And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of the heavens has drawn nigh.
The Lord sends the twelve out with a message of only a few words, to announce as they travel. Their route, their hearers and their supplies are all fixed for them — so what did those few words claim, and why do we not preach them today?
The twelve carried nothing new. John had said it, the Lord Himself had said it, and one word is missing here.
In verse 7 their message is summed up in seven words. It matches what John the Baptist preached (Matthew 3:2), and what the Lord Himself preached (Matthew 4:17), except that here the word "Repent" is left out. It was a very simple message, hardly allowing much expansion or variety. They could not preach things that had not yet happened. But the promised King was present in His own land, so the kingdom was near them.
The phrase would not have puzzled the people who heard it. It came out of the prophets, and it did not describe a place above the clouds.
Old Testament prophecy, especially Daniel, made it clear that the God of heaven would set up a kingdom. More than this, the Son of Man was the person who would administer that kingdom... Such was the kingdom of heaven. It was not a mere kingdom of the earth, nor was it in heaven, but it was heaven governing the earth for ever.
The wording announces nearness, not arrival. Everything hung on Israel's answer.
Or, as it may be rendered, "has drawn near." We need to keep this in mind, as it is a key phrase in these opening chapters. Neither John nor our Lord said, The kingdom is going to be set up. In the ways of God the moment had drawn near to fulfil the promises about our Lord. He is the Son of David, Israel's long promised Messiah. It was all presented to them, but it depended on Israel whether they would accept Him or not.
This errand was narrower than we might expect, and it carried its own proof.
Not a word is said about preaching what we call the gospel, or teaching the whole counsel of God. They were to go with the power of the Messiah against Satan and bodily diseases, as a testimony to Israel. They were to declare the kingdom of heaven... But the main mark of the mission was the power He gave them over demons and diseases. How fitting this was, in connection with Israel, is obvious. It was a bright proof that the true King, Jehovah, was there. He could cast out demons Himself, and He could give that power to His servants too. Who but the King, the Lord of hosts, could do this? It was a far greater testimony than if He had kept the power to Himself alone.
Commentators are firm that this errand is not the pattern for Christian work today.
This is not a universal rule for the servants of God at all times. It was a particular mission, for a special time, and with reference to Israel only. It was not the gospel of God's grace, but of the kingdom. The two go together now; but then it was not so. Israel did not receive the testimony of the kingdom. An entire change comes in, and the outward setting up of the kingdom of heaven stays suspended. God's call now goes out to the Gentiles. That call comes in as a vast parenthesis between this message to the lost sheep in Israel and its full completion in the last days.
The same distinction is drawn simply:
We do not preach "the Gospel of the Kingdom" (Matthew 4:23). Christ and the Apostles preached that Kingdom Gospel before the day of Pentecost, and it will be preached again after the rapture. We preach "the Gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24). It takes people morally out of the world and gives them heavenly hopes and destiny.
This announcement is not heard today. But the silence is a pause, not an ending.
This testimony to the nearness of the kingdom has been suspended and will be resumed at the time of the end. The disciples stand here as representative men. What is said applied to them at that moment, and it will apply to others in a similar position at the end of the age. The kingdom, as presented at that moment in Christ in person, was rejected, and so the testimony was withdrawn, as we see in Matthew 16:20.
- Near, not arrived. "At hand" means "has drawn near." Nothing was set up yet. Everything waited on Israel's answer to the King standing among them.
- Near because He was near. The kingdom was near because the promised King was present in His own land.
- Near and proved. The message was short, so power carried it. Healing and deliverance showed the true King was there, able to give His authority to servants.
- Near, then withdrawn. Israel rejected the King, the outward kingdom went on hold, and God's call of grace to the nations came in as a vast parenthesis.
- Near again one day. The mission was interrupted, not cancelled; it will be taken up once more at the end of the age.
Heal [the] infirm, [raise the dead], cleanse lepers, cast out demons ye have received gratuitously, give gratuitously.
Jesus has just called twelve men and hands them an impossible list — sickness, leprosy, death, demons — plus a rule about money. Why does the King lend His own power to messengers, and what condition comes with it?
(A note on wording: older translations read "Freely you have received, freely give." The writers quoted below use that older wording.)
The four works were more than kindness. They showed who had sent the messengers. The striking part is that He could hand His power to others.
It was bright evidence that the true King, Jehovah, was there. He could cast out devils Himself, and He could also give that power to His servants. Who but the King, the Lord of hosts, could do this? This was a far greater testimony than if He had kept the power to Himself.
These signs also show what kind of kingdom is coming — a world with the damage undone.
This is what marks the kingdom — man healed of all sickness and the devil cast out. So Hebrews 6 calls miracles "the powers of the world to come."
The commission joins two things people often separate: God's claims and human misery. Jesus did both Himself, and He sends the twelve to do both.
When the Lord went forth Himself, as in Matthew 4, He healed everyone who had diseases and torments, He cast out devils, and cleansed the lepers. But with all that He preached, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." He published God's claims while He met man's need. And so now, in Matthew 10... Again I say, they were to announce God's rights and relieve man's sorrow.
