Matthew 10:5 - Meaning and Application

Here we have the instructions Christ gave his disciples when he sent them out with their mission. It does not matter whether he gave this charge all at once or in separate parts at different times. In it, he was clearly commanding them. Just as Jacob’s blessing of his sons is called commanding them, Christ also gave a blessing through these commands.

Notice, first, the people he sent them to. These messengers were told where to go. They were not to go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans. They must not travel into Gentile territory or leave the land of Israel, no matter what temptations they faced. The gospel was not to go to the Gentiles first, until the Jews had first rejected it. As for the Samaritans, who came from mixed peoples settled around Samaria by the king of Assyria, their land lay between Judea and Galilee. So the disciples could not avoid passing through Samaria, but they were not to enter any of their towns. Christ had not shown himself openly to the Gentiles or Samaritans, and so the apostles were not to preach to them at this stage. If the gospel is hidden from any place, Christ is hiding himself from that place. This limit applied only to their first mission. Later, they were sent to all the world and to all nations.

Instead, they were to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Christ had set apart his own ministry for them (Matthew 15:24), for he was a servant to the circumcised, meaning to the Jews (Romans 15:8). So the apostles, who were his helpers and representatives, were to stay with them first. The first offer of salvation had to be made to the Jews (Acts 3:26). Christ had a special and tender care for the house of Israel. They were still loved because of their ancestors’ sake (Romans 11:28). He looked on them with pity as lost sheep, and as their shepherd he was to gather them back from the wrong paths of sin and error where they had wandered. If they were not brought back, they would keep wandering forever (Jeremiah 2:6). The Gentiles, too, had once been lost sheep (1 Peter 2:25). Christ described the people he was sending them to in this way to stir them up to careful work. They were sent to the house of Israel, people from among their own nation, whom they could not help but pity and want to help.

Second, he appointed the work they were to do. He did not send them without a message. As you go, preach (Matthew 10:7). They were to be traveling preachers. Wherever they went, they were to announce the beginning of the gospel by saying, “The kingdom of heaven is near.” This did not mean they were to say nothing else. It meant this was to be their main message. They were to explain that the kingdom of the Messiah, the Lord from heaven, was now about to be established according to Scripture. That meant people must repent of their sins and turn from them if they were to enter its blessings. In Mark 6:12, it says they went out and preached that people should repent, which was the proper use of this message about the nearness of the kingdom of heaven. They were to expect to hear more soon about this long-awaited Messiah, and they were to be ready to receive his teaching, believe in him, and submit to his rule.

This preaching was like morning light announcing the rising sun. How different it was from Jonah’s preaching, which announced ruin as near (Jonah 3:4). This message announced salvation as near, mercy and truth meeting together (Psalm 85:9, Psalm 85:10). That is, the kingdom of heaven was near. The main point was not so much the King’s physical presence, which people must not cling to too much, but the spiritual kingdom that would be established in people’s hearts when his bodily presence was gone. This was the same message John the Baptist and Christ had already preached. People need good truths pressed on them again and again, and if they hear them with fresh hearts, they seem fresh too. Christ in the gospel is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Later, when the Spirit was poured out and the Christian church was formed, this kingdom of heaven came in the fuller way that was then said to be near. But the kingdom of heaven must still be the subject of preaching. Now that it has come, we must tell people that it has come to them, and set before them its commands and privileges. There is also a kingdom of glory still to come, which we must speak of as near and use to stir people to diligence.

Third, he gave them power to work miracles to support their teaching (Matthew 10:8). Since they were sent to preach the same message he had preached, he also gave them power to confirm it with the same divine signs, signs that could never be used to support a lie. This is not needed now that the kingdom of God has come. To demand miracles now is to lay a foundation again after the building has already been raised. The matter was settled, and Christ’s teaching had been fully confirmed by the miracles he and his apostles performed. So it is testing God to ask for more signs.

They were told to use this power for good, not for display. Not to move mountains or call fire from heaven, but to heal the sick and cleanse lepers. They were sent out as public blessings, showing the world that love and goodness were the spirit of the gospel they preached and the kingdom they were setting up. In this way, people would see that they served the God who is good and does good, whose mercy is over all his works. It would also show that the goal of their message was to heal sick souls and bring life to those dead in sin. That may be why raising the dead is mentioned here. Even if we do not read of them raising anyone before Christ’s resurrection, they were still used to bring many people to spiritual life.

They were also to do good freely. “Freely you have received, freely give.” Those who had power to heal every disease had a chance to become rich from it. Who would not pay almost anything for such quick and sure cures? So they were warned not to turn their miracle-working power into a way of making money. They were to heal without charge, to show the nature of the gospel kingdom, which is made up not only of grace, but of free grace, grace given freely. As Scripture says, they were justified freely by his grace, meaning made right with God without paying for it (Romans 3:24). The call is like this: “Buy medicine without money and without price” (Isaiah 55:1). The reason is simple, because they had received freely. Their power to heal the sick had cost them nothing, so they must not use it for selfish gain. Simon Magus would not have offered money for the gifts of the Holy Spirit if he had not hoped to make money from them himself (Acts 8:18). The thought that Christ has done good to us freely should make us eager to do good freely to others.

