HolyStudy
Bible IndexRead BibleNotesChurchesMissionPrivacyTermsContact
© 2026 HolyStudy
HomeRead BibleBible NotesChurchesSign in
HolyStudy
HomeRead BibleBible NotesChurches
Sign in

Matthew 10

1

And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

2

Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;

1
3

Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddeus;

4

Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

5

These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

6

But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

7

And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

8

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

9

Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,

10

Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.

11

And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.

12

And when ye come into an house, salute it.

13

And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.

14

And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

15

Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

16

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

17

But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

18

And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.

19

But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.

20

For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

21

And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.

22

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

23

But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

1
24

The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.

25

It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

26

Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

27

What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.

28

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

29

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

30

But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31

Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

32

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

33

But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

34

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

35

For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

36

And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

37

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

38

And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

39

He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

40

He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

41

He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.

42

And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

← Previous ChapterNext Chapter →

Matthew 10

The first major discourse after the Sermon on the Mount is the Mission Discourse, in which Jesus commissions and equips the twelve for their immediate mission to Israel. They are given authority over impure spirits and power to heal and raise the dead — the same ministry as Jesus himself. The instructions are stringent: go nowhere among the Gentiles (this phase of mission is Israel-only), take nothing for the journey (depend on the hospitality of the worthy), and shake the dust off your feet at towns that reject you. The mission anticipates opposition: you will be handed over to councils, flogged in synagogues, brought before governors and kings. But the Spirit of the Father will speak through you; do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. The chapter closes with the paradoxical economics of the kingdom: those who receive a disciple receive Jesus; those who lose their life for Jesus' sake will find it; even giving a cup of cold water to one of these little ones will not lose its reward.

Matthew 10:28

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. The double fear command: do not fear those with limited power (human persecutors who can kill only the body) and do fear the one with ultimate power (God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell). The soul that survives the body's death is the part that human persecution cannot reach — the limits of human power become the basis for courage in the face of persecution. The fear of God that produces courage before human opponents is not the terror of condemnation but the reverence for the one whose judgment encompasses the whole person. Hebrews 10:31 says it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Matthew 10:29

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. The Father's comprehensive knowledge and care extends to sparrows — birds of minimal economic value (two for a penny). Not one falls without the Father's knowing. Luke 12:6 has five sparrows for two pennies — the fifth is thrown in free, yet the Father knows even that one. The argument is again a fortiori: if the Father's knowledge and care extends to sparrows of such low economic value, the disciples of far greater value are certainly within the Father's comprehensive attention.

Matthew 10:30

But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. The comprehensive divine knowledge of the disciples extends to the number of their hairs — the most trivial detail of personal physicality, changing daily, unknown even to the disciples themselves. The Father who numbers the hairs of the disciples' heads is the Father who cannot be caught off guard by whatever happens to them. The point is not that the Father prevents every bad thing (sparrows do fall) but that nothing happens outside his knowledge and purpose.

Matthew 10:31

Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. The conclusion of the Father's-care argument: do not fear, because you are more valuable than many sparrows, and the Father who knows every sparrow knows you infinitely better. The repeated fear not of verses 26, 28, and 31 is the pastoral application of the theological teaching: the disciples who understand the Father's comprehensive knowledge and care will not be paralyzed by the opposition's threats. 1 Peter 5:7 says cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you — the same transfer of anxiety to the caring Father that Matthew 10:29–31 grounds theologically.

Matthew 10:32

So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven. The mutual acknowledgment principle: those who confess Jesus publicly will be confessed by Jesus before the Father; those who deny him will be denied. Romans 10:9–10 says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart, you will be saved. The acknowledgment before men is the public dimension of the faith that acknowledges Jesus' identity and authority. The disciples who face governors and kings (verse 18) are the disciples whose public confession before human authority will be matched by Jesus' acknowledgment before the Father.

Matthew 10:33

But whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. The reverse: denial of Jesus before men produces denial by Jesus before the Father. 2 Timothy 2:12 says if we deny him, he also will deny us. Peter's denial in Matthew 26:69–75 and his restoration in John 21:15–19 provide the narrative illustration: denial followed by genuine repentance and restoration is possible; the permanent denial that is in view here is the deliberate, persistent rejection of Jesus before the world.

