The spiritual temple—Christ’s church—is built in the hearts of men through the preaching of the gospel. This is not just the work of full-time ministers, but the responsibility of every Christian. The tragic and deplorable state of worldliness, selfishness, and apathy in the church today, leading to a “useless” Salt that mixes with the world’s mud, is why the world is in decay. Jesus’s call in Matthew 9:36-38—seeing the multitudes as “sheep without a shepherd” and the “harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few”—was a direct command to pray for workers and, in chapter 10, to become the answer to that prayer.
Matthew 10:5-15 provides essential, timeless principles for correctly representing Christ and His message, which is the main solution to the gospel hindrance in our country, where wrong representation is rampant.
The Principles of Christ’s Representatives
The initial principles for effective gospel ministry were:
- Divine Calling: Being truly called and sent by Christ, confirmed by a strong desire, the affirmation of the church (based on biblical qualifications), and open opportunity.
- Divine Commission: Receiving a command from Christ, creating a sense of authority and divine compulsion, like Paul’s “Woe unto me if I preach not the gospel.”
- Central Goal (Short-Term Focus): Initially focusing only on the lost sheep of Israel (Matthew 10:5-6), which for the early apostles was a specific, temporary, strategic focus reflecting the divine order of revelation (“to the Jew first”). The timeless principle for us is the need for precision and focus in ministry where the Lord has placed us, being effective in our current field before seeking to widen the circle.
- Priority of Preaching: The main instruction was to “preach” (v. 7). Preaching is the primary means God has ordained to save and sanctify sinners, giving it priority over non-verbal activities.
- Clear Message: The message is determined and unchangeable: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (v. 7). This means the redemptive reign of Jesus Christ as King is available now, calling for repentance and faith. It’s not about human politics or economics, but God’s spiritual, eternal kingdom.
Remaining Principles for Christ’s Representatives (Matthew 10:8-15)
The remaining principles for correctly representing Christ focus on the authentication of the message, the selfless nature of the work, and the practical approach to the mission field.
6. Authenticated Message with Compassion (v. 8)
The message must be authenticated for people to believe that the representative is truly from God. For the Apostles, this was done through supernatural signs:
“Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.” (v. 8)
These were the credentials of the apostles—signs, wonders, and mighty deeds—that confirmed their message about the Kingdom of Heaven was true and valid, as there was no New Testament yet.
- Today’s Credentials: We are not in the apostolic era, so we do not have the same signs. Our credential is the authenticated, written message of the Apostles—the New Testament. A true ambassador of Christ is known by the fact that what he preaches is in full accordance with Scripture.
- Divine Compassion: The nature of the miracles (healing, cleansing, raising the dead) was a profound revelation of the compassionate heart of God. The timeless principle is that an ambassador of Christ must reflect God’s compassion and mercy. Authentic ministry is characterized by a heart drawn to the poor, the hurting, the sick, and the downtrodden. The failure of Christ’s representatives to show this divine compassion is a major hindrance to the gospel today.
7. Selfless Ministry (v. 8b)
The command to perform the miraculous signs is immediately followed by the principle of selfless service:
“Freely you have received, freely give.” (v. 8b)
Since the power and gifts were received freely from God, the Apostles were to charge nothing for their ministry.
- No Personal Gain: This precept forbids seeking personal profit or advantage from preaching the gospel or exercising spiritual gifts. The credentials of a true representative of Christ include unselfishness and a heart not focused on “filthy lucre” (1 Peter 5).
- The Problem Today: The commercialization of gospel ministry, where preachers ask for a fee, book five-star hotels, or use ministry solely for personal gain, stands in stark contrast to this principle and causes major mistrust.
8. Confident Faith in God’s Provision (v. 9-10)
To ensure unselfish ministry, Jesus gives specific instructions about provision:
“Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.” (v. 9-10)
The Apostles were commanded to travel with minimal provision (no money, no extra clothes, no bag). This short-term mission was designed to teach them to rely on God’s provision entirely.
- Worthy of Support: The phrase, “a worker is worthy of his food,” is the key to balancing selfless ministry with provision. It teaches that the Lord will provide for His laborers, not through charging money, but through the provision of the people they minister to. This principle (repeated in 1 Cor. 9:14 and 1 Tim. 5:18) establishes that full-time ministers should be financially supported, but their focus must be on the work (giving freely), and their faith must be in God to provide through His people, not on a negotiated fee.
