From Luke’s inspired account of our Lord’s commissioning of the Twelve, a profile of a messenger of Jesus Christ emerges. A Christian messenger proclaims salvation, manifests compassion, maintains trust, demonstrates contentment, and exercises discernment.

The preaching of the Twelve followed the pattern set by Jesus. In Luke 4:43 He announced, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.” One of the proofs of His messiahship that He offered to the messengers from John the Baptist was that the “poor have the gospel preached to them” (7:22). At the beginning of chapter 8, Luke recorded that “He began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God” (8:1). As Luke noted in that same verse, “the twelve were with Him,” learning from His example. When He sent them out, the Twelve preached the same message that Jesus did. The church today has that same responsibility to preach exactly what Jesus did without altering it. The church’s message is not a social, political, philanthropic, or moral one. It is a message of sin, salvation, and forgiveness, which without being changed has been explained and enriched in the New Testament epistles.

The Twelve were granted power and authority the likes of which only Jesus (and briefly the seventy) ever possessed. If their message was to be validated and believed, there needed to be a way to attest its divine origin. Since the completion of the New Testament, a preacher’s message can be measured against its inspired, infallible, inerrant standard. The Twelve’s authenticity was verified by their God-granted ability to perform the same kind of miraculous signs that Jesus performed (cf. 4:36, 40–41; 6:17–18; 8:1–2).

Specifically, the Lord delegated to the apostles His power and authority over all the demons, giving them complete dominance over the supernatural realm of evil, fallen angels. They also received power to perform healing, and even to raise the dead (Matt. 10:8). The divine power they manifested proved that the apostles were preaching divine truth (cf. Rom. 15:18–19; 2 Cor. 12:12; Heb. 2:3–4). Such miraculous confirmation was no longer needed after the completion of the New Testament. Even by the end of the book of Acts, miracles were fading from the scene as the apostles disappeared. Paul healed people early in his ministry (cf. Acts 14:9–10; 19:11–12; 28:8), but toward the end of his life, he did not heal Trophimus (2 Tim. 4:20) and advised Timothy not to find a healer, but to treat his recurring stomach ailment with wine (1 Tim. 5:23).

perform healing miracles that relieved human suffering. Those miracles reflect God’s compassionate care for the needy and afflicted (Job 36:5–6; Pss. 9:18; 12:5; 35:10; 69:33; 140:12; Isa. 41:17), demonstrating that He is by nature a savior and deliverer, even on a temporal, physical level (cf. 1 Tim. 4:10).

Mark 6:8 records that the Lord “instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff.” Taken together, the two passages indicate that the Lord was forbidding them to take an extra staff.

Nor were they to take a bag (perhaps a reference to a bag carried by beggars and itinerant teachers to hold the money they collected), since they were not to accumulate material things. There was no need for them to take bread or money, and they were not to “acquire gold, or silver, or copper for [their] money belts” (Matt. 10:9). Just as they were not to take an extra walking stick, they were not even to have two tunics apiece or an extra pair of sandals (Matt. 10:10). They were to trust dependently on the Lord’s provision for their needs (cf. Matt. 6:25–32; Phil. 4:19).

That this austerity was temporary, for the purpose of the Twelve’s training and not the norm, is clear from the Lord’s reference to this event in the upper room. Reminding the apostles of His charge to them in this passage Jesus “said to them, ‘When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?’ They said, ‘No, nothing’ ” (Luke 22:35). Then, establishing the pattern for their future ministry, the Lord “said to them, ‘But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one’ ” (v. 36).

In that day travelers stayed in people’s homes. Hotels did not exist, and inns were dangerous and often little more than brothels. Wherever they traveled, whatever house they happened to be invited to stay in, the apostles were to stay there until they left that city. That would distinguish them from traveling false teachers, who moved from house to house collecting money from everyone they could. The apostles, and by extension all Christians, are to be content with their circumstances (cf. 1 Tim. 6:6–10).

To shake the dust off one’s feet was a traditional Jewish gesture. When a Jew returned from traveling in a Gentile country, he would shake the dirt from that land off his clothes and sandals as a symbolic gesture of shaking off the pagan influences that could contaminate the Jewish people’s lives and land. That act became an expression of disdain and rejection (cf. Acts 13:50–51; 18:6). The apostles were to treat the Jews who rejected their message as if they were no better than pagan, unclean Gentiles.