Matthew 10:34

Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. The peace that Jesus does not bring and the sword he does bring: the social disruption and family division of verses 21–22 are named with the startling sword image. The peace that Jesus brings ultimately (John 14:27 — my peace I give to you) is first preceded by the disruption that his claims produce. Isaiah 9:6 calls Jesus the Prince of Peace, and that peace is the final reality — but the road to that peace passes through the divisions that his call to decision creates. Luke 12:51 has division rather than sword — both capture the separating function of Jesus' arrival.

Matthew 10:35

For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. The citation of Micah 7:6 applies a prophecy about the general breakdown of social trust to the specific divisions that loyalty to Jesus produces. The three household pairs — father/son, mother/daughter, mother-in-law/daughter-in-law — are the three fundamental generational relationships of the ancient household. Jesus' claim on the disciples creates a loyalty that reorganizes even these primary bonds.

Matthew 10:36

And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. The direct quotation of Micah 7:6: the enemy within the house. The family that should be the source of support becomes the source of opposition when the family is divided along lines of loyalty to Jesus. John 7:5 records that Jesus' own brothers did not believe in him — the pattern appears even in the immediate family of Jesus himself. The enemies within the household are not to be met with violence but endured with the faith that the Father's care provides.

Matthew 10:37

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. The absolute claim: the love of Jesus must exceed the love of father, mother, son, and daughter. The worthy — the one who meets the standard for kingdom membership — is the one whose love for Jesus reorganizes all other loves. Luke 14:26 uses the stronger hates — if anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother — which in the Hebrew idiom of comparison means loves less than. The disciples are being asked for a love that makes the dearest human loves look like lesser loves by comparison.

Matthew 10:38

And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. The cross appears here before the passion narrative as the image of the total self-giving that discipleship requires. The cross was not primarily a theological symbol when Jesus spoke these words — it was the instrument of Roman execution, carried by the condemned to the place of their death. Taking one's cross means accepting the cost of the path one has chosen and continuing to walk toward whatever awaits at the end of it. Luke 9:23 adds the daily dimension: take up your cross daily and follow me — the cross-bearing is not a single moment of martyrdom but a continuous posture.

Matthew 10:39

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. The paradox of life and loss: the one who clings to life (preserves, protects, manages the self to ensure its survival) will lose it; the one who loses life for Jesus' sake will find it. Matthew 16:25 repeats this saying in the context of Peter's rebuke and the first passion prediction. John 12:24–25 uses the grain-of-wheat image: unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit. The self that is surrendered for Jesus' sake is not destroyed but transformed; the self that is preserved against all cost is the self that loses the only life worth having.

Matthew 10:40

Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. The identification of the disciples with Jesus and Jesus with the Father creates a chain of reception: receiving a disciple is receiving Jesus; receiving Jesus is receiving the Father who sent him. John 13:20 records the same chain: whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. The implication for the communities that receive or reject the disciples is enormous: their response to a wandering apostle is their response to the Son of God and the God of Israel. The disciples' vulnerability and apparent insignificance mask the weight of who they represent.

Matthew 10:41

The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. The prophet's reward and the righteous person's reward are the rewards associated with their roles — participation in what they embody. The one who receives a prophet because they are a prophet is receiving the word of God the prophet brings; the reward is the benefit of that word. The reception is the reason for the reward: because he is a prophet communicates that the reception is for the person's role rather than for personal benefit.

Matthew 10:42

And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward. The chapter closes with the smallest possible act of reception: a cup of cold water to a little one (a disciple) because of their discipleship. The reward is certain — by no means will it be lost — and the minimum act is significant: the cup of cold water given to the least significant disciple is received by Jesus as the reception of Jesus himself (verse 40). The kingdom's economy reverses the world's economies of significance: what the world considers too small to record, the Father considers valuable enough to reward.

