Go, Preach
Matthew 10:5-15
In this passage, Jesus is talking with the twelve disciples that He has chosen to be His apostles (Matthew 10:1-4). Remember the difference between the two. A disciple is a learner, a student who attaches himself to a teacher to learn. Jesus had many disciples following Him. An apostle is someone that Jesus has chosen from among His disciples and to whom He has given specific authority to be His representatives. The twelve disciples became the twelve apostles when Jesus gave them this authority and sent them out as His representatives. A disciple is simply a student, while an apostle is one sent with authority as Jesus’ representative.[1]
Matthew 10:5-15 are Jesus’ instructions to the Apostles as Jesus sent them out this first time. His instructions are specific to this particular group of men at that particular time. So, we must be careful how we apply these instructions today. Not everything carries over verbatim and applies directly to us the same way it did to the twelve on this first mission.
In Matthew 10:5–16, Jesus tells His disciples: (1) Where they should go (Matt. 10:5-6); (2) What ministry they did (Matt. 10:7-8); (3) How they would be provided for (Matt. 10:9-10); and finally (4) What response they should expect (Matt. 10:11-15).[2]
Let’s look at Jesus’ instructions to the apostles and then we will seek to apply some general principles for today. First Jesus tells them…
1. Where They Should Go (Matt. 10:5-6)
After Jesus called the twelve to be His apostles and endowed them with power and authority, He didn’t command them to go out into the world in general. Rather, He sent them to a very specific field of service. Matthew tells us, “These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying, “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 10:5-6).
Jesus called them “lost sheep”. When I read that, I can’t help thinking of what Jesus had just said at the end of chapter 9. There, we read,
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matt. 9:35-38).
It can’t be a mere coincidence that just after having expressed great pity on the multitudes who were “weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd“, we’re told He then sends out His twelve to minister strictly to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel“. The people of Israel may not have viewed themselves that way; but He – their Shepherd and King – did! The word “lost” carries the idea of perishing or dying. This is not simply an informational mission. This is a rescue mission.[3]
Don’t miss the fact that Jesus told them to go. The verb “sent out” means “ordered to go, appointed as an ambassador, or commissioned for service”. Jesus commissioned them and commanded them. Jesus gives His apostles the mission to go and find His lost sheep. They were not to expect the lost sheep to find their way back themselves. If they could, they wouldn’t be lost. The mission was not to gather a flock of goats but to go find the lost sheep.
Before instructing them where to go, Jesus begins by telling them where NOT to go. The apostles were not to go into any way, or area, belonging to Gentiles or into any city that belonged to Samaritans. Why this restriction? The best explanation is found in Christ’s words to the woman of Samaria, when He said, “salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). The Jews were the people through whom the whole world was to be blessed (Gen. 12:3). To the Jews were given the covenants, the law, and the promises (Rom. 9:4). From the Jews “according to the flesh, Christ came” (Rom. 9:5).
According to God’s plan, Israel must be offered the kingdom first. John the Baptist came to them and said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matt. 3:2). That meant it was imminent and available. Then Jesus Himself came and preached the same (Matt. 4:17). Now Jesus was commanding the disciples to give the Jews that same message. So He limited their first mission to the Jews.
Jesus’ own earthly ministry was limited. He did not travel outside Israel, and His ministry to Gentiles and Samaritans was incidental when compared to His ministry to the Jews. He did not have preaching missions in Gentile territory, and He ministered to Samaritans only as He passed through their land while traveling between the Jewish regions of Judea and Galilee. Jesus did all His public teaching and preaching and most of His miracles among the Jews. To the Canaanite woman from the district of Tyre and Sidon, Jesus said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24). The message of the kingdom was to go to the Jews first.
