7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven(A) has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
9 “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts(B)— 10 no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep.(C) 11 Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting.(D) 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you.
The context of this chapter is about the instructions Jesus gave to the 12 right after he called them in verses 1-4. Here we see Jesus set a clear instruction for His disciples to follow.
In verse 8 He says “Freely you have received, freely give!” Because God has showered them with his blessings, they too should do the same. This verse applies also to us children of God, we are blessed that we know Christ-therefore let us share this blessing that others too may know Him. It may be even through the way we treat others who don’t know him, through service, through encouragement, through being there and being a friend. Though we may not have the spiritual gift of healing, or casting out of demons, God has given us each our own Spiritual gifts that we ought to administer so that God may be glorified and others may be edified.
In the first part of verse 7, Jesus talks about a kingdom. This kingdom is not that the Jews were exactly looking for. In this time, when the people were looking for a Messiah they wanted someone like King David that would reign over them, overthrow the Roman government and lead the people. But Jesus had something better in mind. It was the unshakable eternal kingdom of God in heaven. We can all be part of this kingdom if we welcome Jesus into our hearts as our Lord, our King and our Savior.
In verse 10, the principle is really to trust God to provide what they will need. Not to stock up in excess but to live day by day by God’s provision. Travel light, for what the Lord needs is not an extravagant well paid person, but a humble man with a willing heart.
The disciples were also to go out and to look for someone who would welcome them in, if someone would do such then they should bless the household, otherwise they were to leave that house and find another. In this verse we understand that God uses other people to be blessings to his people in the ministry. Look for opportunities to serve God by helping his servants, you can pray about being a mission partner to missionaries, or if there is in any way that you can help others who are doing the work of the Lord. For we are blessed, therefor let us also bless our brothers and sisters in Christ.