9. Focus on Receptive People (v. 11-13)
The Apostles were given a practical strategy for managing their time and maximizing their effectiveness:
“Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.” (v. 11-13)
- Discernment: They were to seek out a “worthy” person—one who was receptive to the message of the Kingdom—and stay with them. This was to avoid wasting time and becoming distracted by people hostile to the message.
- Blessing the Open: They were to pronounce a blessing of peace on the household. If the people received the message, the peace would remain; if not, the blessing would return to the Apostles. The principle is to focus our efforts where the Spirit is working and the message is received, recognizing that we cannot force the blessing of God.
10. Leave the Rejectors to Judgment (v. 14-15)
Finally, Christ’s representatives are commanded on how to deal with those who refuse the message:
“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. 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!” (v. 14-15)
- Testimony of Rejection: “Shaking off the dust” was a powerful, symbolic act in Jewish culture, signifying that they had fulfilled their duty, and the city’s rejection meant they took nothing further from it, not even its dust. It was a testimony against them.
- Divine Accountability: The severity of the warning—that the judgment for rejecting Christ’s representatives will be worse than that of Sodom and Gomorrah—shows the terrible consequence of rejecting the King’s clear message. The principle for the representative is to preach the message, show compassion, leave the results to God, and not waste time arguing with those who have clearly rejected the truth. The King Himself will deal with the rejecters.
The eighth way to represent Christ is by believing Christ will meet your needs.
When God has called you for His work, you need to believe God will meet your needs. Look at verse 9. He says to them, “As you go, take neither gold, nor silver, nor copper in your purses,” and that’s coinage.
Confident Faith in God’s Provision
Messiah’s ministers must learn to trust in Him in their mission. The Lord Jesus Christ, because of the shortness of the journey, but probably more importantly, because of the urgency of the mission, tells them: “Don’t take time. Don’t encumber yourself with trying to collect all these other things. Don’t waste time on these things… You just trust that the Lord will provide for you on this particular mission.”
This is not a universal command that the Lord is giving to missionaries. He is not saying, “Okay, missionaries. Get set, go to Africa. Don’t worry about the flight ticket, hotel, or food. I will take care of it. Don’t raise support, don’t go out with any extra clothing or funding.” That’s not what He’s saying here.
Some of the specifics later changed, as when Christ told them to carry a money belt, a bread bag, and a sword in the later part of His earthly ministry (Luke 22:36). Consequently, we are not to adopt the list in Matthew 10 as the prescribed method of evangelism, as did the Franciscans. Rather, we are to learn from the principles and the spirit that our Lord is teaching when we go to represent Him. Here, He is teaching them to completely trust Him for their basic needs. They have to learn early on that when they obey His command and go out to preach His Gospel, He will take care of all their needs. This had already happened, and He asks them about it later (Luke 22:35). They were to learn dependence upon the Lord, and what better way than to trust Him for the most basic provisions?
Though later He tells them to take and plan and go, the spirit we need to learn is to trust Him. If you have money or resources, then plan and use them. If you don’t have them, don’t waste your life and lifespan thinking what you will eat and drink. If you represent Me in the world and seek My kingdom, don’t worry, God will take care of your needs.
He says, “Don’t take any money; don’t think, ‘I’m going to go, but first of all, I have to amass a fortune to support this trip. I mean, if I’m not going to charge anyone, and freely I’ve received and freely I’ll give, then it is obvious that I have to support myself. So as soon as I get all my money collected and stuffed in my purse, I’ll be on my way.’ No,” He says, “Don’t take a thing.” Not only that, but He says, “Don’t take a food bag,” which is what the word ‘bag’ probably means—a bag of supplies and food. He says, “Don’t take two coats for if something happens to one, neither shoes, nor yet a staff.”
Note that the descending value of the metals named makes an ascending stringency in the prohibition. Not even copper money is to be taken. The ‘wallet’ was a leather satchel or bag used by shepherds and others to carry a little food; sustenance, then, was also to be left uncared for. Dress, too, was to be limited to that in wear; no change of inner robe nor a spare pair of shoes was to encumber them, nor even a spare staff. If any of them had one in his hand, he was to take it (Mark 6:8). The command was meant to lift the apostles above suspicion, to make them manifestly disinterested, to free them from anxiety about earthly things so that their message might absorb their thoughts and efforts, and to give room for the display of Christ’s power to provide. It had a promise wrapped in it. He who forbade them to provide for themselves thereby pledged Himself to take care of them.
