Jesus’s Missionary Instructions
Jesus’s Missionary Instructions
There are currently 3,200,000,000+ people in the world who remain unreached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This means that not only are these 3.2 billion souls lost, but they live in places and people groups where there are few to zero known believers or churches among them. Because of this, these unreached people will likely never hear the Gospel unless someone is sent to them with the Gospel. What Paul wrote in Romans 10 describes their situation very well: “These unreached people will not hear the gospel, believe it’s truth, and call on the name of the Lord to be saved unless someone is sent to them to preach the good news. The Bible is clear. If someone doesn’t go and proclaim the gospel to them, they don’t have a chance” (Romans 10:14-15, paraphrase).
My family and I were sent to South Asia several years ago with the purpose of seeing the unreached peoples of South Asia engaged with the Gospel. Since landing, we have witnessed many ups and downs. Many people have rejected the Gospel, but still, many people have come to Christ. In this writing, I want to explore some instructions from Jesus in the Gospels that I have found to be very applicable to this work of engaging unreached peoples and places with the Gospel.
Jesus’s Missionary Discourse
In Luke 9:1-6, Mark 6:7-13, and Matthew 9:35-11:1, we see the account of Jesus training and sending out the 12 disciples to proclaim the Gospel among the lost sheep of Israel. In Luke 10:1-12, we see Jesus commission another 72 disciples with nearly identical training and instructions.
Robert Duncan Culver wrote regarding this in regards to Matthew 10:
“This long discourse of Jesus relates more specifically than any comparable section to the right practice of missionary evangelism by the church. Lamentably it has not figured largely in the literature of missiology. Christians within the Roman Empire succeeded in evangelizing it in less than three centuries. This was not because they were organized to ‘go, and to send,’ but because they as Christians simply behaved as Christians as set forth in the Scriptures discussed in this chapter and followed examples of apostolic activity.”*
Since Culver wrote this, these passages have become a hot topic in missions. Some missionaries today stress the importance of this passage for missionary evangelism and practice today. But others disagree strongly, arguing that these instructions were only intended for the specific time and place that Jesus gave them. I want to examine these Scriptures with you and share why I believe these instructions are still applicable and instructive for our missions practices today.
Those who argue against Matthew 9:35-11:1, Luke 9:1-6, and Luke 10:1-12 instructing our mission practices today give the following objections:
Meaning of Son of Peace: The Greek word for “Son” in the phrase “Son of Peace” must mean a faithful Jew that is trusting in the promises of God and therefore it has no cross-cultural application.
Redemptive Historical Context: The instructions Jesus gave were only for that time and place and not intended to serve as instructions for the future ministry of subsequent disciples.
Luke 10:1-12 and Matthew 10:5-15 are descriptive, not prescriptive: This viewpoint states that not everything described in a narrative is a prescription for that conduct to be repeated for all time. Because these words are found in a narrative account, the claim is that they are not prescriptive for us today.
Luke 22: These instructions are not intended for today because Jesus later amends them in Luke 22.
I hope to demonstrate why I believe Jesus meant this passage to be instructive for all disciples as they follow Him and fish for people until the end of the age. I will address each of these four objections as we proceed. I want to be clear: I am not saying this is the only way we should engage new people groups and places with the Gospel. This is one of several ways we engage new peoples and places in our work. We also enter and proclaim the Gospel in the marketplace, in mosques and temples, through relational connections, through loving service, and as we go throughout our day at tea stalls, gas stations, and more. I am saying that these passages are and should be instructive for our work today. The practices taught by Jesus are a good example for us, and the principles are applicable and helpful as we consider how we enter into lost and unreached communities.
The Instructions
In the context that precedes Jesus’s missionary discourse in Matthew 10, Jesus has been preaching and teaching throughout many cities and villages, healing the sick and casting out demons (Matthew 4:23-9:35). As Jesus was doing this, He looked on the crowds and had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Looking to His disciples He tells them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:35-38). In that context, He calls the disciples to him to be sent out to proclaim the Kingdom, heal the sick, and cast out demons (Matthew 10:1-4).
