Luke 10:7-12

Luke 10:7 (KJB)
And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.

They were not to make any provisions for their journey and were to completely trust God for their necessities. This type of situation also placed a Gospel obligation on the hearers of the messages the apostles preached. The Gospel does not only place a demand of faith on the hearer, but it also requires action on their part. (James 2:17 KJV) Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Faith without works is dead. How can someone sit in a crowd and hear everything being spoken about the Gospel and then refuse to do so much as to house and feed the preachers. (Gal 6:6 KJV) Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Galatians 6:6 teaches that those who hear the Gospel from a preacher and if that preacher is proclaiming the truth, then there should be no reason why that person’s ministry should not be supported. Then the apostles are not to stay at a different house each night. If they have found a host that gives them food and roof over their head, then they are to remain at that residence until their ministry in that place is complete.

Luke 10:8 (KJB)
And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:

There is also a responsibility on the part of the seventy. When they have found a place which houses them and feeds them, they are not to be fussy when it comes to a meal or living arrangements. Maybe the meals they receive are very basic and bland and if that is the case, then they should not complain but be very thankful to the host for the provisions. It may be that basic provisions is their hosts can afford. What they would receive was not a gift to them but was a type of compensation for the ministry they brought. Imagine receiving eternal life through salvation and all it costs you is a meal. In worldly measurements, it would be like paying 5¢ for a pound of pure gold. Today’s spot price (7/5/13) is $1215 per ounce making a pound 12 troy ounces at $14580. Not a bad harvest for a nickel!

Luke 10:9 (KJB)
And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

Jesus then further develops the message they are to bring to those whose homes they are staying in and also to the city in general where they would be preaching. They are to proclaim to the people that the Kingdom of God has come near to them. This was pointing to the fact that Jesus would be passing through their town. He was the Kingdom of God personified who made war with the kingdom of Satan and won every confrontation. The Messiah whom they looked for is coming very shortly to their town or village. To confirm this message so the people would know that they are not just false preachers, they were also to heal those who were sick. The healing would give the people visual confirmation that the Kingdom of God was indeed here. (Mark 16:20 KJV) And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. This was a forerunner of the time when the Kingdom of God would be proclaimed in full strength of the Holy Spirit.

Luke 10:10 (KJB)
But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say,

If they do enter a city where they are not welcome, then they are to go into the middle of the town in the main street and were to give a public object lesson. This was not something strange but was associated with the prophets who also did this. They were to find the most public place they could but normally it would have been the main street or town square. Then they were to make their proclamation as loud as they could so the most people would hear it.

Luke 10:11 (KJB)
Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

Their message to the town which rejects them is that they, in turn, will totally reject them to the point of not even carrying out any dust on their shoes. Whenever the Jews visited a foreign land, before they entered Israel again, they completely wiped the dust off their shoes to make sure they did not bring back any Gentile dirt and defile the land. Here by wiping off their shoes, they are telling the people that they have rejected, not only them, but they have rejected the Kingdom of God and the Messiah. Their rejection will not stop the Kingdom of God from coming. The problem is that by rejecting the Jesus the Messiah, they are in essence, accepting Satan as their messiah. There are only two kingdoms and since they rejected the Kingdom of God, their only other choice is Satan’s kingdom.

Luke 10:12 (KJB)
But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.

If the same mighty works which was done in Galilee, was done in Sodom and Gomorrha, they would have realized the day of their visitation and would have repented and embraced God. The cities here that have physically seen the miracles of Jesus and yet have rejected Him and the Kingdom of God, they will face a greater judgment than Sodom, because Sodom did not have these miracles but these cities did.

Back