You say, “Wait a minute; if they couldn’t set a price and couldn’t take anything with them, they were going out there broke. They had nothing.” Aha! A spiritual principle at the end of verse 10: “The workman is worthy of his sustenance.” You go in confident faith. You don’t take anything. This is like survival training—you go out there without anything. “I will teach you faith by providing for all your needs… I will move through My people and provide for your needs.”
So there is a double instruction here for the pastor and the church people: God’s minister is never to be over-concerned with material things, but the people of God, if they believe he is called by God in their midst, must see it as their duty to support him and ensure he is not concerned about it. The pastor shouldn’t name the price, but it is the church’s responsibility before God to support those who serve them, for the worker is worthy of his sustenance.
You say, “How should we do that?” Well, in 1 Timothy 5:17-18, it says, “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor.” It isn’t just meeting their need; it’s honoring them. It’s not just honoring them; it’s double-honoring them if they work hard in the Word and doctrine. “Don’t muzzle the ox that treads.” In other words, if you want the animal to work, you have to feed it.
Do you know what the Jews realized in this time? They knew this; this is how the rabbis were. They were never to put a price on anything, demand anything, or ask a fee; the people they ministered to were always to supply their needs. The Talmud tells us Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob said, “If a man entertains a [rabbi] in his house and lets him enjoy his possessions, Scripture accounts it to him as if he had sacrificed the daily burnt-offering.” God would bless him because he took care of God’s servant.
In 1 Corinthians 9:14, Paul says, “They who preach the gospel should live of the gospel.” He doesn’t mean live what you preach; he means live by your preaching—be supported in it. So we have to live by faith. We are not allowed to put a price or make a demand but to be unselfish. The responsibility is God’s. God says, “I know the principle, and that is that a faithful worker is worthy, and I will move through the people to meet the need.” It’s all up to Him.
Christ assures them that their faithfulness to the work of ministry would result in supplying what they needed. Free from distractions, they could proclaim the kingdom message to all they encountered. Meanwhile, they would learn to trust in God’s providential care. As Morris so clearly expresses, “The disciples are workmen for God, and they can rely on their employer to supply the things they need.”
Read the stories of George Whitefield, William Carey, Adoniram Judson, or Hudson Taylor, or countless others that have served the Lord as messengers of the kingdom. Each has witnessed firsthand the provisions of the Lord. In supporting God’s ministers, we become instruments in the Lord’s hands to help provide for His servants, and God richly blesses us.
One who represents Christ and is sent out as an ambassador or missionary for Christ doesn’t put a price on his ministry, trusts God to supply (and God will supply through the people according to the diligence and faithfulness of his ministry), but the point is that whatever he receives, he is to be content.
Abiding in a Worthy Place
Verse 11: “Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.”
In those days, there were no star hotels, and places to stay were often dangerous, so you had to stay at someone’s house when you traveled. He gives instructions where to stay. ‘Worthy’ doesn’t mean ‘wealthy.’ It means someone whose character, lifestyle, and integrity would be a fitting place for you to stay, and they should be receptive to the Gospel. For example, if you go into town and stay in a horrible home of dissolute, unregenerate, vile, wicked people, and you walk out of that every day to preach the message of holiness, no one would believe you. They would identify you with the unholiness of the place you’re staying. He’s saying to find a place worthy of the occupancy of a representative of Jesus Christ; be careful where you stay.
This is so important. When we travel, we can get caught up in a place where there is so much distraction: loud TV, all worldly talk, sinful activities. You talk to them for 30 minutes, and it’s all worldly talk, nothing biblical or about God. Your mind gets so polluted and distracted; you cannot pray or prepare the message. It’s such a trouble, so find a worthy, conducive place for prayer and preaching. Be careful not to lodge in a disreputable or diverting place, but to concentrate on the business at hand. But when you find that place, “Abide until you leave the town.” In other words, stay there the entire time.
Don’t keep looking for the best place. The apostles weren’t to find the nicest house or the wealthiest family. They were simply to find those who were “worthy.” A poor and humble family might prove more “worthy” than a wealthy one. Whatever best place you get, be content with that. Sometimes we go on tour, look at the best place, and if the hotel isn’t nice, we complain and change. The point here is, wherever it is that God, in His providence, takes you, be content to stay there. Don’t be in the ministry to see how much comfort you can generate for yourself. That is settled contentment.