The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

The Twelve were giving all glory and credit for their powerful preaching and miracles to Jesus (cf. Acts 3:11–12).

who was Jesus? That it was said by some that He was John the Baptist risen from the dead was particularly troubling to Herod (see the discussion of v. 9 below). Adding to the confusion, it was being said by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen again (cf. v. 19; Matt. 16:14; 17:10). Yet Herod, haunted by his wrongful execution of John, whom even he acknowledged to have been “a righteous and holy man” (Mark 6:20), said, “I myself had John beheaded.” According to Mark’s account, Herod, plagued by his guilty conscience, “kept saying, ‘John, whom I beheaded, has risen!’ ” (Mark 6:16). (For an account of Herod’s execution of John, see the exposition of 7:18–23 in chapter 15 of this volume and the exposition of 3:19 in Luke 1–5, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody, 2009], 231–32). Uneasily, Herod wondered, “Who is this man about whom I hear such things?”

Driven by curiosity and fear, Herod kept trying to see Jesus. He was not an honest seeker, however. In Luke 13:31 some Pharisees warned Jesus, “Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.” If Jesus was indeed John the Baptist risen from the dead as Herod feared, he intended to kill Him again. But Herod would not see Jesus until the Lord was sent to Him from Pilate as a prisoner (Luke 23:7). Even then Herod would not get the satisfaction of an answer from Jesus; “he questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing” (v. 9). The aftermath, which saw Herod and his soldiers mocking Jesus (v. 11), offered further evidence of Herod’s insincerity.

After the apostles returned, they met with Him, probably in Capernaum, and gave an account to Him of all that they had done. Recognizing that they were exhausted after their time of travel and ministry, Jesus took them with Him and withdrew by Himself to a city called Bethsaida. There they could rest and recover away from the crowds that kept them so busy that they did not even have time to eat (Mark 6:31). Jesus, the great high priest of His people, is aware of their weaknesses (Heb. 4:15) and sensitive to their every need. Having Himself experienced the fatigue that comes from extensive ministry (cf. Mark 4:38), Jesus understood the apostles’ need for rest.

welcoming them, He began speaking to them about the kingdom of God—the constant theme of His preaching and teaching (4:43; 6:20; 8:1; 11:20; 17:20–21; 18:24–25; Mark 1:15; 4:11, 26–32; John 3:3; Acts 1:3).

Christ’s compassion had constantly extended into the realm of human suffering caused by sickness, prompting Him again to cure those who had need of healing. Matthew 14:14 uses a form of the verb splagchnizomai, which refers to inner feelings, suggesting the physical effects of sympathy on the body, to describe the compassion Jesus felt. Human suffering truly caused Him pain, and moved Him to alleviate it.

This short passage introduces an element into the narrative of the relationship between Christ and his church that is very important. In Study 24, we saw that Jesus prayed all night before selecting from a larger group of disciples, twelve who were to function not only as disciples, but apostles as well. Even though the twelve apostles were first disciples, the terms do not mean the same thing. A disciple means a learner, a follower of a rabbinic teacher, whereas an apostle is a person who has been delegated specific authority to represent the one who sends that person on a mission. Here we see the apostolic mission sanctioned by Jesus. He called his twelve apostles together, to commission them and to endow them with power and authority to carry out a specific mission.

We read that he gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. The disciples, as human beings, even as students of the great Rabbi, did not possess power to perform miracles, nor did they have the authority over the demonic world. But now what Jesus is doing is delegating authority. He is transferring authority to the twelve.

The text says that he sent them to preach the kingdom of God. Now the verb that is used there comes from the word, apostelo, from which we get the word, apostle, one who is sent forth. In this sending upon the mission, Jesus, before he sends them out in his name, gives to them power (dunamis) and authority (exousia). The power he gave them was explosive, awesome and mighty. It was that same power that Jesus used to heal people and to perform miraculous feats. He gave that power to his apostles.

But not only did he give them power, he also gave them authority, the authority that was given to him by the Father. This is why the church for centuries has made a distinction between apostolic authority and lesser human authorities in the church. Only those who are chosen, selected and empowered by Christ himself are considered apostles.

In verse 2 we read that Jesus sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick; their mission was both prophetic and priestly. Preaching is not held in high regard in many places in this day and age. The New Testament tells us that it is through the foolishness of preaching that God has ordained to save the world. It is God, and here God in Christ, ordaining the pre-eminence of preaching in the mission of the church. He didn’t send them to preach the opinions of men, or mere concern for societal reform, but he sent them to preach of a divine and supernatural kingdom, the kingdom of God.