Don Carson reminds us, “Jesus stood at the nexus in salvation history where, as a Jew and the Son of David, He came in fulfillment of His people’s history as their King and Redeemer. Yet His personal claims would offend so many of His own people that He would be rejected by all but a faithful remnant.”[4] The opposition Jesus and His apostles faced from the Jews would surely have multiplied if they focused prematurely on Samaritans and Gentiles. Most of the Jews hated Samaritans and Gentiles. They would have hated Jesus all the more if His ministry focused on these hated groups. “Therefore, Jesus restricted his own ministry primarily (Matt. 15:24), though not exclusively (Matt. 8:1–13; 15:21–39), to Jews. He Himself was sent as their Messiah. The messianic people of God developed out of the Jewish remnant and then expanded to include Gentiles.”[5]
The mission of the church in the Book of Acts follows this same pattern. Jesus told His disciples to be witnesses to Him “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The rest of the book follows this outline. First, they preached Jesus in Jerusalem, then to all Judea, then to Samaria, and finally to the Gentile nations. “To the Jew first” (Rom. 1:16) was always the pattern of the apostle Paul. Whenever he would enter a city in the Gentile world to proclaim the gospel, he would always go first to the local synagogue and proclaim it to his Jewish kinsmen; and it was only after they rejected it that he turned to the Gentiles (cf. Acts 13:46-47; 18:6; 19:9-10; 28:25-28).
Now, the mission of the church today is not limited in the same sense that Jesus limited the apostle’s first mission. The commission that the Lord Jesus has given to us is to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). The focus may be different, but just like the first disciples, ours is also a rescue mission. There are lost people all over this world who are dying without Christ and need a Savior. They need Jesus, and so we are to go into all the world to preach the gospel.[6]
A second thing to notice about the commission of the twelve is . . .
2. What Ministry They Should Do (Matt. 10:7-8).
Matthew says Jesus told, “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matt. 10:7).
They were to be “going” (as a literal translation would have it); and as they went, they were to preach the offer of the kingdom. This was the same message that John the Baptist preached (Matthew 3:2); and it’s the same one that Jesus Himself preached (4:17). And now, they were to preach that message as well. The kingdom of God is God’s active rule over all things. Jesus is the king, and when the king is near, the kingdom is near.[7] The kingdom is about the reign of the King. That is why the proclamation of the kingdom calls for repentance and faith. God has sent His Son, the promised Messiah and rightful King into this world that has rebelled against His reign. Every person born into this fallen world is guilty of sin and deserving of the God’s judgment. But God has provided His Messiah to save His people from their sins by His substitutionary death and resurrection. All those who repent and believe in Jesus Christ, God saves to become citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven and children of God. Christ reigns in their lives and they will reign with Him in the end. This is the gospel we preach.
But notice that ‘preaching’ was not the only thing they were to be doing. He went on to say that, as a part of their ministry, they were to, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons” (Matt. 10:8a). These were the actions of Christ, and now the apostles were to do the same as they had received authority from Christ. They did not put on healing crusades or exorcism services. Rather, as they preached the gospel they exercised the authority of Christ over the natural and spiritual realm to show God’s compassion to the people and to confirm the message by these signs.
While we cannot minister in the same miraculous manner as the Apostles did then, there is a principle we do need to follow, and that is to live a life of ministry. They weren’t just to walk around with sandwich-boards and megaphones, screaming on the street-corners in isolation from the needs of people. They were to make sure that their proclamation of the kingdom touched lives in a compassionate and personal way. It was to be accompanied by works of ministry. They were to care for people just as Jesus did.
And notice also that they were to do this with a spirit of generosity and grace – just as Jesus also did. Jesus added this wonderful word of instruction: “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matt. 10:8b). You can just imagine how, if someone could heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons, they could charge—and would certainly receive—a high price for such miracles. But Jesus taught them not to have that kind of attitude. They were to remember that they themselves had freely received all that the Lord had given them (and was yet to give them!), and this would be the motivation for freely giving! We too must freely give when we remember that we have freely received. All that you have, your spiritual gifts, your natural talents, and even the things you own, have come because of God’s grace to you. You are not to be stingy in using what you have to serve the Lord by serving others. You are to serve freely.[8]
The lost and hurting people of this world will be more inclined to believe the truth of the gospel when its preachers not only proclaim it to them in Jesus’ name, but actively minister to their needs in Jesus’ power.
A third thing we see about their mission is . . .
3. How They Should Be Provided For (Matt. 10:9-10).
Jesus told them, “Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs . . .” (Matt. 10:9-10a).
The word “provide” means to obtain or acquire, to procure a thing for one’s self. This, of course, isn’t to say that they were not to take anything along for the journey. They obviously would need to bring a tunic; they just weren’t to acquire two tunics. They would need to wear sandals; they just weren’t to obtain an extra pair. It was normal for a traveler to carry a walking stick; they just weren’t to procure a staff on which to carry burdens. The gold, silver, and copper all refer to different types of coins. Whatever they had in their money belt would be sufficient—they were not to obtain money along the way. Jesus urges them not to “stock-up” supplies for themselves in their work of proclaiming the kingdom to the Jews.