Throughout the rest of the chapter, Matthew gives a detailed account of the instructions He gave to His disciples. In verses 5-15, Jesus instructs them:
“These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 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. 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.” (Matthew 10:5-15, ESV)
These instructions are very similar to the accounts in Mark 6, Luke 9, and Luke 10.
How are they instructed to go? They are to go with urgency and prayerful dependency. Not greeting anyone on the road, but rather they must remain focused on urgently taking the Gospel of the Kingdom to those who need to hear it. In this mission, they are to go only to the lost sheep in the house of Israel, however later in the same discourse Jesus alludes to their future mission to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:18). They are not to take any extra things with them, but are rather to trust God to provide for their means as they go.
What are they supposed to do? They are to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. They are being sent to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom and demonstrate the power and authority of the King.
As they proclaim the Gospel, what type of people are they to search for? They are to find out “who is worthy” in whatever places they are going, and they are to stay in the “worthy house” (Matthew 10:11-13). The Greek word used here for “find out” is “ἐξετάζω exetazō,” which is the same word used when Herod sent the wise men to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child” (Matthew 3:8). So Jesus is instructing them to search for the worthy person. In the Luke accounts, this worthy person is called a “person of peace” or “son of peace.” Both of these terms are used synonymously in Matthew and Luke.
Son of Peace
So this brings us to our first critical question regarding whether this teaching is something that should instruct our missions practices today: What is a person of peace or a house of peace?
One argument is that “son of peace” must mean a Jewish believer faithful to God’s covenant because of the use of the Greek word “υἱός huios.” They claim that this familial language means that a “son of peace” is a faithful offspring of Abraham, someone who is already converted. But this can’t be the case for at least four reasons:
First, this same Greek word is also used when Jesus rebukes the Pharisees, calling them and their proselytes “sons of hell” (Matthew 23:15). So it’s wrong to assert that the use of the familial word “son” here automatically denotes a faithful covenant-keeping Jew.
Second, Jesus started his instructions by telling them to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 10:6). Claiming the “son of peace” whom they are searching for must mean a faithful Jewish believer is inconsistent with the directions Jesus has already given them.
Third, Jesus is sending them out to do what He Himself has been doing in Matthew 4:23-9:35. In that time, Jesus goes to fishermen, tax collectors, and sinners. He states He has come not for the healthy, but the sick (Matthew 9:12-13). To say that Jesus is instructing them to go find those who are already converted, faithful, covenant-keeping Jews completely misses the point of what Jesus has been doing and what He is sending His disciples out to do.
Fourth and finally, Jesus himself defines the characteristics of the worthy person of peace in the passage:
“And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 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.” (Matthew 10:11-14 ESV; Luke 10:5-6, 10-11 repeats a similar definition.)
These passages clearly define a person of peace as someone prepared by God to receive the messenger, the message, and the mission. They are prepared by God, because no one can receive the message without God’s supernatural preparation. They receive the messenger by welcoming them and showing them hospitality. They also receive the message; they hear the Gospel and receive it by faith. Finally, they receive the mission. This one is not quite as explicit, but welcoming and helping the messengers is a way of participating in their mission (Matthew 10:40-42, 2 John 10-11, 3 John 5-8). As they welcome them into their home, the person of peace is also connecting them to their household. In opening their household to the messengers, they are participating in the mission. And third, we will see later in the discourse, to receive Jesus is to receive His mission (Matthew 10:27, 32-33, 37-39). It’s not optional. Therefore, the reception of the message necessitates the reception of the mission.
This is how Jesus Himself defines the person of peace or the worthy person. And in this definition, it is neither explicitly nor implicitly taught that the “son of peace” means an existing faithful Jewish person.
In Matthew 9, Matthew the tax collector fits this exact description of a son of peace. Jesus comes to him at the tax booth and calls Matthew to follow Him. Matthew rose and followed Him. Matthew welcomes Jesus into his home and gathers many tax collectors with Jesus and His disciples. Matthew is an example of a person of peace. He received Jesus, His message, and His mission. And Matthew clearly was not a faithful, covenant-keeping Jew before this. This contradicts the idea that “son of peace” is just a term for a faithful, covenant-keeping Jew.