Jesus instructions continue in verse 5: ‘If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.’ In other words, he is warning them not to pour all of their energy into people who are not really prepared to listen: the harvest is ripe, so they must concentrate on when there is a hearing.

In verse 7 Luke records a strange response: ‘Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed, because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life.’ Herod was more than perplexed, he was beside himself. It is one thing to imagine the impact that Jesus made when he, by himself, preached and taught and healed. But now that ministry had been magnified; twelve other people doing the same thing, under his authority. Rumours were rife: some said that John had risen from the dead. Can you imagine how that haunted Herod the Tetrarch? ‘But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he tried to see him’ (9:9). I don’t think he wanted to see him out of a spiritual need. I think he was terrified. But he wanted to look into this.

These words strike a rather ominous note: even though Jesus’ ministry was provoking enormous applause and excitement, nevertheless the storm clouds were beginning to gather. Herod the Tetrarch is beginning to get upset and that is going to lead to grim consequences for Jesus and for his disciples in the not-too-distant future.

9:1–6 Jesus Sends Out the Twelve. The mission of the 12 apostles serves as a time of apprenticeship for their ultimate mission after Jesus’ ascension (1:2; 24:45–49; Acts 1:8).

9:1–2 And he called the twelve together. See 6:13. For power and authority, see 4:36; for power to heal, see 5:17. Some think this power and authority was for the duration of this mission, as its absence in 9:40 and the equipping in 24:49 and Acts 1:8 suggest.

9:3 Take nothing for your journey. See notes on Matt. 10:9–10 and Mark 6:8–9. Perhaps this is due to the brevity of their mission and to teach them to trust God to supply their needs (Luke 12:22–31). no staff. According to Mark 6:8, the disciples were allowed to take a staff. Here in Luke’s account, Jesus is probably not prohibiting a staff altogether but prohibiting taking an extra one (as Luke 10:4 prohibits extra sandals). bag. A knapsack for carrying provisions.

9:4 whatever house. The Twelve were not to go from house to house, possibly to seek better housing (cf. 10:7), but were to establish their headquarters within the hospitality of one home, as a base for ministering in the community.

9:5 wherever they do not receive you. “Receive” is used elsewhere with respect to welcoming and receiving God’s word (8:13), Jesus (9:48, 53), Jesus’ followers (vv. 5, 48), and the kingdom of God (18:17). shake off the dust from your feet (cf. 10:11; Acts 13:51; notes on Matt. 10:14 and Mark 6:11). This visibly illustrates the future judgment of those who reject Christ’s messengers (Luke 10:11–15).

9:7–8 Herod the tetrarch (see 3:1 and note on Matt. 14:1). As a careful historian (see note on Luke 1:2–3), Luke uses the proper title (“tetrarch”) to describe Herod Antipas rather than the less precise, general term “king” (Matt. 14:9; Mark 6:14, 25).

it was said by some. On the various misunderstandings of Jesus’ identity, see note on Mark 6:14b–15.

9:8 Elijah had appeared. See note on Mark 6:14b–15. one of the prophets. Like Moses (Deut. 18:15) or Jeremiah (Matt. 16:14). Cf. John 6:14. had risen. The term is used to describe Jesus’ resurrection (Luke 16:31; 18:33; 24:7, 46; Acts 2:24), which would indicate that a literal return from the dead is probably meant.

9:9 John I beheaded. For a fuller account of this story, see Matt. 14:1–12; Mark 6:14–29; and notes.

And he sought to see him foreshadows Luke 13:31 and 23:6–12 and refers either to Herod Antipas’s desire to see Jesus perform a miracle (23:8) or his desire to kill him (13:31).

9:11 kingdom of God. Jesus’ and the apostles’ message was identical (cf. vv. 2, 6 with 4:43; 8:1). cured those who had need of healing. As in 9:6, “healing” receives more emphasis than casting out demons; probably the need for exorcism was less common than the need for healing.

10:1, 2 disciples … apostles. “Disciple” means “student,” one who is being taught by another. “Apostle” refers to a qualified representative who is sent on a mission. The two terms emphasize different aspects of their calling.

