5These 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. 6But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7And as you go, preach, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' 8Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, 10nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.
11"Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. 12And when you go into a household, greet it. 13If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. 15Assuredly, 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!
Jesus is a man of action. Just a little bit ago He was feeling compassion for the multitudes because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. He said that the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. He didn't sit back and bemoan all the work and no workers, He didn't question who would be willing to work, He didn't give up on the people when so many would not hear or understand the message. He took action. He immediately sent out twelve disciples to aid in His work.
It surprised me that He said to not enter the cities of the Gentiles or Samaritans, but to only go to the lost sheep of the House of Israel, the Jews. I thought Jesus was bringing His message to everyone. It bothered me when I thought this was a statement that Jesus felt it was more important to help the Jews than the Gentiles or Samaritans. All people were weary and scattered, not just the children of Israel. Why would He specifically instruct his disciples to stay away from the Gentiles and Samaritans?
Actually, as I study this more closely, I don't think He was saying to not help any Gentiles or Samaritans, rather He is guiding His disciples to which cities they should base their preaching and healing. As I look back, I believe that Jesus did most of His preaching and healing from the cities of Jews, for it said He taught in their synagogues. If there were synagogues, doesn't that mean they were Jewish communities? He is simply instructing them to continue in the manner in which He was going. Just as people of all backgrounds came to hear Jesus teach no matter where He went, the same would be true for His disciples. Even though they were not to go to the cities of the Gentiles or Samaritans, I think they would end up helping Gentiles and Samaritans too, just as Jesus did.
The disciples were given gifts to help them preach, heal, and cast out demons. Freely they were given these gifts, freely they were to give these services. Again, I think this meant to give freely to whoever is of need, which would include not only Jews, but also Gentiles and Samaritans.
This is a good reminder to me. I really like the phrase "Freely you have received, freely give." God may not have given me power to preach, heal, or cast out demons, but I know He has given me many gifts. And He gave me those gifts freely, without me first earning them, with no obligation and no expectations. I ought to make use of those gifts in giving to others just as freely as God gave those gifts to me.
Jesus gave them instruction that they were to take no provisions along. He said a worker is worthy of his food. He is sending them out as laborers of the harvest. For the work they are about to do, they will be worthy of care by those who need to hear from them, and they will be provided for.
OK, so a worker is worthy of his food. But the next paragraph puzzled me. What does it mean for a city, house, or people to be worthy? No one is worthy of the great gifts God gives us. But I thought everyone is worthy of at least hearing the good news of the kingdom of God. So what worthiness is Jesus talking about? Who are we to judge who is worthy of what? He said to find out who is worthy and stay at their house. If they are worthy, the disciples should leave their peace with them. How do you define someone who is worthy?
A worker is worthy of his food. Who is worthy of hearing the good news of the kingdom of God? Maybe it is anyone who will listen. Jesus goes on to explain what to do when they won't listen. Maybe a refusal to listen is the indication of unworthiness. Worthiness of food is under the control of the giver, by his work. By the same token, maybe worthiness of the good news of the kingdom is under the control of the receiver, by his willingness to listen.
How does one go about spreading the good news of the kingdom? Don't start by tackling the most difficult situations, but start where the people are most willing to listen. Remember, Jesus instructed them to not start with the Gentiles or Samaritans. Share the peace with those who will listen. Come in peace. Spread the word in peace. Your peace will automatically bring peace to anyone who listens.
But what about those times when people won't listen? Do not force it down them, do not reign any punishment for their rejection, but let your peace return to you. I think the instruction of letting your peace return to you is very key. In fact when I first read this, I thought Jesus was telling them to take back any peace they had given. But now I wonder if He is instead emphasizing that even though their instinct may be the opposite, they should remain calm and return their minds to peace.
So when they don't listen to you, don't get angry, but come to peace within yourself. Simply depart from them. Shake off the dust from your feet as an experience that didn't bring the results you desired. Let God take care of the rest. For He will handle their day of judgment.