To reiterate, a person of peace is someone prepared by God who receives the messengers of the Kingdom, receives the message of the Kingdom, and then receives the mission of the Kingdom. This has not been a controversial interpretation over the years.
In summary, the disciples were instructed by Jesus to search out persons of peace everywhere they went (Matthew 10:11, Luke 10:5-6). The person of peace is someone who receives the messenger, the message, and the mission.
The rest of the instructions
This brings us to the rest of the discourse. Jesus continues his instructions in Matthew 10:16-39.
The main point Jesus reiterates again and again through this section of Scripture is that the disciples are going to face rejection, persecution, and suffering for their proclamation of the Gospel. They are going to be delivered over to courts, they will be flogged, they will be dragged before kings and governors for the sake of Christ. They will be hated by all for His name’s sake, even by those in their own household. He makes it clear that everyone who wants to follow Him and preach the Gospel must take up one’s cross.
Is this passage only for this time period of redemptive history or until the end of the age?
This section of Jesus’s instructions brings us to our next critical question: Were these instructions only for that specific time in redemptive history? This is what is claimed by those who believe these instructions aren’t applicable to our modern day. Again, proponents of this view believe that Jesus gave these instructions solely for His followers and their immediate mission to the Jews as a final offer of the Kingdom before their judgment.
But upon deeper inspection, this section of Scripture reveals truths that are clearly not only instructive for the immediate mission of the 12 disciples or the 72 among the Jews but also for post-Pentecost ministry to the Gentiles. For example, in Matthew 10:16-20, Jesus warns them that He is sending them out as sheep among wolves. Because of this, He tells them to beware of men because they are going to deliver them over to courts, flog them, and drag them before kings and governors for His sake as a witness to them and to the Gentiles. If these instructions are strictly for their immediate mission to the Jews, why is there mention of their witness to the Gentiles? None of this happens to them in their immediate mission. None of this happens until after Pentecost. Most commentators agree the promise that the Spirit of their Father would speak through them is referencing the Spirit being given at Pentecost and their post-Pentecost ministry.
In addition to this, these instructions include normative expectations for all disciples in all contexts. Promises such as…
Being hated by all for His name’s sake, but the one who endures to the end will be saved (Matthew 10:22).
The disciple is not above their Master, if they maligned the Master they will also malign the disciple (Matthew 10:24-25).
That for many, Jesus would not bring peace, but a sword. Which means one’s enemies would come from their own household (Matthew 10:34-36).
And the expectation that anyone who would follow Jesus must take up their cross (Matthew 10:37-39) .
Most of these instructions were not for their immediate mission, but rather for the Church’s post-Pentecost mission that will last until the end of the age. Yet it is all in the same discourse; it is all in the same set of instructions. To further demonstrate the continuity of the instructions given in Matthew 10:5-15 with the rest of the instructions given from v.16-42, let’s take a closer look at how Jesus wraps up the section on rejection, persecution, and suffering for His name’s sake:
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
This is the only time Jesus uses the word “worthy” in His statements on cross-carrying. Why? The Greek word for “worthy” used three times in Matthew 10:37-39 is the same Greek word used three times to describe the worthy person in Matthew 10:11-14. In case there was any doubt that this is one set of instructions, Jesus is clearly connecting His teaching on cross-carrying and sacrifice back to the concept of the worthy person from Matthew 10:11-14. Jesus is instructing the 12 disciples that the worthy person must take up their cross and follow Him; the worthy person of peace can’t receive Him or His message if they aren’t willing to take up the cross. He is laying down expectations, not only for the 12 but for the worthy person they are seeking. This reiterates that the person of peace receives their cross and the mission connected to it while clearly showing the entire “Missionary Discourse” in Matthew 10 is one interconnected discourse that is intended for the mission of Jesus in all ages.
In addition to this, the mention of the 12 disciples in 11:1 forms what’s called an “inclusio” with 10:1, which further affirms these were a single set of instructions.
An inclusio is a literary device that was used to essentially form a bracket around a passage of Scripture giving unity and emphasis to the contents within the brackets. So, looking within the bookends that bracket this passage. These are commands and instructions for how the disciples are to carry out their mission, who they are to look for, what Jesus expects from all disciples, and the difficulties they should expect. These instructions within the brackets are clearly intended for more than just the disciples’ immediate mission in that redemptive-historical context.
