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Unfortunately, different people have different points of view about
who is godly and spiritually mature. So Jesus directs the disciples to
follow the recommendation and give the home a blessing as they enter.
The common blessing for the Jews was, “Shalom.” It means
peace and implies God’s blessing upon the home and those within.
But if they discover later that the homeowner rejects them and their
ministry, then they were to take back their blessing of “Shalom.” In
fact, they are to treat the homeowner as the Jews treated the Gentiles
by “shaking the dust off” of their feet. This visible act
of lifting one’s shoe and shaking the dust off was performed by
the Jews in order to remove what they regarded as defilement - “Gentile
dust” from their feet. The Jews believed that dust from Gentile
territory defiled them. So the disciples were to treat those who treated
them as Jews rejected Gentiles. An illustration of this can be found
in Acts 13:51.
At first, this may seem to be wrong. But even the rest
of the New Testament warns us to avoid and, if necessary, to confront
those who reject the gospel. Jesus was not talking about those who have
not heard about Jesus or those who simply reject the good news about
Jesus. He was talking about those who actively opposed the apostles.
For example, Jesus told us to not cast our pearls before swine in Matt.
7:6. That is, do not continue offering your best if the person will reject
the message. Unfortunately, one does not know how a person will respond
until multiple attempts have been made. There are some who will not accept
the good news about Jesus. Repeated attempts to share the gospel are
a waste of time. Also, we have been warned to not give false teachers
a greeting and to not allow them into our homes. If we do, we are helping
them. Those who continuously reject the gospel are the enemies of Christ
and the kingdom of God, and some day God will judge them.
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. (NASB) Matt. 10:15 This will occur not because God hates them, but because they have actively
rejected the only help that God has provided for them.
Trouble Is Coming. One would think that
people would welcome the good news about Jesus, but many do not. Not
only is Satan opposed to God, not only is he the god of this world (2
Cor. 4:4) who has blinded the world, but the gospel appears to be foolishness
to many (1 Cor. 1:18). So we should not be surprised that Jesus warned
the disciples that trouble would follow them. The same is true for anyone
who is seriously involved in ministry today.
So Jesus cautioned them with these words,
Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. (NASB) Matt. 10:16 Stop for a minute and think about Jesus’ words. The disciples
were to be like sheep among wolves. Wolves eat sheep. Anyone who has
lived in the wilderness or desert long enough soon discovers that wolves
usually attack their victims in packs. They are usually afraid to attack
one-on-one. But they become bold when others join them. They attack their
victim, grab its throat, and shred their victim. The same happens in
churches and in the world. Christians are to be like lambs and not wolves.
We are not to be wolves.
Then Jesus describes the type of vicious attacks that Christians
will suffer, especially those who are fully engaged in the ministry.
But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. (NASB) Matt. 10:17-22 The attacks will come from those outside one’s family and from
within the family. The attacks will occur at the national and local levels
of government. The disciples would be betrayed and hated by those whom
they would least expect. In verses 19-20, Jesus promised the disciples
that the Holy Spirit will help them to know what to say when trouble
comes. But the answer would not necessarily allow them to escape trouble.
That was not the goal. The goal was to spread the good news about Jesus.
A Time To Fight. Jesus’ next words
makes this point very clear.
But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next . . . (NASB) Matt. 10:23a Eventually, they may have to flee in order to escape persecution. In
Acts 4:19-20, 29-31 and in Acts 5:40-42, the disciples refused the request
of the Jewish Sanhedrin Council to stop telling others about Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit helped them respond. They refused to obey and escaped.
But later in Acts 8:1, persecution broke out and Christians fled from
Jerusalem. This was a positive event because it resulted in the spread
of the gospel. The gospels reveal that Jesus fled on one occasion (Luke
4:28-30). The apostle Paul did as well (Acts 9:30). There is nothing
wrong in fleeing under these circumstances. A wise or shrewd serpent
will attempt to escape. Prov. 27:12 says that the prudent man sees trouble
and hides himself. So Christians should too!
Finish Going Throughout Israel. The last
part of verse 23 has caused some confusion when Jesus said,
. . . for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes. (NASB) Matt. 10:23b The key to understanding the passage is found in the Greek that is translated
as “finish.” The Greek word is TELEO. It has the idea of “to
complete, to finish, or to bring an activity to a successful end and
or completion.” That is, the disciples would not bring the activity
of going from village-to-village, city-to-city to a successful end or
completion until the Son of Man comes. This is not a statement that says
once the disciples have visited every city or village that Jesus would
come. The emphasis is on the fact that their mission will be not be completed
until Jesus’ Second Coming!
Conclusion. Jesus called the disciples
even though He knew that He was sending them into spiritual war. A majority
of the verses have been about rejection and conflict. Yet, Jesus encouraged
the disciples to not take anything personally. In verse 18, He told them
that trouble would come for “My sake” and in verse 22 “because
of My name.” Their mission was to preach Jesus Christ. They were
to tell others about Jesus, and so should we. Trouble would come if they
faithfully did as Jesus asked. Trouble would come because of their association
with Jesus. That is the price for following Jesus. The disciples were
to preach, heal, seek peace, fight for the faith when necessary, and
flee when they must.
The following true life account is a simple reminder that
Jesus wants you and I to be in the battle for lost souls.
I decided one day I would present the gospel to a doctor friend as we had lunch together. I drew a simple little chart that had on one side of the page a circle-God-and wrote under it “holy.” Then on the other side of the page I drew a circle representing the world-mankind-and under it the word “unholy.” And then I built a bridge between God and mankind with a cross and wrote the name of Christ across the horizontal bar of the cross. I was so careful to keep it simple. After lunch I slid it across the table at that restaurant. My heart was just in my throat. I thought, He’s [going to] believe. He’s [going to] love this! He looked at that, studied it for a few seconds, and he smiled and he said, “In a thousand years I could never believe that.” Couldn’t have been more clear or simple, but he couldn’t have been further from interest in that truth. And I said, “Have you ever seen that before?” He said, “No. Never in my life. Never. Never seen it and I’m not interested.”[1] Are you ready and willing to tell others about Jesus? Remember, if you
are faithful trouble will come!
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References:
 1. Charles R. Swindoll. The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart. W. Publishing Group. 1998. p. 165.
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