Matthew 10:7-10 As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep” (NIV).
Jesus made it totally clear the apostles were to be completely dependent on God as they embarked on their ministry mission to the Israelites. They were to do what Jesus had been doing, thus they needed to completely rely on Him.
Jesus said, “…Freely you have received, freely give” (10:8). They themselves had received the message of Jesus. They themselves had received His love. They were sent out to do for others what He had done for them. In fact, the word apostle means “sent out.”
Verses 9 and 10 sure do show their need to be completely dependent on Him. This was not a permanent standard for disciples of Christ for all ages. This was a unique apostolic “short term” mission adventure, which truly required the apostles to trust Him.
I think this order applied for the Twelve only for this one occasion. I do not know for sure. I have studied the ministry of the apostles extensively, and I think they had provisions years later as they embarked on ministry work to people of the world, a number of whom were not even anticipating the Messiah.
All Twelve, counting the replacement for Judas, did ministry work until physical death. Most traveled into foreign countries and territories. For many, they went to multiple countries at first, and then settled into a foreign country for the long haul. Some of the apostles had families. For example, Eusebius quotes Clement of Alexandria regarding Philip being married and having daughters. Eusebius goes on to quote Polycrates: “Philip, one of the twelve apostles who sleeps in Hierapolis, and his two aged virgin daughters. Another of his daughters, who lived in the Holy Spirit, rests at Ephesus.” [1] (Note that Polycrates contradicts Clement of Alexandria, since Clement said all of Philip’s daughters were married. Yet the agreement is on the fact Philip was married with daughters.)
However, considering the phenomenal accomplishments by the apostles, there is no question they traveled light! We are not talking large camel caravans here. And there is still a lesson in this unique command to the apostles for us today. The lesson: the less stuff the better.
One of many blessings of a job I had years ago as a student assistant at the Colorado Christian University Library was I got to talk a bit with the great students of CCU. Once when checking out books for a student, we started talking about dorm living, and in the midst of the conversation she said, “We all have stuff.” The manner in which she stated the obvious was a fresh reminder that “stuff” needs to be accepted. Yet “stuff” also needs to be controlled.
One of my three favorite quotes from Chuck Swindoll when listening to him on the radio years ago: “There is nothing wrong with owning possessions, so long as they are not possessing you.” How true.
I conclude by giving the illustration of what has happened to me ever since I entered my vocational ministry calling. Since packing up my possessions into a moving truck in the spring of 1997 to drive over two thousand miles to begin a position as a youth pastor, I have given away, recycled, or thrown away much stuff of which I personally had no previous intention of parting with. I have had to move many times in my ministry calling, and each move created a need to give away more stuff. My last ministry move involved fitting everything I own, literally, into one car. I now have a fraction of the stuff I had twenty-four years ago.
Often, I did not want to part with certain possessions. However, after doing so I was often glad, and even grateful, I no longer had a number of those possessions I gave away. Regarding some of the other possessions, it was painful to give them away! However, it was a life-long lesson to me of the fact that possessions in this world are temporary.
Preparation is key to succeeding at anything, and preparation to do ministry work requires having certain physical provisions. However, preparation for ministry work usually also involves being more mobile, thus getting rid of more stuff than you originally considered. When a Scout, the Friday before a backpacking trip, we would have what we Scouts called a “shake down.” If you follow Jesus, get prepared for a “shake down,” even if your mission involves staying right where you are.
The lesson I think Jesus was teaching His apostles, and a lesson He wants us to get from their incredible mission adventure: Be dependent on Him, not your temporary possessions.
Remain focused on Jesus in heaven. Always remember what Jesus had His apostles preach during His three years of ministry work here on earth: “The kingdom of heaven is near” (7).
Hunter Irvine
[1] Eusebius, Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History,
trans. C.F. Cruse
(Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1998), 95-96.