The instructions were orders
In Matthew 11:1, Jesus finishes His instructions in a way that shows that this was a single set of instructions Jesus had given and also shows that these were commands or orders. This Greek phrase “when Jesus had finished” is how Matthew wraps up all five of the major discourses he records Jesus giving (Cf. Matthew 7:28; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). The Greek word translated “instructions” here is more directly translated “to direct, command, order, or instruct.”
Ben Witherington writes regarding this:
“Matthew 11:1 is the end of this discourse properly speaking, indeed the clause that begins this verse in the Greek is the one the Evangelist uses to end all five of Jesus’ discourses in this Gospel (cf., e.g., 7:28). The verb here, however, is unique in this Gospel—diatassein. This verb can be translated “to direct or to command or order or instruct.” Jesus has been instructing, but the lessons taught are not optional for his disciples; they have the force of commands and directions.”*
This brings us back again to the descriptive and prescriptive categories, which I would argue is an oversimplification of narrative interpretation. From the wording Matthew uses to describe this discourse, it’s clear these instructions were given as commands or orders. They were “prescriptive” words from Jesus Himself.
In addition to this, this hermeneutic is often applied very selectively. No one says the other similar discourses like the Sermon on the Mount, the Olivet Discourse, or Jesus’s teaching on the keys of the Kingdom and church discipline in the Matthew 18 discourse are merely “descriptive” because they are found in a narrative passage. So why would those teachings be “prescriptive” but the instructions in Matthew 10 be merely “descriptive”? This point is made even stronger considering Matthew uses more forceful wording here to describe the Matthew 10 discourse as “commands or orders” than he does when he describes the other discourses as “sayings” or “words” (Matthew 7:28, 19:1, 26:1).
Considering all of this, one must conclude that these were instructions and teachings given with the force of a command that was intended for the mission of all disciples until the end of the age.
To be clear, by saying these instructions were “prescriptive,” I am not saying this is the only way we are to engage new communities with the Gospel or that those who don’t engage in this way are sinning. I am saying the “descriptive, not prescriptive” label doesn’t fit here. Further, following these instructions should be one way the church engages new communities today.
But what about Luke 22?
With that said, we must not take Jesus’s instructions in isolation. Jesus does later amend a few of these instructions, but I believe He is amending a specific part of the instructions, not canceling or nullifying all of them. Let’s take a look at Luke 22:35-38,
“And he said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”
Some have argued that these later instructions nullify His instructions from Matthew 10, Luke 9, and Luke 10. But I would argue that this actually affirms the previous set of instructions and only alters a few specifics that Jesus explicitly tells them to change. Jesus is updating the instructions, not nullifying them. Jesus did not tell them to scrap everything, He just told them to take their moneybags, knapsacks, and a sword now. He gives an explanation by asking them if they lacked anything when He sent them out with no moneybag, knapsack, or sandals. After they respond “no,” Jesus tells them to take these things with them because He is about to be numbered with the transgressors.
Jesus initially instructed them to take nothing with them in order to teach them they could trust Him for their provision and protection. Apparently, that lesson had been learned, and He instructed them to take these things with them on their future Great Commission journeys. But the implication here is that there would be future journeys undertaken in a similar manner. If He was rolling back everything, wouldn’t He have told them to entirely scrap all the previous instructions because they were entering a new era of redemptive history?
Continued practice in the Acts of the Apostles
Throughout the book of Acts, you see the Apostles following these instructions in a variety of different ways. You see them proclaiming the Gospel with utmost urgency. You see them continuously entering new places. You see them connecting with people who fit the profile of a “person of peace” who receive them as the messengers, receive the message, and receive the mission. You see them facing the exact persecution and opposition Jesus told them was coming. You see them giving testimony by the power of the Spirit before governors, kings, and Gentiles just like Jesus said they would in Matthew 10. Regularly, when they are persecuted in one city, they flee to the next (Acts 8:1, 9:25, 9:30, 14:6, 17:10, 17:14). When they are not received by their Jewish hearers, they shake the dust off their feet, because the hearers have judged themselves “unworthy” of eternal life (Acts 13:46, 51). The Greek words translated as “unworthy” here are the same Greek words that were used in Matthew 10:14 when Jesus described the house that is “not worthy." It is clear Paul is following Jesus’s instructions.