Matthew 10:16

Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. The mission's danger is acknowledged: the disciples go as sheep among wolves — the same sheep and wolf imagery as the false prophets of 7:15, now applied to the disciples' vulnerability. The wisdom of serpents and innocence of doves are the complementary virtues for the dangerous mission: serpents were proverbially shrewd in perceiving and avoiding danger (Genesis 3:1 uses the word for the serpent's wisdom); doves were proverbially gentle and harmless. The combination prevents both naivety (innocence without wisdom) and cynical manipulation (wisdom without innocence).

Matthew 10:17

Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues. The persecution that awaits: arrest, trial, flogging in synagogues. The same institutional religious establishment that is already accusing Jesus (9:3, 34) will pursue the disciples with the same hostility. Acts 5:40 records the apostles being flogged by the Sanhedrin; Acts 22:19 records Paul flogging believers in synagogues before his conversion. The prediction is not hypothetical but is fulfilled in the book of Acts and in the history of the early church. The institutions of religion and politics will both oppose the kingdom's messengers.

Matthew 10:18

And you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. The reach of the persecution extends beyond the synagogues to the Roman governors and the client kings — the same authorities who threatened Jesus in chapter 2 (Herod) and who will condemn him in chapter 27 (Pilate). The dragging before governors and kings is simultaneously persecution and opportunity: the disciples' testimony will be heard by the powers that cannot be reached by ordinary preaching. Acts 24–26 records Paul before Felix, Festus, and Agrippa — each a fulfillment of this verse.

Matthew 10:19

When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. The do not be anxious in the face of persecution echoes the do not be anxious about provision (6:25) — both forms of anxiety are addressed by the same principle: the Father provides. The specific provision promised here is the speech to give in the moment of trial. Acts 4:8–13 records Peter filled with the Holy Spirit speaking to the rulers and elders with a boldness that amazed them. The Spirit who provides the speech in the trial moment is the same Spirit who empowers the mission.

Matthew 10:20

For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. The Spirit of your Father — the Holy Spirit — is the divine provision for the trial moment. The disciples will speak, but the speech is from the Spirit; they are instruments of a voice greater than their own. This is not a counsel for unprepared public speaking in general but for the specific situation of trial before hostile authorities. The same Spirit who descended on Jesus at the baptism (3:16) will speak through the disciples in their moments of trial. 1 Peter 4:14 says the Spirit of glory and of God rests on those who suffer for the name of Christ.

Matthew 10:21

Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. The social disruption that the mission produces: family divisions as severe as the delivering of relatives to death. The gospel that requires a decision for or against Jesus will divide households along those lines of decision. Luke 12:51–53 records Jesus saying he came not to bring peace but division: from now on five in one household will be divided. The family that was the basic unit of ancient society is restructured by the kingdom's claim — the new family of disciples (12:46–50) takes precedence over the biological family.

Matthew 10:22

And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. The universal hatred — hated by all — is the social consequence of the mission that chapter 5:11 already anticipated: blessed are those who are persecuted for my sake. The endurance to the end that leads to salvation is not the earning of salvation by persistence but the demonstration of genuine faith through the persistence that genuine faith produces. Hebrews 12:1–2 calls the disciples to run with endurance the race set before them, looking to Jesus. The end may be the end of the individual's trials or the end of the age; either way, endurance through the tribulation is the mark of those who belong to the kingdom.

Matthew 10:23

When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. The tactical instruction — flee rather than stay and be martyred unnecessarily — and the eschatological timeline: the Son of Man will come before the disciples have completed the circuit of Israel's towns. The coming of the Son of Man has been variously interpreted as the resurrection, the coming judgment on Jerusalem in 70 AD, or the final return. In the context of the mission to Israel, it suggests an urgency that makes the disciples' mission a race against time — the kingdom's arrival in power will overtake the disciples' mission before it is complete.

Matthew 10:24

A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. The principle of shared fate: if Jesus faces opposition, the disciples who represent him will face the same opposition. Luke 6:40 adds that the disciple, when fully trained, will be like his teacher. The disciples' suffering is not an anomaly but a participation in the teacher's experience. The disciple-teacher relationship means that the world treats the student as it treats the teacher. If Jesus is accused of demonic power (verse 25), the disciples will be accused of the same — and the accusation is evidence of authenticity, not failure.