Commentators add a caution here. These instructions were not a standing rule for every servant of God in every age.
This is not a universal rule for the servants of God at all times. It was a special mission, for a particular time, and it concerned Israel only. It was not the gospel of God's grace, but of the kingdom.
That boundary shows up inside Scripture itself. The seventy whom Jesus later sent out received less than the twelve received here.
The Apostles received delegated power to raise the dead (Matthew 10:8). The seventy received power to heal the sick, which included casting out devils (Luke 10:9, 17). But we read not a word of the seventy raising the dead. We find no instance of it except by the Lord and by the Apostles.
One writer tests anyone who claims this verse as his own commission today. The list is one list; you cannot pick from it.
Anyone who builds so-called faith healing on this verse is just as bound to raise the dead. His failure should convince him of his folly.
The last clause sets the character of everything the twelve do. It matches the way their Master worked.
As far as I can see, He never once claimed the person or the service of those He restored and delivered. He never treated the rescue He worked as a claim on their service... The nature of grace is to impart to others, not to enrich itself.
Because the power was a gift, no one could charge for it.
This power came from the King Himself. They had received it freely, and they were to give freely. They were not to use it for their own gain, as present-day self-styled healers do.
Does "give without pay" rule out supporting those who preach? Grant puts the duty on the hearers, not on the preacher:
This does not mean that the preacher himself is at liberty to take collections or to make any charge for his preaching. These words are for the assembly, not for the servant. They stress the assembly's responsibility to provide such support willingly — not as a salary, but as a free choice.
The principle behind the clause outlives the mission. It applies to anyone who has received anything from God — which is everyone.
To get and not to give makes a miser, whether in the natural world or the spiritual. To give and not to get makes the prodigal and the bankrupt.
But giving has a prerequisite, and it is not technique.
I must be satisfied myself, yes, more than satisfied, before I can impart to others. I cannot give away if I have not enough myself. What a test for all our hearts!... What comes from the head may please the ear and charm the mind. But it leaves the starving soul where it was before — unsatisfied, unfed.
- Received — The twelve carried nothing of their own. The power was the King's, lent to them for a testimony.
- Proof — He could pass His power to others. That said more about who He was than keeping it to Himself.
- Bounded — The commission went to Israel, for that moment. Even the seventy who followed did not get the whole list.
- Free — Grace never charges. Christ healed and claimed nothing back, and His messengers were to imitate that, not trade on it.
- Overflow — What comes free must move on free. Only a soul already satisfied in Christ has anything real to pass along.
Do not provide yourselves with gold, or silver, or brass, for your belts,
Jesus sends out His twelve closest disciples as the King's messengers. The first thing He does is empty their pockets. Why would Jesus forbid His own workers to carry the very money that would make the journey easier?
The "belts" of the verse were not decoration. They were where a traveller kept his cash.
A bag for money or weights. Proverbs 1:14; Isaiah 46:6; Luke 10:4; Luke 22:35-36; John 12:6. In Matthew 10:9 and Mark 6:8, it refers to the belt, part of which served as a purse.
This instruction belonged to one errand at one moment in time.
That is, they were to go just as they were, with the coat they had on, with the shoes they had then on their feet. They were not to provide anything, or to lay up any store as a means of support during their mission. This is not a universal rule for the servants of God at all times. It was a mission of its own kind, for a special time, and with reference to Israel only. It was not the gospel of God's grace, but of the kingdom. The two go together now, but then they did not.
They were walking into towns that already claimed to belong to God — and those towns owed His messengers a living.
They were to take no supply, whether of money or clothing. They were not going out into a heathen world. They were going among people who claimed to acknowledge God, and they came with His message. They also travelled under the guardianship of the King their Master. So they had a right to expect the support owed to His workers.
Jesus Himself pointed back to this trip later on. The same pattern ran through His own life.
The Lord refers to this sending out of the twelve in Luke 22, when He says, "When I sent you out without moneybag or knapsack, did you lack anything?" In fact, for others, there was always plenty in the presence of the Lord. He provided them with everything needed. We never read of the Lord Jesus having any money. On one occasion, when He wanted a coin, He said, "Show me a denarius." When the temple tax collectors wanted the two-drachma tax, He told Peter to go to the sea and cast a hook. Peter was to take the first fish that came up and open its mouth. There he would find a shekel — "take that and give it to them for me and for yourself." His was a life of perfect dependence.
The order did not stand forever. Jesus Himself later withdrew it.
Then the Lord tells them to provide themselves now with purse, bag, and sword. The very things they were not to do before, they were to do from that time. The Lord cancels what He had earlier commanded, as far as the special circumstances were concerned. His goodness and love to them would remain, and so would their walk in wisdom and harmlessness. But the special character of this mission ended at the death of Christ.
One principle still carries over. What they received for nothing, they had to hand on for nothing.