These instructions were for the ongoing mission of the church and not just for the immediate mission given to the 12 and the 72. They point to the continued practice and transmission of Jesus’s original missionary instructions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Jesus’s instructions in Matthew 10 are clearly a single set of orders. These orders were not intended only for that time in redemptive history but for the mission of the Church to the end of the age. Jesus does amend the instructions in Luke 22 with regard to what the disciples should take with them on their journeys. But at the same time, Jesus taught and affirmed other parts of the discourse, including the receptivity principle that is directly connected to His instructions regarding the person of peace. The disciples continued applying these instructions to their mission throughout the book of Acts as they continued the mission Jesus gave them. And we should too. As Hudson Taylor wrote regarding these instructions in his autobiography,
“I am more than ever convinced that if we were to take the directions of our Master and the assurances He gave to His first disciples more fully as our guide, we should find them to be just as suited to our times as to those in which they were originally given.”*
Why write this long article? Charles Spurgeon communicated my heart well when he was training men for preaching on the streets,
“With far more force may I say to you, my fellow servants, that it will be well for us if, as teachers, we imitate our Master,—if we study the modes and methods of our glorified Master, and learn at His feet the art of winning souls…….Only by imitating the spirit and manner of the Lord Jesus shall we become wise to win souls.”*
This is what many of us in the missions community are seeking to do today. We are seeking to learn from the Master how to fish for men. We are seeking to imitate the spirit and manner of the Lord in order to become wise to win souls. We are seeking to take the directions of our Master more fully as our guide, trusting that His directions are just as suitable for our time as those in which they were originally given. This is something that I have personally practiced over the past several years in multiple contexts as we have sought to reach lost and unreached peoples and places with the Gospel. In doing so, we have found these instructions and practices to be just as relevant to our time as they were when originally given by the Lord.
Applying these instructions from Jesus has borne much fruit among the unreached in our area. I am not saying that as a pragmatic validation; the Scriptural points made above are sufficient. But I am saying that we have experienced the Spirit of God working powerfully through these means for the spread of the Gospel into unreached areas. And I know this has been the case with many other people who have sought to apply these instructions in their ministry. The Lord is the one who gives the growth. No method guarantees success. But I believe what I have written above shows that these instructions were intended for the mission of Christ until the end of the age. This means it is only fitting to apply these instructions to our mission today in faith, trusting that in his time, Christ will bless our obedience for the glory of His name and the advancement of the Gospel among all the nations.
I want to commend to you Jesus’s missionary instructions. These instructions are intended to be instructive for us today. Because of that, we should diligently seek to understand and apply them in our ministries. We should pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers. We should believe that the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. We should move out in faith, boldly proclaiming the Gospel in unreached places while expecting a plentiful harvest. We should believe that God is going to work supernaturally and powerfully in those places as the message is preached. We should search for God-prepared people of peace: People who receive us (the messengers) and show us hospitality, people who receive our message about Jesus, and people who receive the mission of Jesus by partnering with us in the mission. We should stay with these people and invest in their discipleship. We should suffer whatever it takes to remain faithful to this mission, taking up our crosses for the sake of Christ. And we should remain faithful, enduring to the end, looking to the reward Jesus has promised. More than 3.2 billion people remain unreached with the Gospel of Christ in our world today. At least 5.5 billion don’t have a relationship with Jesus. Jesus deserves their praise. Jesus is their only hope. Church, let’s learn from the Master, and let’s go to them!
*End Notes:
Culver, Robert Duncan. Systematic Theology: Biblical and Historical. Ross-shire, UK: Mentor, 2005. Print.
Witherington, Ben, III. Matthew. Ed. P. Keith Gammons and R. Alan Culpepper. Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Incorporated, 2006. Print. Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary.
Hudson Taylor autobiography.
The Soul Winner by Charles Spurgeon