He summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal [the sick]. 3 He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. 5 And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.” 6 Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.
Jesus has already chosen the Twelve and brought them with Him as He proclaimed the good news of the Kingdom, healed the sick, and exercised authority over evil (Luke 6:12–16; 8:1–3). Now He sends them out to participate directly in His mission. He gives them “power and authority” over demons and disease and sends them “to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal” (vv. 1–2). Their mission does not originate with themselves. Jesus calls them, gives them authority, and sends them to continue the work they have seen Him doing.
The Kingdom of God is God’s saving reign—God acting to rescue His people from sin and evil and to restore them to communion with Him. Jesus had declared that proclaiming this Kingdom was central to His own mission (Luke 4:43; 8:1). The healing of the sick and the casting out of demons accompany that proclamation as visible signs of God’s saving power. The Twelve therefore proclaim the message not only with words but also through works that reveal the power of the Kingdom they announce.
Jesus then gives them unusually demanding instructions for the journey: “Take nothing for the journey” (v. 3). They are to travel without the ordinary provisions on which travelers would normally depend. Jesus is forming them to trust in God’s providence rather than rely primarily upon their own possessions and preparations (Luke 12:22–31). Their simplicity also makes them dependent upon the hospitality of the people to whom they are sent. These instructions belong particularly to this mission; later, when circumstances change, Jesus gives His disciples different practical directions (Luke 22:35–36). The lasting principle is that those sent by Christ must place their confidence first in God.
Jesus also tells them, “Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there” (v. 4). The apostles are not to move from one host to another seeking greater comfort or advantage. Remaining with those who first receive them keeps their attention on the mission rather than on what they might gain from it. Their dependence upon hospitality also brings the proclamation of the Kingdom into ordinary human relationships, homes, and meals.
Jesus prepares them for rejection as well. If a town refuses to welcome them, they are to “shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them” (v. 5). This is a symbolic act showing that the message has truly been offered and rejected. It is not an act of personal revenge. By this action, the apostles make clear that rejecting their message is a serious matter because it means rejecting the call to God’s Kingdom. They do not pronounce final judgment on the people; that judgment belongs to God. The same gesture later appears when the Gospel is rejected during the Church’s mission in Acts 13:51.
The passage ends simply: “Then they set out” (v. 6). The Twelve obey Jesus and go from village to village “proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.” The work that Jesus had been doing is now being continued through those He has sent. This first mission of the Twelve points toward the wider apostolic mission that will unfold in Acts, as the good news of Jesus Christ moves outward to more and more people.
The Gospel reminds us that Christian mission begins with Christ and continues in the Church. Christ calls, He sends, and He supplies what is necessary for the work He entrusts to His disciples. That mission continues today and will continue until Christ returns (Matthew 28:19–20; Acts 1:8).
Lord Jesus, give us the faith to trust in You, the courage to carry Your good news to others, and the humility to remember that the mission belongs to You. Help us to be faithful witnesses to Your Kingdom in our words and in our lives. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Notes on Luke 9:1–6.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. Notes on Luke 9:1–6, 124–125.
- Casciaro, Jose Maria, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. Notes on Luke 9:1–6, 284–285.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. 699, para. 110.
- Gadenz, Pablo T. The Gospel of Luke. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2018. 172.
- Aguilar Chiu, Jose Enrique, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. 1061.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid, OP, and Donald Senior, CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. 3rd fully rev. ed. London: T&T Clark, 2022. 1320–1321.
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