The provision they were to make for this journey was also important. When an ambassador is sent out, someone must bear the cost of the mission. Here the disciples were told not to make that provision for themselves, and they were to take neither gold nor silver (Matthew 10:9, 10). On one side, they were not to use this work to build up wealth. On the other, they were not to spend what little they had on it.

This command belonged to that one mission, and Christ had wise reasons for it. He was teaching them to act with practical sense. Their trip would be short, and they would soon return to their Master and their base again, so there was no need to burden themselves with extra supplies. He was also teaching them to trust God's care. They had already been told not to worry about life and food (Matthew 6:25ff.). Those who go on Christ's errands have the strongest reason of all to trust him for what they need. He will not neglect those who are working for him.

Those Christ uses are under special care, and they also receive special provision. His hired servants will have enough to eat. So long as we stay faithful to God and our duty, and make it our aim to do our work well, we may cast our other cares on God. Jehovah-jireh means "the Lord will provide." Let the Lord provide for us and for our households as he sees fit.

The disciples could also expect that the people they were sent to would give them what they needed (Matthew 10:10). "The worker deserves his food." They were not to expect food by miracles, as Elijah once received. But they could trust God to move the hearts of the people among whom they labored, so that those people would treat them kindly and support them. Even those who serve at the altar may not become rich through the altar, but they may expect to live, and to live comfortably from it (1 Corinthians 9:13, 14). It is right that they should receive their support from their work.

Ministers are, and must be, workers, laborers. Since that is their calling, they deserve their food, and should not be forced into some other labor just to earn it. Christ wanted his disciples to trust God, but also not to distrust their fellow countrymen so far as to fear they would not have a decent living among them. If you preach to people and try to do them good, they should give you enough food and drink for your needs. And if they do, do not ask for luxuries. God will settle your full reward later, and it will keep growing in the meantime.

Then comes the next matter, the way they were to act in any place where they went, in dealing with people they did not know (Matthew 10:11-15). They were going out to places they had never seen, uninvited and unexpected, with no one knowing them, and with no one known to them. Their homeland was, in a sense, a foreign land to them now. What rule were they to follow? Christ would not send them out without clear instructions.

First, they were told how to behave toward strangers in towns and cities. When they came to a town, they were to ask who there was worthy. This assumes that in every place there would be some better-minded people, more ready than others to receive the gospel and those who preached it, even in a time of deep corruption and falling away. In the worst places and times, we may still hope that some people stand apart from the crowd. Some swim against the current and are like wheat among the chaff. There were even saints in Nero's household.

They were to ask who was worthy, meaning who had some fear of God and had made good use of the light they already had. No one is worthy of a gospel offer by their own merit. Still, some would be more likely than others to welcome the apostles and their message, and would not trample those pearls underfoot. A good lean toward what is right is both a guide and an encouragement to ministers. There is most hope that the word will do good where people are already somewhat open to it. And there are always some such people.

They were to find such people, not look for the best inns. Public houses were not fit for those who took no money with them (Matthew 10:9) and expected none (Matthew 10:8). They were to seek lodging in private homes, with people who would welcome them, and who would expect no payment except a prophet's reward or an apostle's reward, that is, the blessing that comes from receiving and supporting God's messengers. Those who receive the gospel should not grudge the cost of doing so, and they should not expect to gain worldly profit from it.

They were to ask, not who was rich, but who was worthy. Not who was the finest gentleman, but who was the best person. Christ's disciples, wherever they go, should look for the good people of the place and make themselves known to them. When we took God as our God, we also took his people as our people, and like rejoices with like. Paul did the same thing in his travels, finding the brothers wherever he could (Acts 28:14). If they were told to look for worthy people, they could expect to find them. Better people would be noticed, and anyone could say, "There lives an honest, sober, good man." A character like that, like perfume in the hand, gives itself away and fills the house with its scent. Everyone knew where Samuel, the seer, lived (1 Samuel 9:18).

In the house of such people, they were to stay. That shows they were to spend only a short time in each town, so they would not need to change lodging. Whatever house God's providence first brought them to, they were to remain there until they left town. People are rightly suspected of bad intentions if they keep changing places. It is fitting for Christ's disciples to make the best of what they have, stay where they are placed, and not keep shifting because of every annoyance or inconvenience.

When they entered such a house, they were to greet it warmly. They were to use common courtesies first, as a sign of humility. They were not to think it beneath them to invite themselves in, nor to stand on the point of waiting to be invited. They were to greet the family for several reasons. First, it would lead naturally into further conversation and make a way for their message. From ordinary talk, one may quietly move into words that build others up.

Second, the greeting would show whether they were welcome. They could notice whether it was received with coldness or with gladness. The one who does not receive a simple greeting kindly will not receive a message kindly either, for the person who is careless and unfaithful in small things will be the same in larger ones (Luke 16:10). Third, it would help them win the family's goodwill.