Why? One reason may be to keep His kingdom workers from becoming overburdened with distracting matters. As Paul says, “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:4). The urgency of the task required them to go immediately and obediently.
But Jesus gives another explanation at the end of Mattew 10:10, “. . . for a worker is worthy of his food“. Now don’t misunderstand. Jesus was not saying they could expect the people to provide for them. Jesus was saying that He would provide for them. They were on mission from God, which means they were working for God, which means God would take care of them. They were to go forth on mission fully trusting God to provide for all their needs. The principle here is that they need to trust the Lord and not worry and fret and try to make provision for every possible circumstance that may come up.[9]
Jesus will later rescind part of these instructions. In Luke 22, on the night before Jesus went to the cross, “… He said to them, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?” So they said, “Nothing.” Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.”” (Luke 22:35-36).
Now again, our situation needs to be understood a little bit differently than theirs. Obviously, when it comes to those who serve in the church as preachers and missionaries, God’s people have a duty to support them materially. Paul once wrote to the Corinthian believers and said,
Do you not know that those who minister in the holy things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the the offerings of the altar? Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:13-14).
But clearly, when it is to the benefit of the spread of the gospel, there are also times when we are called upon to minister at our own expense. Paul, for example, had a right to expect to be provided for in the work of his apostolic mission but he did not use this right when it would help spread the gospel. He went on to tell the Corinthians,
But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; … That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel (1 Cor. 9:15, 18).
A preacher must not charge people for preaching to them or ministering to them. As your pastor, you do not pay me to preach the gospel. I would preach the gospel whether you paid me or not. You do not pay me to care for your souls. I must shepherd God’s flock because I have been called to this ministry. I must do it whether I am paid or not. No, the way I think about it is this—we do not pay a pastor to do ministry; we pay a pastor so that he will be free to have the time and energy to do ministry. I am grateful for God’s generous provision through this church for me and my family that gives me the time and freedom to serve as your pastor.
James Montgomery Boice draws three principles that should guide our work today: (1) The gospel must be offered without price; (2) God’s people should support God’s ministers; (3) Ministers need to trust God for their support.[10]
Finally, Jesus tells the apostles . . .
4. What Response They Should Expect (Matt. 10:11-15)
Now this point is somewhat related to the previous one. Jesus told His apostles, “Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out” (Matt. 10:11).
Travel in those days was dangerous business. And very often, the inns that a traveler might stay at were not places that it would be good for a man or woman of God to be. It would be appropriate for the kingdom preachers to expect to be given lodging during their mission in the home of those who would welcome their message.
They weren’t to just enter town and go to the first home that offered them hospitality, though. Jesus told them to make inquiry as to which household was “worthy”. “Unworthiness” is exhibited elsewhere in the Bible by such things as blaspheming and openly opposing the apostolic preaching of the gospel, rejecting God’s word, and refusing the offer of eternal life (Acts 13:45-46). Therefore, I believe we should understand “worthiness” to be determined by a genuine receptivity to the message the apostles proclaimed, and a genuine faith in the King they announced.
The apostles weren’t to find the nicest house, or the wealthiest family. They were simply to find those who were “worthy” because they favorably received the message. And once they found that worthy household, they were to stay with them the whole time they were in town. They weren’t to go bouncing around from house to house – “trading-up”, as it were.
There is, of course, a principle suggested for us in this; and that is that we be should be ready to practice good Christian hospitality, as lovers of the Savior’s cause, toward those who are serving His cause faithfully. We become a crucial part of the work when we do so. John once praised his friend Gaius by saying,
Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers, who have borne witness of your love before the church. If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well, because they went forth for His name’s sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth (3 John 5-8).
Apparently though, Jesus let His apostles know that not everyone who seems “worthy” at first will actually prove to be worthy in the end. So He instructed them, “And when you go into a household, greet it.” (Matt. 10:12). In the Jewish culture, that greeting would be “peace” or “Shalom”. It’s a blessing of peace, prosperity, and overall well-being to those who live there. When we share the gospel with others, we look for people who are receptive to the gospel, and we come with an attitude of and message of peace. He went on to tell them, “If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you” (Matt. 10:13).
