Luke 9:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He instructs them not to shift from one home to another but to remain in the house they enter, so they do not come across as unstable and overly changeable.

I can envision someone raising a question, saying, “Lord, You have instructed Your disciples not to take with them provisions for food and clothing; how will they secure what they need?” To this, He replies by instructing, "Wherever you enter a house, there you shall remain, and from there you will depart." He emphasizes that the blessings you receive from those you teach will be adequate. Those who benefit spiritually from your ministry and gain divine nourishment for their souls will attend to your physical needs. No one can criticize this arrangement, for even the wise Paul articulated, "If we sow spiritual things for you, is it such a great matter if we reap material things?" Furthermore, the Lord affirmed that those who announce the good news should be sustained by it.

A fundamental directive for harmony and peace is first imparted to ministers: they are to promote tranquility, remain steadfast, and practice the traditions of gracious hospitality. This directive emphasizes that those who proclaim the kingdom of God ought not to move from home to home or disrupt the customs of welcome. They are instructed to express gratitude for the kindness shown to them and to shake off the dust from their feet when departing from towns that do not receive them graciously. It is taught that acts of hospitality will yield abundant blessings; those who practice hospitality not only receive peace, but if they are burdened by the light residue of their transient earthly sins, they are liberated from it by providing refuge for the feet of the apostles and preachers.

Matthew provides a more detailed account of this.

Refer to Matthew 10:11.

When you enter a town, do not announce your message to everyone you encounter; instead, seek out those who are worthy. Once you identify such a person, stay in their home and disseminate your teachings from there. The Lord offers grace and peace to those who welcome them, yet He warns that those who reject them will face a judgment more severe than that of Sodom and Gomorrah. The exact locations where the apostles preached and the duration of their work remain unspecified; however, the period of their mission could not have been lengthy. The Savior did not dispatch them all to the same area but sent them in pairs, enabling their ministry in six different locales—many of which He Himself had not visited. This was not only true for Galilee but also for Judea. It is likely that a specific timeframe was established for their return, as evidenced by their simultaneous arrival back; had there been no such timeframe, they would have returned at staggered intervals.

The apostles’ message is expressed by the evangelists in a notably consistent manner. They all convey that Christ bestowed upon the apostles the authority to heal every form of illness and to expel ailments, including demons; in essence, He endowed them with the grace of the Holy Spirit, the healing gift (1 Cor. 12:9). Additionally, Mark highlights that the apostles incorporated a physical symbol in their healing ministry through the anointing with oil. He also notes that Christ sent the apostles out in pairs (v. 7). Matthew elaborates extensively on the guidance that Christ provided to the apostles, in stark contrast to the brevity found in the accounts of Mark and Luke. The latter two offer only a concise version of these instructions. For further context, please refer to Matthew 10:1-42.

In instructing the Apostles to remain focused on their divinely assigned mission, Jesus Christ permitted them to accept sustenance from His followers. He did not, as Chrysostom expressed, enable unrestricted access for the Apostles but instead directed them to engage with those who were deserving: “In whatever city or village you enter, visit whoever is worthy in it, and stay there until you leave.” This guidance implied that those whom the Apostles would seek should be determined by their righteousness, as they were to proclaim repentance and the nearness of the Kingdom of Heaven to all people, especially to sinners. Nevertheless, the Apostles were to reside only in the homes of the worthy, so that, as Jerome noted, the unfavorable reputation of those who welcomed them would not tarnish the honor of their message.

The warm hospitality characteristic of Eastern cultures, which had frequently facilitated the dissemination of new teachings, would prove beneficial for them. Upon arriving in a city, they were to seek out a residence where they might expect to be received and offer the esteemed blessing of peace, saying, "Peace be unto this house." If the household was deserving of this blessing, it would take hold; if not, it would return to them.

The narrative in Luke regarding the Lord's commissioning of His twelve apostles to proclaim the message in Judea, along with the directives provided to them, is notably concise and mirrors much of what is found in Mark's account. In contrast, Matthew presents a more extensive version of the Lord's guidance to the apostles. While Luke succinctly documents the mission of the twelve (Mk. 6:7-13) and later elaborates on the Lord sending seventy disciples to preach (Luke 10:1ff.), both Mark and Luke provide shorter accounts than Matthew’s detailed instructions regarding the apostles’ mission (Mt. 10:5-42).