Matthew 10:11-15 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. Introduction At first glance, these verses sure don t seem like very appropriate material for a class on evangelism! To some, they may seem harsh, mean, and vindictive. What happened to the poor and helpless lost sheep of the house of Israel? How does withholding peace and shaking dust off our feet fit with evangelism? How do these actions empower and enable us to labor more faithfully in God s harvest? I believe that the timeless principle that lies behind the temporary instructions contained in these verses is actually of the utmost importance for the work of evangelism. Verses 11-13 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. First of all, these are clearly specialized instructions for the unique mission of the disciples. At this point, and because they were going only to the Jews, the disciples could count on receiving hospitality in every place where they went to proclaim the Gospel. This would have been the accepted practice and culture among the Jews. But we saw last week that this will not always be the case even among the Jews, and it certainly wouldn t be the case among Gentiles or Samaritans. Even if the Gentiles and Samaritans had been willing to show hospitality, it would have been impossible for the Jewish Apostles to accept the offer and stay with unclean people in unclean houses! As it was, after just walking through a Gentile territory, the Jews had the custom of shaking the dust off their sandals and clothes before re-entering the Holy Land (Hendriksen). But, of course, the main point of Jesus instructions here is not to make sure the disciples have a roof over their heads. The main point of these verses is finding a worthy place to stay, and then how to respond if a house is not worthy. So what is it that makes a house worthy? And what is it that makes a house not worthy? In the very next verse, Jesus goes on to say: If anyone will not receive you or listen to your words. The worthy house is the house that believes the message of salvation and confesses that Jesus is the Christ the promised Messiah (cf. Luke 2:25, 38). The house that does not believe the message of salvation and does not confess that Jesus is the promised Messiah is not worthy. So it s very simple. If they believe, they re worthy. If they don t believe, they re not worthy. Let s paint the picture. The first thing the disciples do when they enter a house is to greet it. Luke gives us the actual form of the greeting that the disciples used: Whatever house you enter, first 1
say, Peace (shalom) be to this house! (Luke 10:5) And while the form of this greeting would have been common in Israel, when the disciples used this greeting, it now had a whole new meaning (cf. Luke 24:36; John 20:19). Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, Your God reigns. When the disciples greeted the house they were bringing good news of happiness, publishing peace and salvation, and announcing to the people of Zion, Your God reigns. And as a part of this greeting, we can assume that the disciples called the people to repent of their sins and to believe in Jesus (Mat. 3:2; 4:17). If the house proved itself to be worthy by embracing the good news and believing in the Messiah, then the peace that the disciples proclaimed would truly be a reality in that house. Luke puts it this way: And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him (Luke 10:6). The worthy person is called a son of peace. But if the house proved itself to be unworthy by failing to embrace the good news and believe in the Messiah then the peace that the disciples offered would return to them like an uncashed check (France). Jesus says: Let your peace return to you. And so we get a picture of the disciples taking back the greeting they originally gave. They said originally: Peace be to this house. But now they announce that there will be no peace for that house but only the wrath and judgment of God. Wow! Are things really this black and white? When the disciples take back their original greeting, it seems not so much like a warning of judgment, but rather an official pronouncement of judgment. But is it really so simple? Can people really be held accountable for failing to embrace the Gospel at the very first hearing? Aren t they entitled to have some time for thinking, and evaluating, and weighing the evidence? Is it really fair to pronounce judgment so quickly? But maybe we ve read too much into these verses. Maybe the disciples really aren t to be so presumptuous as to pronounce judgment the moment their message is rejected. Verses 14-15 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. So it would seem that if anything, we ve read too little into the previous verses! First of all, what is the main issue here? The main issue is simply this failure to believe the Gospel. And if any house or any town failed to believe the Gospel the disciples were to leave that house or town, and as they left they were to shake off the dust from their feet. What did this mean? Remember that after walking through an unclean Gentile territory, the Jews would shake the dust off their sandals and clothes before reentering their own land. On the one hand, the Jews didn t want to defile the Holy Land. And on the other hand, the Jews wanted nothing to do with idolworshipping cities destined for God s wrath. So when the Jews shook the dust off their sandals, it was a way of saying that they didn t want any connections or associations with that city when the day of judgment arrived! In the same way, when the disciples shook the dust off their feet when they left a house or town that failed to believe the Gospel, it was a sign that that house or city was destined for God s wrath and judgment. This warning could very well be the final straw that 2