Matthew 10:25

It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household? The Beelzebul accusation (already anticipated from 9:34 and fully engaged in 12:24) is the model for the treatment the disciples will receive: if the master is called demonic, the students will be called the same or worse. Beelzebul (lord of the flies, or lord of dung) was a Philistine deity's name applied insultingly to the chief of demons. The disciples who share in the teacher's mission share in the teacher's dishonor — and should expect nothing better.

Matthew 10:26

So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. The fear that the opposition produces is addressed: do not fear, because the truth will eventually be fully revealed. The hidden things that will be known and the covered things that will be revealed are the true character of the opposition and the true identity and authority of Jesus. Romans 2:16 speaks of the day when God judges the secrets of men; Revelation 20:12 describes the books being opened. The disclosure that is coming means the disciples need not be agitated by false accusations — the full truth will eventually be made visible.

Matthew 10:1

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. The commissioning of the twelve moves from the prayer for laborers (9:38) to the sending of laborers. Jesus first gives authority — the authority to heal and exorcise is delegated, not manufactured, and the delegation is explicit. The twelve disciples receive the same comprehensive authority that Jesus has exercised in chapters 8–9: over unclean spirits (8:28–32; 9:32–33) and over every disease and every affliction (4:23; 9:35). The kingdom authority that belongs to the Son is extended to those the Son sends. John 20:21 records the risen Jesus saying: as the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you — the chain of mission and authority.

Matthew 10:27

What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. The disciples are to take the private teaching they have received in the intimate context of Jesus' company and make it fully public — the darkness of private instruction becomes the light of public proclamation, the whisper becomes the housetop announcement. Luke 12:3 applies the same principle in the reverse direction — what is said in the dark will be heard in the light. The kingdom's message is not an esoteric secret for the initiated but a public proclamation for all to hear.

Matthew 10:2

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. The twelve are named — the naming in pairs reflects their calling in pairs (4:18–22; 9:9; and the remaining pairs from other accounts). Apostles — the word means sent ones — is the title that corresponds to the commissioning: they are named here not merely as disciples (learners) but as apostles (those sent with authority). Simon is called Peter — the nickname Jesus gave him (John 1:42) — and Andrew his brother; James and John, the sons of Zebedee. The first four are the fishermen of 4:18–22.

Matthew 10:3

Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus. The list continues: Philip and Bartholomew (probably the Nathanael of John 1:45–51); Thomas and Matthew. Matthew is identified as the tax collector — the only self-identification of the author in the gospel, and a mark of the grace that called a collaborator with Roman economic exploitation to the apostolic company. James the son of Alphaeus distinguishes the second James from the son of Zebedee; Thaddaeus is the apostle called Judas (not Iscariot) in Luke and John.

Matthew 10:4

Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. The list closes with the two politically extreme figures: Simon the Zealot, whose designation may indicate association with the revolutionary movement that sought violent overthrow of Roman rule, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. The inclusion of Judas in the list is not an editorial slip but a theological statement: the one who will betray Jesus was part of the twelve who were sent, received the authority, and heard the commission. The betrayal does not invalidate the mission; it is part of the story of the mission's fulfillment.

Matthew 10:5

These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans. The mission's first limitation surprises readers who know the great commission of Matthew 28:19 — go to all nations. The restriction to Israel in this initial mission is not the final word but the first chapter: Israel must be offered the kingdom first (Romans 1:16 — to the Jew first and also to the Greek). The limited mission to Israel during Jesus' earthly ministry will give way to the unlimited mission after the resurrection. The Samaritan restriction reflects the historical Jewish-Samaritan tension; Jesus will himself engage Samaritans in John 4, and the disciples will be sent to Samaria in Acts 1:8.

Matthew 10:6

But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The lost sheep of the house of Israel are those who need the shepherd of Matthew 9:36 — the harassed and helpless who are like sheep without a shepherd. The kingdom first reaches those to whom the covenant promises were made. Matthew 15:24 records Jesus applying the same phrase to himself: I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel — the initial mission is circumscribed before it expands. The lost sheep image connects to the Parable of the Lost Sheep in Luke 15:3–7, where God's own passion for the lost becomes the theological basis for the disciples' mission.

