The King's Herald: Terms of Engagement
Introduction: A Peculiar Commission
When the Lord Jesus Christ sends out his disciples for the first time, He gives them a set of instructions that ought to strike the modern reader as peculiar, perhaps even jarring. In an age of global missions, slick marketing campaigns, and an emphasis on inclusivity above all, Christ's initial charge to the twelve seems strangely narrow, almost provincial. "Do not go to the Gentiles. Do not go to the Samaritans. Go only to the lost sheep of Israel."
We are tempted to skim over this, to treat it as a temporary, awkward phase before the real work of the Great Commission begins. But this is the Word of God, and there are no throwaway lines. Every command from our Lord is packed with theological weight and strategic purpose. To understand the Great Commission in Matthew 28, you must first wrestle with this limited commission in Matthew 10. This is not a contradiction; it is a divinely ordered sequence. God is a God of order, and the gospel was to go "to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Rom. 1:16). This was not a matter of ethnic favoritism but of covenantal history. The promises were made to Abraham, the law was given to Moses, and the Messiah was born a Jew. The children of the house had to be offered the wedding feast first, even though the Lord knew they would largely reject it.
Furthermore, the instructions Jesus gives for this mission are a radical assault on all human notions of self-reliance, strategic planning, and worldly power. Go with no money, no extra clothes, no backup plan. Proclaim a kingdom, demonstrate its power by healing the sick and raising the dead, and depend entirely on the hospitality of strangers. And if they reject you, perform a solemn ritual of judgment against them that declares them worse off than Sodom and Gomorrah. This is not a gentle suggestion for evangelism. This is the King deploying his royal heralds, and the terms of engagement are entirely His. He is teaching His disciples, and us, that the advancement of His kingdom is not a human enterprise. It is a supernatural invasion, and it operates by a completely different set of rules.
The Text
These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go 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, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support. And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay there until you leave. Now as you enter the house, give it your greeting. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you leave that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. Truly 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 LSB)
A Focused Commission (vv. 5-6)
We begin with the specific, limited scope of this first mission.
"These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, 'Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.'" (Matthew 10:5-6)
Jesus is the King of the Jews. He has come to His own people to offer them the kingdom. The covenantal storyline of the entire Old Testament demanded this. The Gentiles would be blessed, yes, but through the seed of Abraham. The Samaritans, a mixed race with a corrupted form of Jewish worship, were to be bypassed for now. The initial offer must be made to the covenant people. This is a lesson in divine propriety. God does not do things haphazardly. There is a sequence and an order to His redemptive plan.
Notice the description: "the lost sheep of the house of Israel." This is a phrase of both tenderness and rebuke. They are sheep, His people, but they are lost. Their shepherds, the Pharisees and Sadducees, had failed them miserably, leading them into the ditch. Jesus, the true Shepherd, sends out His undershepherds to gather His flock. This mission is an act of covenant faithfulness to a people who were largely unfaithful. It is a profound demonstration of God's longsuffering. Before the door is opened to the world, it is held open for the children of the promise, right up until their final, national rejection of the King.
The Kingdom's Proclamation and Power (vv. 7-8)
The content of their message and the confirmation of their authority are laid out next.
"And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give." (Matthew 10:7-8)
The message is simple and explosive: "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." This is not an announcement of a future, ethereal reality. The verb means "has drawn near," "has arrived." The King is here. The rule of God is breaking into history in the person of Jesus Christ. This is a declaration of war against the kingdom of darkness. It is a summons to repentance and allegiance. The kingdom is not something you build; it is something you receive. It is not a political program; it is the personal reign of Jesus Christ.
And this proclamation is not to be delivered as a mere abstract idea. It is to be accompanied by powerful demonstrations. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. These are not parlor tricks. These are foretastes of the restoration of all things. They are sneak previews of the new creation. Sickness, death, uncleanness, and demonic oppression are all consequences of the fall. The coming of the kingdom means the reversal of the curse. The King has authority over disease, death, defilement, and demons. The miracles are not the gospel, but they are advertisements for the gospel. They are signs that point to the King and validate the message of His heralds.
Then comes the foundational ethic of the kingdom: "Freely you received, freely give." The authority, the power, the message, the salvation itself, it is all a gift of grace. They did not earn it. They did not deserve it. It was freely bestowed upon them. Therefore, they are to be conduits, not reservoirs. They cannot charge for the gospel. They cannot sell miracles. This strikes at the heart of all religious commercialism. Ministry is not a business. The grace of God cannot be commodified. This principle governs not just money, but everything. We give forgiveness because we have been forgiven. We show mercy because we have received mercy. The measure of our gratitude for what we have received is the measure of our generosity in what we give.
