Matthew 10:5-15 – What to do, What not to do, and Some Dusty Shoes – Part 1

I have a confession to make: I learned how to drive a car with a manual transmission when I was 14. I know this doesn’t sound like something requiring a confession, but when you ride with your older brothers to a basketball game and then, while the game is in progress, you sneak out with the extra set of car keys you “borrowed” from home, drive to the local Hamburger Station for some burgers, and then return the car to the exact same spot in the parking lot so as not to raise suspicion, all while you are 14, it seems like a confession might be required. I don’t remember anyone ever telling me how to drive a manual transmission car, but I do remember watching my dad and older brothers drive one. Then, one day while we were at our garden plot, I started driving the car along the dirt paths. It wasn’t long before I found myself wanting to drive on the road.

I always wanted to drive, but being 14, I was too young. So, while I could, I learned as much as possible by observation before taking that leap. Okay, it was illegal, but still, I went from an observer to a participant very quickly. And I learned some things that night on the way to Hamburger Station: there are no other cars, traffic lights, stop signs, or police cars on a dirt path; driving is quite different from watching someone else drive. But you can only learn so much by observation, you have to put yourself in the driver’s seat before you can fully experience the reality of driving a car.

When I think about the disciples being instructed by Jesus, I think about learning to drive. The disciples had heard Jesus teach, they had seen him heal, and now they were being sent out. But before they got on the road, unlike me, they received some instructions. But Jesus’s instructions were not how to drive the car — they had already seen that — the instructions Jesus gave were about what they might expect that first time when they turned onto the asphalt and headed down the road. Luckily for them, they weren’t stealing the car at 14 and sneaking out for a greasy slider hoping to escape the eyes of the law and the wrath of their parents. No, turning the keys over to the disciples at this point had always been Jesus’s plan.

After reading Matthew 10:1-4, I see the disciples buckled up in the driver’s seat. The engine is idling and the disciples are ready to head down the driveway and pull out into the street, but before they go, Jesus leans his head in the driver’s side window and gives them one last talk before he watches them pull away. Matthew writes,

5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Matthew 10:5-6

Having directions as to where to drive is pretty important. Jesus was sent only to the Jews so Jesus told the disciples to just drive around the block they already knew: the house of Israel. Notice, if you will, that Jesus uses the word “go” twice. And, if you recall, in the last post I made a big deal about the passive tense of the word “go” in Matthew 28:18 where Jesus told his disciples, “(As you) go into all the world…” But when Jesus said, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles,” he used the word “go” with an active tense. Essentially, I believe, Jesus was telling them that they shouldn’t leave the neighborhood — meeting the Gentiles would require the disciples to leave the area in which they lived — because they weren’t ready for that yet. Jesus knew a time would come when the message of the kingdom should be preached to the Gentiles, but not on the first time they were out driving by themselves. Jesus wanted them to stay near home, and this is why, when he says, “but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” he used the passive voice. Jesus sent them to a people they already knew and with whom they lived. And, as they were driving around the block, Jesus told them to what to do. He said,

7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons.

Matthew 10:7-8a

Jesus didn’t ask them to do anything they hadn’t already seen Jesus doing. He tells them to preach the kingdom and meet the needs of the sick, unclean, possessed, and dead. But Jesus didn’t expect them to do these things in their own power; Jesus gave them the authority to cast out unclean spirits and heal every disease and every affliction (Matt. 10:1). The very things Jesus had been doing were to now be the daily routine of the twelve disciples.

I sometimes wonder what it would have been to be alive during that time. Not only did Jesus preach and heal, but for a short time, the twelve disciples were out doing the same thing. Today, we are amazed if someone sinks all of their free throws in a big game or tags a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth. But can you imagine how people would react to 13 people preaching and healing and raising the dead? I’m pretty sure the 2016 celebration in Cleveland for the Cavaliers would be nothing compared to the crowd’s response to raising the dead. It is when I think about those large crowds and why they followed Jesus, and then his disciples, that I begin to imagine there might be a hazard the disciples hadn’t thought about very much. What I mean is, whenever I am sick I don’t mind paying the doctor for some medicine; and when I’m really sick I’d pay nearly anything for a speedy recovery. I wonder how much would you want to give Jesus, or one of the disciples if they healed you or raised your spouse or child from the dead? I think that might be why Jesus said these next words,

You received without paying; give without pay.

Matthew 10:8b

I’m pretty sure it would be a temptation to take whatever someone was offering because you healed their illness or raised their dead spouse or child to life. But Jesus wanted his disciples to know that the source of their power was not in them, it was given to them by another. And just as they shouldn’t take the glory due God, they shouldn’t take money either.

This instruction reminds me of the story in II Kings 5 when Naaman was healed of his leprosy by dipping himself in the Jordan. Afterward, Naaman offered Elisha extravagant gifts, but Elisha refused the gifts. After Naaman left, however, Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, decided he wanted some of the wealth so he ran after Naaman and took the gifts. But when Elisha found out about this he condemned Gehazi, as well as his family, to be lepers forever. Elisha knew what Jesus was teaching: God’s gifts to others came through him, not from him. Glory and thanks are to be given to God, not the one through whom God’s message and healing come.