You are not to be mixed up with disreputable people, lest the message should suffer. The principle of his choice of a home is to be, not position, comfort, or the like, but ‘worthiness’; that is, predisposition to receive the message. ‘If ye have judged me to be faithful, come into my house,’ said Lydia. The less Christ’s messengers are at home with Christ’s neglecters, the calmer their own hearts and the more potent their message. So important to maintain our houses. This is a test for us: is our house worthy? Can the apostles stay in our house today? Not in terms of facility, but worthy in terms of God’s Word and character. Let us ask our consciences: would a minister find it encouraging to pray and talk and meditate on God’s Word, or is it full of the world? A little common sense in reading these will save many a scandal and much weakening of influence.
Ninth Principle: Concentrate on Receptive Souls
If we represent Christ with an authenticated message, selflessness, and trust God will take care of our needs, the next principle is: Focus on receptive souls with an open heart.
He says, “When you come into a house, greet it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it.” When the disciples found the worthy house, they were to stay and minister to those gracious, hospitable people. Once they had established their lodging, they could begin their ministry in that town, which was to preach the Gospel from house to house. Whenever they visited another home, they were to greet the people in it. Greetings were important in that era just as they are today.
The common Jewish greeting was ‘shalom,’ or ‘peace.’ It meant everything: wholeness, soundness, health, welfare, prosperity, well-being, blessing, and benediction from God. Just pour out your blessing and say, “This house is blessed by God.” Verse 13 says, “If the house is worthy, let your peace come on it.” If it’s a worthy house, pour out your blessing and benediction; let them have everything you have to give. “Concentrate on the receptive,” is what He is saying. “Find the open hearts, the places where the Gospel has access and receptivity, and pour yourself into that place.” That’s the concentration we have to have in ministry.
To whom should we continue to preach as representatives? People who are receptive, dear people who are hungering and thirsting to grow, instead of banging our heads against unreceptive people who will never grow. What a joy it is always to preach to people who eagerly and open-heartedly hear God’s Word! Even the preacher gets so encouraged in preparing and coming because they will come eagerly. But if he prepares and comes, and half the people don’t come, one can never explain the pain and frustration, and that also discourages me in my preparation. But what joy to preach to eager people who, in spite of sickness and many problems, will come and sit eagerly to hear God’s Word! They are receptive and committed.
The scriptural mandate is to preach to the people who want to learn the most. We have to feed a hungry heart. We can keep banging on the ears of the uncommitted; once in a while we have to exhort them. But our concentration should be on feeding the people who are willing to receive God’s Word because they are the catalyst to reach the world. Concentrate on the people who want to grow, who want to be nurtured, who are receptive. “When you find a house that receives you, pour out your peace on that house. Give them everything they want.” That blessing that you give as a representative will rest on that house.
Concentrate on the receptive; in your ministry, that is important.
Tenth Principle: Leave the Rejectors
That leads to the last principle: leave the rejectors. There must be a rejection of the contemptuous. Jesus encouraged no illusions in His servants as to their success. From the beginning, they were led to expect that some would receive and some would reject their words. We must recognize the gravity of the message that Christ entrusted to the disciples. It divides the world, doesn’t it, into those who accept Him and those who reject Him. It has eternal significance.
At the end of verse 13, He says, “If it be not worthy, if they’re not interested, not receptive, then let your peace return to you.” That was an Oriental expression; they would give their peace, but if the house wasn’t worthy, they’d take it back. In other words, they would unbless an unworthy house. They would come to a home and say, “Peace be unto you in the name of Christ.” If the home was vile or rejecting, they would say, “We take back our peace. This house is unblessed.” They would actually do that. They would confront the situation in that way by removing the blessing they had verbally given. So He says, “If you find a place where they are not worthy, then let your peace return to you. Don’t waste it on them, take it back. Don’t give them God’s benediction if they’re not worthy of it. Don’t tell them God will bless them.” If they are not receptive and not worthy, your blessing is hindered because jarring and sin forbid its entrance, it will be effective but come back. Your preaching and blessing will not be effective in the hearts of people whose hearts are not open and eager—not worthy.