Some well-meaning people have tried to follow these commands to the very letter. But the servants of Christ were never meant to follow them literally during this age. However, two principles in these words find their application in this age. They had received the message and the power for free, and so they were to give it. The gospel is to be free, without price and without money. This principle holds good at this time. What a great failure this is in Christendom! There we find a salaried ministry, pew rents, and fairs and entertainments to raise money for building churches and other things.
Travelling light kept them quick. It also kept their appearance from getting in the way of their message.
These instructions of the Lord all point to the simplicity He wanted to mark His servants. Having no luggage let them travel faster. Their work was among the simple country people of Galilee. There, signs of wealth would have made people less ready to receive their preaching. Besides, if they had two coats, would it not have been their duty to give one to the man who had none?
- Sent. The purse was the belt; the twelve left with the coat and shoes they had on, provided with nothing at all for the road.
- Stripped. The command belonged to one errand — the kingdom announced to Israel — not to every servant of God in every age.
- Supplied. They went among people who owed the King's messengers their keep. They also travelled under the guardianship of the King Himself, and they lacked nothing.
- Changed. Jesus Himself later reversed the order and told them to take purse and bag. The special mission ended with His death, but His care for them did not.
- Free. One principle outlives the empty belt. They received the message and the power for nothing, so the gospel must still go out without price.
nor scrip for the way, nor two body coats, nor sandals, nor a staff for the workman is worthy of his nourishment.
Jesus sends the twelve out with empty hands. No money, no spare clothing, no travel bag. His reason is one short line about a worker and his food. That raises two questions: why send them out with nothing, and what claim does a worker of God have?
Older English translations use "meat" for food here. They also put "staves" in the plural. That has puzzled readers, because Mark's account allows a staff. One writer takes both points together:
The word "meat" in verse 10 means food or nourishment. How simplicity is stamped on the instructions given here! They were to be free from all anxiety. Some have been puzzled by the words "nor yet staves" here, while another passage allows them to take a staff. We know there is nothing contradictory. In this case the Lord says, "Provide not" — that is, they were not to go and get one, but if they had one, they could take it (Mark 6:8).
The empty hands were not poverty for its own sake. The twelve went to people who already claimed the God whose message they carried. That gave them a right to expect support.
They were to take no supply, whether of money or clothing. They were not going out into a pagan world, but among people who claimed God as their own, and they carried His message. They were under the protection of the King, their Master. So they had a right to expect the support due to His labourers.
Another writer reads the order literally — and then marks its limits.
That is, they were to go just as they were, with the coat they had on, with the shoes they then had on their feet. They were not to provide anything, or to lay up any store as a means of support during their mission. This is not a universal rule for the servants of God at all times. It was a special mission, for a special time, and with reference to Israel only.
Matthew records "food"; Luke's parallel says "wages." The difference is not a slip but a fuller provision.
The labourer is indeed worthy of his food, and of his wages. There are other necessities beyond food, and the Lord forgot none. This twofold statement makes it plain (Matt. 10:10, Luke 10:7, as cited in 1 Tim. 5:18). So the apostle declares (1 Cor. 9:14) that the Lord ordained that those who preach the gospel should live by the gospel. The law had done the same before for those who served at the holy things.
Jesus Himself came back to this commission later and reversed its terms.
In Luke 22:35, referring to this very mission, the Lord asks, "When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?" They said, "Nothing." Then He tells them to provide themselves with a moneybag, a knapsack, and a sword. The very things they were not to do before, they were to do from that time. The Lord cancels what He had earlier commanded, as far as the special circumstances went. His goodness and love to them would remain, and so would their walking in wisdom and harmlessness. But the particular character of this mission ended at the death of Christ.
One principle from that mission still belongs to this age. It concerns where the servant looks:
Trust in the Lord, who sends out the labourer, is another principle which belongs to this age as well. All disappointment and discouragement for the servant of Christ comes in when he looks not to the Lord but to man. The Lord never disappoints. "And He said to them, When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything? They said, Nothing" (Luke 22:35). The Lord who calls His servants and sends them out always keeps them when they walk in simple dependence on Himself.
The other side is the duty of those who receive the message.
This was not merely a man's word: the law spoke in exactly the same way. Deuteronomy 25:4 established the principle with a humble working animal. The temple service and the Jewish altars put it into practice too. Finally, the Lord Himself ordained it for the present time, as Matthew 10:10 and other passages in the Gospels show. The principle is overwhelmingly established. Let all who love the Lord be very careful not to neglect any true servant called by Him to His service. If we do so we shall be flying in the face of His word, and we ourselves shall be the great losers.
- Sent — the twelve went exactly as they stood, with nothing stored up. The King who sent them was their protector.
- Supplied — "food" in Matthew and "wages" in Luke together cover the whole need; the Lord left nothing out.
- Special — the ban on money and spare clothing belonged to one mission to Israel, not to every servant in every age.
- Superseded — before the cross Jesus reversed the terms Himself. He told them to take the moneybag and knapsack He had once forbidden.
- Standing — the worker's claim to support outlived the mission. The servant looks to the Lord; those who love the Lord must not neglect the servant.