10:1 gave them authority. See note on 2Co 12:12. Jesus delegated His power and authority to the apostles to show clearly that He and His kingdom were sovereign over the physical and spiritual realms, the effects of sin, and the efforts of Satan. This was an unheard of display of power, never before seen in all redemptive history, to announce Messiah’s arrival and authenticate Him plus His apostles who preached His gospel. This power was a preview of the power Christ will exhibit in His earthly kingdom, when Satan will be bound (Rev 20) and the curse on physical life curtailed (Is 65:20–25).

9:3 Take nothing. Slight differences between Matthew, Mark, and Luke have troubled some. Matthew 10:9, 10 and this text say the disciples were not to take staffs (see note there); but Mk 6:8 prohibited everything “except a … staff.” Mark 6:9 also instructed them to “wear sandals”; but in Mt 10:10 sandals were included in the things they were not to carry. Actually, however, what Mt 10:10 and this verse prohibited was the packing of extra staffs and sandals. The disciples were not to be carrying baggage for the journey, but merely to go with the clothes on their backs.

9:7 Herod the tetrarch. See note on Mt 14:1. News of Christ reached to the highest levels of government. John had risen from the dead. Of course, this was not true, but Herod himself nonetheless seemed gripped by guilty fear (cf. Mk 6:16).

9:10 withdrew. They were trying to get some rest and a break from the crowds. Cf. Mk 6:31, 32. Bethsaida. See note on Mk 8:22.

9:1–2 After the Twelve had observed Jesus’s ministry for several months, he delegated power and authority over demons and diseases to them (see note at 6:12–13). Their other mission was to proclaim the kingdom of God. In the parallel passage in Mt 10, the apostles were specifically instructed to avoid the Samaritans and Gentiles and to go only to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt 10:6), but Luke did not include this restriction.

9:3–5 The apostles were to be dependent on hospitable hosts (take nothing) and were to move on if a family or town did not welcome them. Shake off the dust from your feet was a gesture of judgment against those who rejected the apostles and their message about Jesus. Paul and Barnabas practiced this at Antioch of Pisidia (Ac 13:51).

9:6 Proclaiming the good news is paralleled here with “proclaim the kingdom of God” in v. 2. The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the means of entry into the kingdom of God.

9:7–9 Herod Antipas (see note at 3:1) was at a loss (perplexed) to decide whether Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead. The parallel passages (Mt 14:2; Mk 6:16) indicate he decided that Jesus was indeed the risen John. Others around Antipas, however, thought Jesus was the prophet Elijah (see Mal 4:5). John himself had partially fulfilled this prophecy (Mt 11:14). Still others believed that some other OT prophet had come back. Herod Antipas eventually would get to meet and interview Jesus (23:6–12)—but Jesus would not speak to him.

9:10–11 After the apostles returned from their mission, they reported their deeds, and Jesus again took the lead over the ministry of preaching and healing. Bethsaida was a town on the northeastern coast of the Sea of Galilee that had recently been rebuilt by Herod Philip (see note at 3:1). The attempt to find a private place outside Bethsaida where the apostles could rest and confer with Jesus was foiled by the following crowds.

9:1–6 In 6:13–16, Luke describes Jesus’ call of the Twelve to discipleship. Here, he records their commissioning as apostles—representatives sent out to proclaim the message that Jesus has inaugurated the kingdom of God. There are parallel accounts in the other Synoptic Gospels (compare Matt 10:1–14; Mark 6:6–13).

9:1 authority over all the demons and to cure diseases These powerful signs will show the validity of the disciples’ proclamation of the kingdom of God.

9:3 Take along nothing for the journey They were to rely on God for their provisions.

9:4 stay there and depart from there The Twelve should not be concerned with procuring better accommodations, which would be offensive to their hosts.

9:5 shake off the dust from your feet A sign of protest and a warning of impending judgment (compare Acts 13:51; 18:6).

9:7–9 Some people regarded Jesus as John the Baptist risen from the dead; others viewed Him as the OT prophet Elijah, who was expected to return someday (Mal 4:5). Herod, who beheaded John (Matt 14:1–12), was anxious to learn about the true identity of Jesus.

9:8 Elijah had appeared See note on Luke 9:19.

9:9 he was wanting to see him Herod’s curiosity is finally satisfied when Pilate sends Jesus to Herod (23:6–12).

Bethsaida A village near Capernaum and the hometown of Peter, Andrew, and Philip (John 1:44).