Verse 14: “Whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when you depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.” That was a physical thing the Jews did. When people traveled in the time of Christ, they would get covered with dust. When Jewish people returned to Israel, they did not want to bring Gentile soil into Israel with them because they believed it would defile the land, and they believed God would give them terrible guilt and punishment. So before they entered Israel, they shook the dust off themselves so they wouldn’t bring any Gentile dirt back in.
So He says, “You’re going to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and if they don’t hear your message, you treat them the way you treat a Gentile.” If they didn’t accept you or your message. The message is tied to us so much that we are ever messengers on behalf of the King. But that being the case, if the message is rejected, so will be the messengers. That’s what Paul did at the synagogue in Pisidia Antioch in Acts 13. He went in, and when they didn’t receive his message, it says he shook the dust from off his feet and went next door to the Gentiles. He treated the Jews like Gentiles and the Gentiles like Jews. Treat them as a pagan.
You say, “Wait a minute! Does this mean we are to reject the contemptuous? If I go to someone and tell them about Christ and they aren’t interested, we should just say, ‘Nuts to you, fellow,’ and split?” Not quite. A lot of us wouldn’t be redeemed if we had been treated in that manner, right? The point is this: the assumption is that when people have seen the miracles and have fully heard the message and have been given ample opportunity to respond, yet they still reject Christ, then you are to leave and treat them as the pagans that they are.
Also, in this rapid preparatory mission, there was no time for long delay anywhere; but for us, it is not wise to conclude that patient effort will fail because first appeals have not succeeded. Much close communion with Jesus, not a little self-suppression, and abundant practical wisdom are needed to determine the point at which further efforts are vain. There come times when the only right thing to do is to ‘shake off the dust’ of the messenger’s feet in token that all connection is ended and that he is clear from the blood of the rejecters.
In 2 Corinthians 5:20, Paul says, “We beg you in Christ’s stead, be reconciled to God.” There is a begging, a pleading, a compelling! But when the pleading is done, and the credentials are manifest, and all the signs are given, and they still refuse, treat them like pagans. Don’t give them the benediction of God; walk away. “We have come to you in obedience to the King, and have offered you the invitation to welcome His kingdom. But you have refused His offer. You have rejected Him and have clearly expressed that you do not accept His offer. Then according to your wish, we will go. We will take nothing, but we will even leave your dust from off our feet.” Your complete departure from him is, itself, a form of judgment.
Verse 15 is the key. “Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment, than for that city.” The awful doom of such is solemnly introduced by ‘Verily, I say unto you.’ It rests on the plain principle that the measure of light is the measure of criminality, and hence the measure of punishment. The rejecters of Christ among us are as much more guilty than ‘that city’ as its inhabitants were than the men of Sodom.
Awful judgment on these towns. Fire and brimstone rained down on both those cities and destroyed them so that they can’t even be found today. As it was an absolute, utter, total, devastating, and eternal destruction on those two cities, it will be worse for any house or city in Galilee that rejected the Gospel. This assumes that the town in Galilee or the house in Galilee knew and heard more than Sodom and Gomorrah did. The point is that they must, then, have had an awful lot of information.
The idea is that when a city with a greater exposure to the truth of God (namely, the representatives of the Lord Christ Himself), giving them the message and authenticating it with their credentials, turns its back on that, it is a Hebrews 6 situation. They have been exposed to all of the data, and have refused; it is impossible for them to be renewed to repentance. When you have done your best, but they are unreceptive and contemptuous, don’t waste your time. Divine judgment rests on that city and that house; it is very severe.
If you reject God’s Messiah’s representatives, 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. This is true today: if a man rejects a representative of Christ, awful judgment awaits him. What responsibility lies on us!
Ten Principles for Representing Christ
What have we learned? The Lord sent out His twelve disciples two by two and gave them principles for an effective mission: ten things we need to remember if we are to represent Christ. How much the Gospel will grow if all Christians follow this!
- Called and Sent by Christ.
- Commanded and Commissioned by Christ.
- Central Goal (Focus).
- Preaching Priority.
- Clear Unchanged Message.
- Message must be Authenticated by God.
- Ministry should be Selfless.
- Confident Faith in God to supply needs.
- Concentrate on Receptive people.
- Leave the Rejectors.
Do you see yourself in this list of Christ’s representatives, and are you willing to live by these principles?
Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Bangalore 