Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. 9 Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; 10 no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. 12 As you enter a house, wish it peace. 13 If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you. 14 Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet. 15 Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
Jesus sends the Twelve first to the lost sheep of Israel and commands them to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand (vv. 5–7). Their mission continues the work Jesus Himself has already been doing. They are to proclaim the kingdom and, through works of healing and deliverance in His name, give visible signs that God’s saving power is present among His people (v. 8).
The authority they exercise is a gift. The Twelve did not earn their call or purchase the power Christ gave them. Therefore, Jesus tells them, “Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give” (v. 8). The kingdom is God’s gift, and the service of the Gospel is not to be treated as something sold to those who can afford it. At the same time, Jesus says, “The laborer deserves his keep” (v. 10). Those sent to serve are to give freely, while those who receive their ministry provide the ordinary necessities of food and shelter.
Jesus then sends the Twelve out with remarkable simplicity. They are not to carry money, extra clothing, or provisions for the journey (vv. 9–10). These instructions give urgency to their mission and require them to depend upon God through the hospitality of those who receive them. They are to live among the people they serve, accepting the same ordinary conditions and inconveniences rather than separating themselves through wealth or comfort.
When the apostles enter a house, they are to offer peace (vv. 12–13). This is more than a polite greeting. They come as messengers of Christ, proclaiming reconciliation with God and the nearness of His kingdom. Worldly peace usually means the absence of conflict or trouble. Christ’s peace goes deeper: it comes from being reconciled with God, trusting in Him, and knowing that His presence remains with us even in times of suffering and difficulty. Those who welcome the apostles receive both the messengers and the word entrusted to them.
Jesus also prepares the apostles for rejection. Those who refuse to receive them or listen to their words are responsible for their response to the message (v. 14). Shaking the dust from their feet was a visible sign that the apostles had faithfully delivered the message entrusted to them, but the people knowingly refused the apostles and rejected their message. The apostles were to leave and make clear that the responsibility for that rejection now rested with the hearers. It was not an act of revenge, but a solemn warning that rejecting the Gospel has consequences before God.
Jesus’ final warning is severe. A town that rejects the message of the kingdom after receiving the opportunity to hear it bears serious responsibility before God (v. 15). The comparison with Sodom and Gomorrah shows that greater opportunity brings greater responsibility. If a town were to hear the proclamation of the kingdom from messengers personally sent and authorized by Christ, yet refuse both the messengers and their message, that rejection would carry serious responsibility before God. Jesus points beyond the immediate rejection to the day of judgment, when every response to God’s truth and grace will be brought into the light and judged rightly by Him.
The mission given to the Twelve begins with what they themselves have received. Christ calls them, gives them authority, sends them, and teaches them to give freely. The same pattern remains part of Christian discipleship. What God gives is never meant to be hoarded. His truth, mercy, peace, and love are gifts to be received with gratitude and shared with others.
Lord Jesus, help us receive Your gifts with gratitude and share them freely. Give us trust in Your care, courage in bearing witness to Your kingdom, and peace to carry into the lives of others. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Matthew 10:5–15 and notes on Matthew 10:5, 10:8, 10:13, and 10:14.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. Pages 23–24.
- Casciaro, José María, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. Pages 80–81.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. Page 651, paragraph 68.
- Aguilar Chiu, José Enrique, Richard J. Clifford, Carol J. Dempsey, Eileen M. Schuller, Thomas D. Stegman, and Ronald D. Witherup, eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. Page 928.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid OP, and Donald Senior CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, with a Foreword by Pope Francis. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2022. Page 1192.
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