would lead people to repentance, but I don t think that s the main point here in these verses. Shaking the dust off one s feet is not so much a gracious warning as it is a righteous announcement of judgment. Mark 6:11 And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them. Luke 10:10-11 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Acts 18:5-6; (cf. 13:44-52) When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, Your blood be on your own heads! This is not at all a sign of mean-spirited hatred, but rather a sign that that house or town actually, and truly, and fully, and really deserves the wrath and judgment of God. Why? What did they do? Well the real question is not, What did they do, but rather, What did they not do? They did not believe the Gospel the message of God s salvation. That s it. Therefore, Jesus can say to the disciples: Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town [or, that house]. This is an astonishing statement! What sin were the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah guilty of? Well, we know they were guilty of violent and gross immorality and oppression because at one point the entire city of Sodom formed a mob ( both young and old, all the people to the last man ) and attempted to homosexually gang-rape two strangers who had recently entered their city (Genesis 19). Ezekiel 16:49-50 Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it. In light of the story from Genesis, if Sodom did not aid the poor and needy, we can guess the kinds of things they did do to the poor and needy. So it was as a result of these gross abominations and sins, that God visited Sodom and Gomorrah with a special, and terrible, and catastrophic judgment. Genesis 19:24-25 Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. If this was the guilt and the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah 4000 years ago, then their lot on the final day of judgment must be terrible indeed! And yet Jesus says that it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for any Jewish house or town whose only recorded sin is the failure to believe the Gospel. Which is the more serious sin attempting to homosexually gang-rape two vulnerable and helpless strangers or failing to believe the Gospel? Make no mistake, both sins will be visited with the terrible judgment of God. But it is the second sin the failure to believe the Gospel that will actually bring the greater judgment! When Jesus sent the disciples out he sent them out with a message, the rejection of which would make people guilty of the most abominable sin known to mankind the 3
failure to believe the Gospel. We see, then, the principle that all who hear the Gospel are commanded to believe it immediately, and that there is never any excuse or justification for failing to believe. In light of this, all who refuse to believe the Gospel will face a judgment even more severe than that awaiting Sodom and Gomorrah. So then, what is the practical application of this principle for us as we go out to labor in the harvest? Conclusion First of all, we need to understand that there are differing levels of judgment and accountability even among those who hear and reject the Gospel. Luke 12:47-48 And that servant who knew his master s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more. So the Jews of Jesus day were held to a very high level of accountability perhaps the highest. In the first place, they knew the Old Testament Scriptures, and these all pointed clearly to Jesus. And in the second place, they were eye-witnesses of the mighty works of Jesus, God s one and only Son. They heard the teaching of the Messiah in person. John 15:22, 24 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. Jesus point is not that before He came the Pharisees were innocent! Jesus point is that now that He has come, the Pharisees are guilty of a terrible sin that they could not have been guilty of before not just the rejection of God, but the rejection of His Messiah whom He so graciously sent into the world. Today, we might think of those who have grown up hearing the Gospel in Christian homes and churches. Hebrews 10:26-29 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? Those unbelievers who have actually partaken of some of the external benefits of the Gospel in Christian homes and churches will face a more severe judgment than those who have only heard the Gospel once. And yet those who hear the Gospel only once will still face a much more severe judgment than those who have never heard at all. In the end, the same principle applies to all who hear the Gospel whether they hear it only once or whether they grew up in a Gospel preaching home and Church: All who hear the Gospel are commanded to believe it immediately, 4
and there is never any excuse or justification for the failure to believe (Acts 17:30-31). Therefore, all who refuse to believe the Gospel will face a judgment even more severe than the judgment awaiting Sodom and Gomorrah. John 16:8-9 When [the Helper] comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me. John 3:18 Whoever believes in [the Son] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. To refuse the Gospel is not just to refuse the only provision for salvation, it is to cast the ultimate insult on the greatest possible gift that God could ever give to mankind His one and only beloved Son. But how can this be? Can people really be held eternally accountable for their failure to believe in the Gospel? We re not talking about the sin of Sodom here. We re not talking about murder, adultery, stealing, or lying. We re talking about simple failure to believe the Gospel! So the question I m asking is this: In our evangelism, do we really have the right to command faith? Do we really have the right to hold people morally obligated to believe like we would hold them morally obligated not to commit murder? And if so, on what basis? How is it that we can command people to believe the Gospel, or else face a judgment worse than that of Sodom and Gomorrah simply because they failed to believe? Is it fair to require faith even before all the evidence has been weighed? Romans 1:18-21 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. The Gospel is what we call special revelation. And when the Gospel comes to people, it never comes to them by itself or in a void. The Gospel always comes to people against the backdrop of God s general revelation. God reveals Himself in creation, and this revelation is so explicitly clear that all men without exception have clearly perceived and understood who the one true God is and what He is like. But if everyone in the world perceives so clearly who God is and what He is like, then how can so many people have such false, and superstitious and idolatrous ideas about God? Paul says it is because in their unrighteousness they are willfully choosing to supress the truth that they know about God and so they become futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts are darkened. To suppress what has been clearly shown to be true can only be accomplished with irrational thinking and irrational arguments (futile thinking and darkened hearts; cf. 1 Cor. 1:20-25). So when the Gospel comes to people, it comes to people who already know the truth about God and are actively suppressing that truth. When the gospel comes to people, it s like the missing pieces of a puzzle where the natural fit (special revelation plus general revelation) is obvious to anyone with a rational mind (cf. Waldron). It is here that we see how all those who have never heard the Gospel are still fully deserving of eternal punishment 5