On the other hand, Jesus knew it made no sense to have his disciples starve to death. I think this is why Jesus said the following,

9 Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.

Matthew 10:9-10

The twelve, as they went out to the villages, were to seek the welfare of those with whom they would live and work (see Jeremiah 29:7). And in response to bringing good to the people to whom they ministered, they should expect to be accepted and fed. Paul fleshes this out in I Corinthians 9 when he wrote that a laborer is worthy of his wages — even those who preach the gospel, such as pastors, evangelists, teachers, doctors, or other workers of the kingdom, should be paid for their work. But notice that Jesus prohibited them from getting rich off of those to whom they ministered. By telling them to not acquire gold, silver, or copper for their belts, Jesus was telling them not to receive more than they could use at the time. This command is no different from when the Israelites were told to not store manna in the desert and the disciples were told to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” God wants his people to trust in the Lord’s goodness on a daily basis, not build up for themselves great wealth by which they might begin feeling content (see Deuteronomy 8:11-18).

But Jesus doesn’t back away from the car just yet. He knew the disciples would encounter some towns that would not be so responsive to the words and work of the Lord. This is why he added these words,

11 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.

Matthew 10:11-14

Sure, some towns would welcome the disciples, feed them, house them, and protect them as long as they were in town. The disciples brought peace to the towns in their constant battle against the rigors of the law and the diseases of the flesh, so they should expect the same in return. But there were some towns that would not accept the words and work of God. So Jesus told the disciples that if the people weren’t receptive to their preaching then they should call down fire from heaven and burn them to a crisp!

Wait…what?

Just checking to make sure you are still with me. Of course, Jesus didn’t tell them that. He told them to shake the dust off their shoes and move on to the next town. Now, I realize some people have suggested that this motion of shaking the dust from your shoes was a sign of contempt and judgment, and maybe that’s true. But, given what Jesus says next, it seems that Jesus is primarily telling the disciples that since some places won’t accept the kingdom or allow them to heal the sick and dying, they should just move on. But Jesus did let them know there would be consequences for such a town when he said,

15 Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

Matthew 10:15

Those towns rejecting the message of the kingdom will be judges, but their judgment will come from God alone (Deut. 32:35). The twelve disciples were sent to spread the word of the kingdom and to serve the helpless, they were not sent to judge those who rejected the words and work of God. For those rejecting what they had to offer, Jesus said to just move on and let God take care of the ones who reject him.

Jesus still doesn’t lean away from the car at this point and wave as the disciples drive down the road, but this is a good place to stop for this week. But before we conclude, it might be good to look back at what has been said and perhaps try to see these words in a modern light. I don’t mean to imply that Jesus’s words don’t hold the same meaning now as they did 2000 years ago, but we must keep in mind these instructions were given to a specific group of twelve men who were being sent out by Jesus at a specific time. As such, we must be careful to not universalize the call to go only to the children of Israel, expect miraculous powers to heal lepers and raise the dead, to not have consistently paying jobs in what we often call “the world of ministry,” to shake our shoes at those who don’t listen to us, or remind those who reject the message that “it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for them.” But we can derive some principles from this first part of Jesus’s instructions to the disciples.

First of all, we might want to consider starting our ministry by going to those with whom we are familiar. I’m sure overseas mission trips are good, but it might be better to start by ministering to those living on the same street as we do. All of us have daily routines and regular paths, perchance God wants to see how we do there before he gives us the keys to the car for a prolonged trip across the continent or to the other side of the ocean.

Also, perhaps God wants us to consider using what we have to help those who are suffering. Sometimes a cup of cold water is all we can do, but if that’s all we can do, then we ought to do it. Waiting for a sign from heaven might not be the best use of our time. But this also means we might want to consider using our own funds to further those ministries to which we feel the Lord is leading us. I don’t think it makes a whole lot of sense to send out support letters if you have enough money in your own bank account. Especially if you have the habit of spending extravagantly on yourself, perhaps you need to cut back on your expenses and redirect those funds to minister to others in need. Perhaps, God wants us to learn to trust God in our daily finances by entrusting our daily finances to him.

And it might just be that God wants us to learn to show love when we are rejected. If someone doesn’t want to hear about the kingdom or won’t receive help, there are plenty of others out there who do and will. Maybe we should just move on instead of telling others they are “going to hell.” My dad used to say, “you have to learn to pick your battles,” and I don’t think reminding others of judgment is necessarily the battle we want to pick. Jesus’s message is one of love, and even when Jesus was asked to make a judgment, he chose mercy instead of judgment (John 7:53-8:11). Perhaps we should learn that approach too.

Jesus has not left the car. The engine is still idling and the disciples are still sitting in the driver’s seat and Jesus is still giving his final instructions. But his next words will have to wait for next week.

Another cliffhanger?

Yes, another cliffhanger. But don’t you think you have enough to think about for now?

Good point.

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