Luke 9:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

But after that they had been sufficiently strengthened by His guidance, and had received competent proofs of His power, He sends them out, as it follows, And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God. And here we must remark, that they are not commissioned to speak of sensible things as Moses and the Prophets; for they promised a land and earthly goods, but these a kingdom, and whatsoever is contained in it.

For He sends them out as very beggars, so that He would have them neither carry bread, nor any thing else of which men are generally in want.

Mark here the divine power of the Son, which belongs not to a fleshly nature. For it was in the power of the saints to perform miracles not by nature, but by participation of the Holy Spirit; but it was altogether out of their power to grant this authority to others. For how could created natures possess dominion over the gifts of the Spirit? But our Lord Jesus Christ, as by nature God, imparts graces of this kind to whomsoever He will, not invoking upon them a power which is not His own, but infusing it into them from Himself.

Or, the Lord did not wish the disciples to possess and carry with them these things, not that they were not necessary to the support of this life, but because He sent them thus to shew that these things were due to them from those believers to whom they announced the Gospel, that so they might neither possess security, nor carry about with them the necessaries of this life, either great or little. He has therefore, according to Mark, excluded all except a staff, shewing that the faithful owe every thing to their ministers who require no superfluities. But this permission of the staff He has mentioned by name, when He says, They should take nothing in the way, but a staff only.

Now in sending His disciples to preach, our Lord enjoined many things on them, the chief of which are, that they should be so virtuous, so constant, so temperate, and, to speak briefly, so heavenly, that no less through their manner of living than their words, the teaching of the Gospel might be spread abroad. And therefore were they sent with lack of money, and staves, and a single garment; He accordingly adds, And he said to them, Take nothing in the way, neither staves.

Of what kind then he ought to be who preaches the Gospel of the kingdom of God is marked out by these Gospel precepts; that is, he must not require the supports of secular aid; and clinging wholly to faith, he must believe that the less he requires those things, the more they will be supplied to him.

In accordance with the directive from the One who commissioned them.

And that through them the whole race of mankind may be sought out, He not only gives them power to drive away evil spirits, but to cure all kind of diseases at His command; as it follows, And to cure diseases.

The dust is shaken off from the Apostles’ feet as a testimony of their labours, that they entered into a city, and the apostolical preaching had reached to the inhabitants thereof. Or the dust is shaken off when they receive nothing (not even of the necessaries of life) from those who despised the Gospel.

When you arrive in a village, refrain from preaching to everyone you encounter right away; instead, seek out those who are worthy. Upon finding such a person, stay at their home and from there share your message. The Lord assures grace and peace to all who welcome them, while He warns that those who turn them away will face a judgment more severe than that of Sodom and Gomorrah. The specific locations where the apostles preached and the duration of their missions are not clear; however, it’s likely that their time apart was brief. The Savior sent them out not all to the same place but in pairs, enabling them to reach six locations that He Himself had not visited. There were not many such places available in Galilee or Judea. It is also conceivable that they had a specific timeframe for their return, as we observe that they returned simultaneously; if no time frame were set, they would have arrived at different times.

The apostles' core message is expressed in a manner quite similar by the evangelists. They all affirm that Christ bestowed upon the apostles the authority to heal various ailments and to expel unclean spirits. This empowerment included the grace of the Holy Spirit, enabling them with the spiritual gift of healing, as noted in 1 Corinthians 12:9. Moreover, Mark adds that the apostles utilized an outward symbol in their healing ministry by anointing the sick with oil. He also notes that Christ sent the apostles out in pairs. In contrast, Matthew provides a more elaborate account of the instructions Christ delivered to the apostles, while Mark and Luke present a more concise overview. Their accounts are notably brief, merely referencing Matthew 9-15. For further understanding, consult the interpretation of Matthew 10:1-42.

After completing His teachings to the twelve disciples, Jesus traveled through the towns of Galilee to share His message. The disciples, paired together, entered the villages to proclaim repentance, expel numerous demons, and anoint many who were ill with oil, bringing them healing. The Gospel writers do not provide specifics about the disciples' preaching among the Jewish people; however, one question posed by Christ to the disciples upon their return—“Did you lack anything when I sent you?”—indicates that they had everything they required, having taken no money, no provision of bread, and no extra clothing. While the exact duration of their journey and precise time of their return are unclear, it is known that the disciples gathered with Jesus around the moment He received the news of John the Baptist’s death.

During this period, the Apostles traveled throughout the towns and villages designated to them, proclaiming the good news widely and reinforcing their message through healings, the expulsion of evil spirits, and other remarkable acts. Their ministry experienced significant success.

Luke's narrative concerning the Lord's commissioning of His twelve apostles to proclaim the Gospel in Judea, along with the guidance provided to them, is concise and largely mirrors the account found in Mark (Mk. 6:7-13). In contrast to this, Matthew offers a much more extensive version of the instructions given to the apostles (Mt. 10:5-42). Additionally, Luke continues his account by recounting the Lord's sending of seventy disciples to preach (a detail that the first two Gospel writers do not include), and he also shares some instructions given to them. However, when we compare these directives, they are collectively shorter than those recorded by Matthew.