the very ground upon which these people stood as polluted with abominable wickedness. The dust of it should be shaken off their feet as a filthy thing. This represented a moment of absolute cutting off of relationship. The disciples should not commune with these people, should not have dinner with them, should not even carry the dirt of their city along with them into the future. Part of this was a denunciation of wrath against them, and part of it was protection against being infected by their sinful works.
God exalts the humble and the faithful. God does the opposite to those who hold themselves high in arrogant wickedness. He brings them down into the dust and they will be regarded just as worthless as the dirt. The dust shaken off the disciples feet would rest there as a testimony against that city who rejected them. It was evidence the gospel had been preached to them, it was evidence they themselves rejected it, and it was evidence that their blood was on their own heads. While the wicked may garner praise from men in this present world, in the final analysis those who despise God and His gospel are esteemed not.
Jesus ominously said, “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.” Judgment day is coming and on that day those who refused God’s grace will be held accountable for it. They were given an opportunity to hear the doctrine that would save them, and instead chose to hear the sentence which will destroy them. When we see tragedies or injustices take place, it’s easy for us to fall into despair by thinking there is no justice in this life. But it only looks this way because the divine judgment of God is being graciously withheld for this season. A day is coming when He will withhold it no longer.
The wrath of God is not to be trifled with. Scripture says Sodom and Gomorrah are given the punishment of eternal fire. Jesus said those who reject the gospel will sink deeper into Hell than that. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were exceedingly wicked. Rape was so ubiquitous that the sexual term “sodomy” is the city’s namesake. They didn’t receive the angels who were sent to them, and instead tried to sexually abuse them. That was a mistake. So we might wonder how Hell could possibly be worse for those who reject Christ than it is for those so evil as Sodom and Gomorrah?
I think it has to do with one’s own reflection being all the more painful to endure. Even in this mortal life we struggle bearing the shame of our sins. Almost always the unrepentant sinner would prefer to twist and distort the word of God in order to allow justification of their sins — simply because they cannot bear the shame of it. So imagine the burden one must feel when he is offered eternal life and chooses death instead. Is there any shame worse than that? Is there anything more painful than understanding you’ve despised your own Creator and the Creator of everything you hold dear? Where do you turn from there?
Scripture says God is love. He is the Source of life and light. What do you have if you turn away from all of that? Hatred, death, and darkness. And we try to take this evil less seriously by pretending it isn’t what it is or making humor about it. But all of us are ripped back into reality the moment someone acts on this evil — shattering the lives of those around him. What you do matters. What you say matters. Your love of God and your obedience to Him matters. Understanding this truth is the most terrifying thing which can occur to you, but it’s also the most life-giving thing. It’s the truth which will color your life with meaning and purpose. And the Spirit of God Himself indwells you to ensure that you can rise to the occasion. He is with you to ensure that you can continue to meet each moment as it is given to you. He gives you the power and the wisdom you need to continue marching uphill toward the city of God — making the entire world a better place and living a life which glorifies God. That is your purpose. You live so that one day you may walk into the kingdom of Heaven and hear Jesus say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
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