and condemnation. It is here that we see how Paul can say that none is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one (Romans 3:10-12). And yet we also see here that in our evangelism we can rightly command people to believe the Gospel or else face a judgment worse than that of Sodom and Gomorrah simply because they failed to believe. So we see that one reason people are accountable to believe is because the Gospel always comes to them against the backdrop of general revelation in creation. But there is another related reason that people are accountable to believe, and this is because the Gospel always comes to them against the backdrop of their own conscience. Romans 2:12, 14-16 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. Once again, the Gospel is like the missing pieces of a puzzle that the conscience has already constructed. Once again, the fit is obvious to anyone with a rational mind. And so we see that the more moral and good a person is, the more self-condemned he stands, because he shows such a clear awareness of God s law and yet he has failed to seek the God who gave that law and to live for His glory and honor. In light of these things, let s read again our text in Matthew. Matthew 10:11-15 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. The truth is, we very badly need this perspective as we go out to labor in the harvest. Our witness will be greatly watered down and compromised if we fail to see that it is right for us to command people to believe because this is the only rational response and because they already know that our message is true. Yes, our command must be accompanied by genuine love and humility (1 Pet. 3:15), but this genuine love and humility must never diminish the absolute authority of the command. We must know that the failure of people to obey the command that we bring and to believe the Gospel will result in a worse fate for them than that which awaits Sodom and Gomorrah (cf. 2 Cor. 2:14-16). When we truly understand this, we will be filled up with a boldness (and also an earnestness and urgency) that we never before thought possible. We will be able to avoid a witness that is fearful and timid, and afraid of the intellectual foolishness of the world s arguments. We will be able to avoid a witness that compromises the authority of the Gospel and waters down the command of the Gospel. God commands everyone everywhere to repent and believe the Gospel. And there is never any excuse for failure to obey God s commands. Therefore we can come to people without apology and in the true boldness and power of the Holy Spirit. We desperately need our witness to reflect the sovereign authority of the King whose messengers we are. So let us wholeheartedly embrace the principle behind these 6
words: If anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. 1 Corinthians 1:20, 22-25 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Teaching our Children Q. What did Jesus tell the disciples to do when they first entered a house? A. Jesus told the disciples to give the house a greeting ( Peace be to this house! ) Q. What did this greeting mean? What special message did the disciples greeting include? A. Read Isaiah 52:7 (top of page 2) When the disciples greeted a house, they proclaimed the message of God s salvation and called the people to repent and believe in Jesus. Q. If the house was unworthy and refused to believe the message of God s salvation, what did Jesus tell the disciples to do? A. Jesus told the disciples to take back their greeting of peace. Q. What else did Jesus tell the disciples to do if anyone would not receive them or listen to their words? A. Jesus told the disciples to shake off the dust from their feet as they left that house or town. Q. What did it mean when the disciples shook the dust off their feet? A. See Scriptures at top of page 3. The disciples were saying that the house or town that refused to believe their message was fully deserving of God s wrath and judgment. Q. Sodom and Gomorrah were two very sinful and wicked cities in the Old Testament, and yet Jesus says that all those who reject the Gospel will face a judgment even more severe than Sodom and Gomorrah. Why is this? A. Discuss the three Scriptures on page 4, then read the first full paragraph on page 5. Q. Does God command everyone who hears the Gospel to believe the Gospel? A. Yes. Failure to believe the Gospel (failure to confess Jesus as Lord and Savior) is the most serious sin of all sins. (See Scriptures at top of page 5) 7
Q. Why are people accountable to believe the Gospel when they hear it? Why can t they make the excuse that they just weren t convinced because there wasn t enough evidence or proof? A. (See the passages from Romans on pages 5 & 6.) When people hear the Gospel, they always know inside that it is true. It is only because of sin that people don t want to admit the Gospel is true or confess Jesus as Lord and Savior. Discuss with your children the practical application of these truths in the area of evangelism. Since everyone is accountable to obey the command to believe the Gospel, we can be bold in our witness (we can speak with authority and confidence) We need to know that whenever someone rejects our message, they become guilty of the worst possible sin that a person can commit. This should cause us to plead more earnestly with people as we share the Gospel (emphasize true love and humility; 1 Pet. 3:15). We should remember whenever we share the Gospel that we are messengers of the King, and the King graciously commands people to believe in Him (confess Him as Lord and Savior). Read and reflect on the Scriptures at the top of page 7 8