Tell the family hello, so they can see that although you are serious, you are not gloomy. Religion teaches us to be polite, civil, and kind to everyone we deal with. Even though the apostles went out with the authority of God’s own Son, their instructions were not to order people around when they entered a house, but to greet it. For love’s sake, it is better to make a humble appeal, as Paul says to Philemon (Philemon 1:8, 1:9). Souls are first drawn to Christ with human kindness, and they are kept with him by love’s bonds (Hosea 11:4).

When Peter first offered the gospel to Cornelius, a Gentile, Peter was first greeted (Acts 10:25), because the Gentiles welcomed what the Jews had once been welcomed to. After they had given a godly greeting to the household, they were to judge the family by the response and act accordingly. God watches how we treat good people and faithful ministers. If the house is worthy, let your peace rest on it, but if it is not, let it return to you (Matthew 10:13).

This shows that, even after asking for the most worthy people (Matthew 10:11), they might still end up in an unworthy home. It is wise to listen to common report and public opinion, but foolish to rely on them alone. We should use careful judgment and see with our own eyes. “The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his own way.”

This rule was meant, first, to give the apostles peace of mind. The common greeting was, “Peace be with you.” They were now to turn that into a gospel blessing, the peace of God and the peace of the kingdom of heaven. Since they might feel uneasy about speaking this blessing over everyone, because many would not deserve it, Christ clears away that concern. This gospel prayer, as it had now become, was to be offered for all, just as the gospel offer itself was made to all without distinction. They were to leave the outcome with God, who knows the heart and each person’s true character.

If the house proved worthy, it would receive the benefit of their blessing. If it was not worthy, no harm was done, and they would not lose the blessing themselves. It would return to them, as David’s prayers for his ungrateful enemies did (Psalm 35:13). It is right for us to think kindly of everyone, pray earnestly for everyone, and treat everyone courteously, because that is our part. Then we leave it to God to decide what effect it will have, because that is his part.

Second, this rule guided them in how to respond to those who refused them. The case is put in Matthew 10:14, where people would not receive them or listen to their words. The apostles may have thought that, since they had such a message to preach and such miracles to confirm it, everyone would surely welcome them. Instead, they are told ahead of time that some would despise them and reject both them and their message. Even the best and strongest preachers of the gospel must expect some people to refuse even to listen. Many turn a deaf ear to the joyful sound and will not hear the voice of the one who charms, no matter how wisely he speaks.

Notice the wording, “They will not receive you, and they will not hear your words.” Disrespect for the gospel and disrespect for gospel ministers usually go together. Either one will be counted as disrespect toward Christ himself.

In that case, they were to leave that house or city. The gospel does not stay long with people who push it away. When they left, they were to shake the dust off their feet. First, this showed their disgust with such wickedness. It was so foul that it seemed to pollute even the ground they walked on, and they were to shake it off as something unclean. The apostles were to have no fellowship with such people, not even carrying away the dust of their city with them. “The work of those who turn aside shall not cling to me” (Psalm 101:3). The prophet was not to eat or drink in Bethel (1 Kings 13:9).

Second, this was a warning of coming judgment. It showed that those people were base and worthless as dust, and that God would shake them off. The dust from the apostles’ feet, left behind, would stand as a witness against them, proving that the gospel had been preached to them (Mark 6:11). Compare James 5:3. We see this carried out in Acts 13:51 and Acts 18:6. Those who despise God and his gospel will be treated as having little worth.

The sentence on such stubborn rejecters is given in Matthew 10:15. It will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom, which was a very wicked place. There is a day of judgment coming, when all who refused the gospel will surely answer for it, even if they now mock the idea. Those who would not hear the teaching that would save them will then have to hear the sentence that will destroy them. Their judgment is only delayed until that day.

There are different levels of punishment on that day. All the pains of hell will be unbearable, but some will be worse than others. Some sinners sink deeper into hell than others and receive more stripes. The judgment of those who reject the gospel will be harsher than the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah. Sodom is said to suffer the punishment of eternal fire (Jude 1:7). Yet the punishment will be even more severe for those who despise the great salvation offered to them.

Sodom and Gomorrah were extremely wicked (Genesis 13:13), and they filled up their guilt by not receiving the angels sent to them, by mistreating them (Genesis 19:4, Genesis 19:5), and by refusing to listen to their words (Matthew 10:14). Even so, it will be more bearable for them than for those who do not receive Christ’s ministers and do not listen to their words. God’s anger against such people will burn more fiercely, and their own memory of their choice will cut them more deeply. “Son, remember” will sound most dreadful in the ears of those who were fairly offered eternal life and chose death instead.

The sin of Israel was shown to be more serious because God sent them his servants, the prophets, and they still rejected them. For that reason, their guilt was said to be greater even than the sin of Sodom (Ezekiel 16:48, 49). How much more serious it is now that God has sent them his Son, the great Prophet.