Matthew 10:5-23
5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not take a road leading to gentiles, and do not enter a Samaritan town, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Cure the sick; raise the dead; cleanse those with a skin disease; cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. [9 Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff, for laborers deserve their food. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
16 “I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the gentiles. 19 When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you at that time, 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Sibling will betray sibling to death and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in this town, flee to the next, for truly I tell you, you will not have finished going through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”
You received without payment; give without payment.
In this long passage from Matthew that we’ll be reading in worship this Sunday, Jesus is preparing his disciples to be sent out to proclaim the Gospel without him for the first time. His description of how they will be treated out in the world is, at best, bleak and, at worst, terrifying. Suffice it to say that they should not expect to be welcomed with open arms.
One of the through lines in this long message is openness and generosity. Jesus encourages the disciples to practice radical trust, literally throwing themselves on the mercy of the people they meet. If the people respond well to the Gospel, they should stay and teach them. If they don’t, the disciples are instructed to walk away without giving it a second thought. Dwelling on the ones who aren’t interested in your message diminishes your ability to reach others who will respond well.
All of this is accomplished with a spirit of generosity. Like those first disciples, we have been fed and nurtured at the Lord’s Table and in Christian Fellowship. We have received what was freely given to teach us how to freely give. Whether those who benefit from our generosity respond well or not has no bearing on our desire to share because that desire is a gift from God.
Prayer: Lord God: All that we have and all that we are is a gift from your hand. Help us share freely from that abundance, shaking the dust off our feet where your love isn’t welcome and resting peacefully where it is. AMEN