Their blessing of peace was very important; because it truly was “peace” they were proclaiming. Jesus Himself is the Prince of peace! But if the household proved, in the end, to be unreceptive toward the Savior the apostles proclaimed—if in the end, they practiced no genuine faith and repentance—then, the apostles were to view the blessing of peace as returning to them. This may be something similar to the strong words Jesus spoke in Matthew 7:6; “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.”
We know, not only from reading the Scriptures but also from hard experience, that many people are very hostile to the message of Jesus Christ. And so, Jesus goes on to tell His apostles, “And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet” (Matt. 10:14).
When a Jewish person in Jesus’ day visited a Gentile country, they would shake the dust off their feet upon returning to their land. It was a sign that they did not want to be associated with the Gentiles at all. The apostles were to treat the unbelieving Jews who rejected Christ as Gentiles—outside the covenant people of God. It is, in a sense, a way of giving the kingdom-rejecter what he wants—that is, your complete departure from him. But that departure is, itself, a form of judgment. In Luke 10:11, we’re told that Jesus tells them to say, “The very dust of your city which clings to us, we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.”
Paul the apostle once did a similar thing to the Jewish people of Corinth. When they opposed his preaching of the gospel in the synagogue and blasphemed against the Savior, he shook his garments and said, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles” (Acts 18:6). It was a way of giving them what they wanted – which, itself, was a severe judgment from God.
Concerning those who so rejected the offer of the kingdom, Jesus added these very hard words: “Assuredly, 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!” (Matt. 10:15). Sodom and Gomorrah, of course, are ancient cities that were legendary for their sin—as every Jewish person would readily agree. And yet, when the kingdom is offered to one of the Jewish people’s own cities, and they coldly reject it, forcing the proclaimers of that message to dust their feet off and move on, then God will judge that city more severely than He will judge Sodom and Gomorrah! Sodom and Gomorrah didn’t hear the message of eternal life; but these other cities did, and rejected it. Shaking of the dust off their feet was a warning of judgment to those who rejected the message. In effect they were saying, “I just shared with you the good news of Jesus Christ, and you rejected Jesus as your Savior. I don’t want to be standing anywhere near you when God’s judgment comes.”
And again, I suggest there’s a lesson in this for us. We are to proclaim our Savior to the world around us, especially during the season in which His birth into this world is celebrated. And yet, we will often find that the message we proclaim is fought against and fiercely opposed. Despite that opposition, we are to faithfully proclaim the truth about Jesus Christ at every opportunity the Lord sets before us. But we cannot force people to accept it. They will either accept it or reject it. And if they reject it, we don’t literally shake the dust off our feet, that was a cultural sign that had meaning for the people of that day. But we do need to tell them, “Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and you just rejected Him as Savior. Do you have any idea how serious that is?”
Let’s make sure that, when we share the message of Christ, we ourselves are not offensive in the way we do so. But let’s also make very sure that we so clearly and lovingly give the message of the gospel that, if they reject anything, they are rejecting the clear offer of the gospel. Let’s make sure we never accommodate the message or change it in order to avoid offending the people who need to hear it. Let’s make sure we faithfully and truthfully proclaim the Savior.
The harvest remains plentiful. Christ calls for workers to recognize the harvest wherever He has placed us, and to be faithful proclaimers of the good news. Jesus has sent us to proclaim His gospel. How? Have a heart that trusts the Lord. Live a life of ministry and freely give of yourself. Make sure you are giving out the message clearly—preach Jesus Christ and His kingdom. Concentrate on those who are receptive. And give God the glory for it all.
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[1] Scott Harris, Instructions for Ministry – Matthew 10:5-15, https://www.gracebibleny.org/instructions_for_ministry_matthew_10_5_15
[2] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 171.
[3] Ray Fowler, On Mission from God, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/on-mission-from-god/
[4] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 244.
[5] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 244.
[6] Ray Fowler, On Mission from God, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/on-mission-from-god/
[7] Ray Fowler, On Mission from God, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/on-mission-from-god/
[8] Scott Harris, Instructions for Ministry – Matthew 10:5-15, https://www.gracebibleny.org/instructions_for_ministry_matthew_10_5_15
[9] Scott Harris, Instructions for Ministry – Matthew 10:5-15, https://www.gracebibleny.org/instructions_for_ministry_matthew_10_5_15
[10] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 174.