The Economics of Radical Dependence (vv. 9-10)
Jesus now gives instructions that seem, from a human perspective, utterly irresponsible.
"Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support." (Matthew 10:9-10)
This is a command to live in absolute, moment-by-moment dependence on God's provision. No money, no packed lunch, not even a change of clothes or a walking stick. They were to go as they were, with nothing but the clothes on their backs and the message on their lips. Why? To teach them, and us, that God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply. This is a forced lesson in faith. Their security was not to be in their bank account or their preparations, but in their provider.
This is not a universal command for all ministry for all time. Paul, for example, later worked as a tentmaker to support himself. But it was a foundational training exercise for these first apostles. They had to learn that the kingdom economy runs on faith, not cash. And the basis for this is given: "for the worker is worthy of his support." This is not a contradiction. They are not to take money, but they are to expect support. The principle is that those who minister the gospel have a right to be supported by those who receive that ministry. God's method of provision for His servants is through the generosity of His people. The disciples were to trust that God would move in the hearts of receptive people to provide for their needs. This puts the responsibility on both sides: the minister must trust God, and the people must honor God by supporting the minister.
The Protocol of Peace and Judgment (vv. 11-15)
Finally, Jesus instructs them on how to interact with the towns and households they enter.
"And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay there until you leave. Now as you enter the house, give it your greeting. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you." (Matthew 10:11-13)
They are not to wander aimlessly. They are to seek out a "worthy" person. This doesn't mean a sinless person, but rather someone of good reputation, someone receptive to the things of God. Once they find such a household, they are to stay there, not moving from house to house seeking better accommodations. This prevents any appearance of being freeloaders or social climbers. Their mission is to be marked by stability and focus, not restlessness.
Upon entering, they are to "give it your greeting," which would have been "Shalom," peace. This is more than a polite "hello." It is a pronouncement of divine blessing, an offer of the peace that comes from the kingdom of God. If the house is "worthy," meaning it receives them and their message, that blessing rests upon them. The peace of God enters that home. But if the house is unworthy, rejecting the King's messengers, the blessing does not stick. "Let your peace return to you." The heralds are not diminished by the rejection; the rejecters have simply excluded themselves from the blessing.
But the instructions for rejection are even more severe.
"And whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you leave that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. Truly 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 10:14-15)
Shaking the dust off their feet was a symbolic act well understood by Jews. It was something they did when leaving a Gentile land, signifying a complete break and a refusal to carry even the pagan dirt with them. For the disciples to do this against a Jewish town was a shocking act of condemnation. It was to declare that town apostate, no better than pagans, having rejected their own Messiah. It was a solemn testimony against them, a formal declaration that the messengers had done their duty and the town was now responsible for its own unbelief.
And Jesus ratifies this solemn act with a terrifying pronouncement. The judgment for that city will be worse than that for Sodom and Gomorrah. Why? Because privilege increases responsibility. Sodom and Gomorrah were fantastically wicked, but they never had the Son of God walk their streets. They never had the kingdom of heaven arrive on their doorstep with signs and wonders. The people of Galilee who rejected Jesus and His disciples were rejecting a far greater light, and therefore their guilt was far greater. To have the King in your midst and to turn your back on Him is the greatest of all sins, and it invites the greatest of all judgments.
Conclusion: Our Commission
So what are we to make of these marching orders today? While some of the particulars were for that specific time and mission, the principles are timeless. We too are sent out with a message: the kingdom of heaven is here because the King has come, died, risen, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. We too are to demonstrate the power of that kingdom, not necessarily by raising the physically dead, but by bringing spiritual life to those who are dead in their trespasses and sins.
We are to operate by the kingdom ethic of grace. Freely we have received the greatest of all gifts, the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Therefore, we are to give freely, pouring ourselves out for the sake of others without thought of personal gain. Our lives must be marked by a radical dependence on God, trusting Him for our provision as we seek first His kingdom and righteousness.
And we must understand the gravity of the message we carry. It is a message of peace to all who will receive it. When the gospel enters a heart, a home, a community, the shalom of God comes with it. But to those who reject it, it is a word of judgment. We don't shake dust off our feet in the same way, but we must have the same clarity. We are responsible to proclaim the message faithfully, but we are not responsible for the results. When the gospel is rejected, it is not us they are rejecting, but the King who sent us. And the rejection of such a great salvation is a perilous thing indeed, for it will be more tolerable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for any person or any nation that has heard the good news of the kingdom and turned away.