Matthew 10:7

And proclaim as you go, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. The message the disciples carry is the same message John and Jesus proclaimed (3:2; 4:17): the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The disciples do not bring a different message from Jesus' own; they extend his message geographically and personally. The kingdom's nearness is the news that requires a response — it is both announcement (this is what is happening) and invitation (therefore repent and believe). Acts 8:12 records Philip proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God, and Acts 19:8 records Paul speaking boldly about the kingdom. The kingdom message that begins in Matthew 3 continues through the Acts of the Apostles.

Matthew 10:8

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. The comprehensive authority extends to the comprehensive mission: the same four categories of restoration that appear in chapters 8–9 (healing, raising, cleansing lepers, exorcism) are delegated to the disciples. The raise the dead — included in the commission before Jesus has publicly raised the dead — anticipates the scope of the authority that is being delegated. You received without paying; give without pay is the kingdom economy of grace: the gospel that was received as a gift is to be transmitted as a gift. 2 Corinthians 11:7 records Paul's commitment to proclaiming the gospel free of charge.

Matthew 10:9

Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts. The economic provisions for the mission: no financial preparation. The disciples are to travel with radical dependency on the provision of those they serve. The prohibition on gold, silver, and copper is the prohibition on the financial security that would make the mission independent of the hospitality of those who receive it. The economic dependency of the missionary creates the social bond between the missionary and the community that receives them — the disciple who must depend on the household's hospitality is also the disciple whose message must engage the household's life.

Matthew 10:10

No bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. The mission's material simplicity: one tunic, sandals as worn, a staff (Mark 6:8 permits a staff; Matthew may envision the omission of the walking staff). The laborer deserves his food is the theological justification for the economic dependency: those who work deserve to be sustained by those they serve. Luke 10:7 repeats the principle — the laborer deserves his wages. 1 Corinthians 9:14 and 1 Timothy 5:18 both cite this principle as the basis for the church's obligation to support its ministers. The radical simplicity of the mission equipment is not asceticism but trust in the provision of those who receive the gospel.

Matthew 10:11

And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. The hospitality strategy: identify a worthy host (one who is receptive and provides a welcoming home) and stay there for the duration of the ministry in that location. The staying in one place rather than moving from house to house (Luke 10:7 makes this explicit) creates stability and avoids the appearance of shopping for better accommodations. The worthy host is the household whose welcome communicates genuine receptivity to the message.

Matthew 10:12

As you enter the house, greet it. The greeting of the house is the extension of peace to it — the customary greeting shalom expanded into the kingdom's specific gift. Luke 10:5 has peace to this house. The greeting is both cultural courtesy and kingdom announcement: the shalom of the kingdom is extended to the household that receives the disciples.

Matthew 10:13

And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. The peace that is given to the worthy house rests on it; the peace that is not received returns to the giver. The peace of the kingdom is not diminished by being rejected — it returns intact to the disciples who offered it. The worthy house that receives the disciples' peace becomes a site of the kingdom's presence; the unworthy house that refuses it forfeits the peace that was offered.

Matthew 10:14

And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. The dust-shaking is a gesture of prophetic judgment and personal disassociation: the Jewish practice of shaking off Gentile dust when leaving Gentile territory is here applied to the towns and households of Israel that reject the kingdom's messengers. Acts 13:51 records Paul and Barnabas shaking dust from their feet in Pisidian Antioch after the Jewish leadership rejected their message. The gesture is not contempt but judgment — the messengers have done their part; the rejection is the town's or household's responsibility.

Matthew 10:15

Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. The comparison to Sodom and Gomorrah is the most severe judgment language in the chapter: the towns of Israel that reject the kingdom's messengers will face a more severe judgment than the most notorious sinners of the Hebrew scriptures. The reason is the light available: Sodom and Gomorrah never had the gospel of the kingdom presented to them by the disciples of Jesus. Greater light creates greater accountability. Luke 12:48 makes the principle explicit: everyone to whom much was given, much will be required.