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These 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. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 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. 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. 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!"
- Matthew 10:5-15
Yesterday, we read that Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.
These 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. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 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." My study bible points out that the disciples' mission (similarly to that of Jesus) is to preach and to heal. He sends them only to the Jews, who are the main focus of His earthly ministry, "that the Jews might not, after the Resurrection blame the disciples for 'going to uncircumcised men' (Acts 11:3), the Gentiles. Jesus carefully prepares His disciples to be single-minded: (1) He teaches them that His power is free -- whatever they accomplish is a gift from God. (2) He instructs them to carry no money; they must depend on God for their sustenance. Also this prevents any accusations of greed. (3) He frees them from worry about worldly provisions so that their only occupation is preaching the Word." In short, He teaches them single-mindedness of purpose and mission, a clear focus. The simplicity He teaches enforces this perspective.
"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." My study bible says that this greeting of peace commanded by Christ is sharing the same peace Christ offered when He said, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you" (John 14:27). It notes, "God's peace, proclaimed by the Prophets of the Old Testament (see Isaiah 52:7) revealed as a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22), is to this day given to the people through the Word of Christ, 'Peace be to all.'" This is why and and how reference to this peace is still passed on in liturgical form. Once again, we note the simplicity Christ commands in the disciples; they are not to "trade up" for a better place to stay -- rather the best place is the place the Spirit indicates in the greeting and reception of peace. They aren't to bother with those who can't receive the gift.
"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!" A note in my study bible says that "people, and even cities" who don't respond to the gospel message are left to the Judgment of God. "The example of God's judgment on those who do not believe is Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:16-19:29)." In keeping with "God's peace," we understand clearly that execution of judgment isn't ours, but God's. They are to simply shake off the dust from their feet (as implied rebuke) and depart, moving on with their mission.
Let us think about peace and simplicity, for in some sense they go hand in hand. We look at the instructions that Jesus has given His disciples. They all guide toward simplicity; do not go to the Samaritans or Gentiles, but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. They are all on purpose in a direct and simple way. They confine the mission to specifics. There is one message: "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." In healing and casting out demons, they are to do as their Teacher has done. Then there is this instruction: Freely you have received, freely give. It is a command, simple and direct; from Him they have freely received, and they are to go and do likewise for those who will receive them. They are not to take cumbersome preparations with them; it is a simple and direct mission. They aren't to spend time worrying about what won't be necessary for this first mission. It's most interesting, compelling, to consider their directions for where they are to stay: if a house is worthy, stay there. Don't change. That means even if they come to be honored in a place, and greater accommodations and hospitality are offered them, they are not to take it! This simple mission is about gathering the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and those who can sincerely respond are those with whom they belong. This is a connection of the heart and soul, and the rest is extraneous to the mission. And then, first a greeting -- and then the peace; the lack of worthy response determines whether the gift remains. And this is simple. It is direct, from the heart to the heart. It is sincere. And the power of this mission rests in the power of Christ: His peace which He shares through them; His power to heal and cast out demons. Those who will not receive them, who will not hear their words, must be left behind -- with a symbolic shaking off the dust from the apostles' feet, and moving on. Judgment and its execution are left to God; they are reassured, however, that the power of judgment is very real. If we look carefully at the verses cited which teach about the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, we'll find some very vivid and memorable details. But the thing that comes most to mind is the careful nature of God's judgment that seeks out the heart of each person, and preserves where even one is worthy -- and the understanding in the story that it is truly only God who knows what human beings are. So along with the extraneous provisions, and lodgings, simplicity also consists in this matter, that Judgment is left to God. They are simply to stay on mission and move on and do only what they are sent to do. They look for those who will receive them, who will receive their greetings, their word, their peace, the power of Christ to heal. All of this is gathering the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The urgency of the mission is in the word that is translated as "lost." Again (as were the words "weary and scattered" describing the people in yesterday's reading), it is much more powerful in the Greek than it is in English. We connote lost with a stray sheep. But here, lost means something much more dire; it is really the word for perishing, utterly lost in the sense of those who may be doomed to die, to vanish into oblivion, or utter destruction. So along with the simplicity of the mission is the urgency of the mission, and its dire importance for those who would be saved. It emphasizes the words in yesterday's reading, that the people to be sought out are those who are like sheep without a shepherd, weary and harassed and in plain danger of death. This simple and direct mission is love in action, meant to give people what they need, and the key is in those who will recognize what is being given, who sense that what they receive is what they truly need -- and this in itself is also very simple. Someone who realizes they're lost and intuits their real danger is going to grab the help that is offered, and there is nothing more direct than that. It's like sensing love and trust; we may not be able to explain it, but in a flash it is there -- and it's a long journey to full understanding. If this reads like a combat mission, let us remember that Jesus comes into the world bearing a kingdom to liberate us from oppressive rule. He's here to rescue and deliver, to save the lost and weary and scattered, and these are his hand-picked men. The key to opening up to this kingdom is right in the heart, past a purely material evaluation of life and meaning, and to a place where we respond with depths we don't necessarily know or understand. We simplify our lives to stay on mission, to stay connected with this purpose, with love and trust and its response, so that we receive God's peace -- no matter what the world may be telling us. It all comes down to the place of the heart, and how we respond. The kingdom of heaven remains always at hand. From Him, we may offer His peace, as do these Apostles.
