The Bible Says
Luke 9:1-5 Meaning

The parallel Gospel accounts for Luke 9:1-5 are Matthew 10:1, 10:5-10 and Mark 6:7-11. A similar account of these instructions on a separate occasion is found in Luke 10:1, 4.

In Luke 9:1-5, Jesus gives His twelve disciples power and authority over demons and diseases, sends them to proclaim the kingdom of God and heal, and instructs them to travel simply, relying on the hospitality of those who receive them, but to shake the dust off their feet as a testimony against those who reject them.

These instructions are referred to as “The Little Commission.” And Jesus’s instructions here in Luke 9:1-5 and its parallels in Matthew 10 and Mark 6 can be thought of as the forerunner to “The Great Commission” (Matthew 28:18-20).

And He called the twelve together (v 1a).

In this verse, Luke uses the term He to refer to Jesus, while the twelve refers to the specific group of twelve men whom Jesus called to be His apostles (Luke 6:12-16, Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:13-19).

Jesus called His twelve disciples together, instructing them on the specifics of a mission He is about to send them on. The timing of this event is not entirely clear. It was likely either during Jesus’s tour from “one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God” (Luke 8:1) or after the completion of that circuit.

Although Jesus had a large group of followers often referred to as His disciples (Luke 10:1, John 6:66), Luke makes a distinction between the general group of followers and a chosen, intimate group from among them called the twelve.

The twelve were both disciples and apostles of Jesus.

In Luke 6:12-16, the names of these men are provided, noting that Jesus spent an intentional night in prayer before selecting the twelve. Similar listings of the twelve disciples are found in Matthew 10:2-4 and Mark 3:16-19, with minor differences in the names.

Before providing a list of their names in Luke 6:13, Luke specifically associates them with the term “apostles” rather than “disciples,” highlighting a distinction. Disciple means “learner” or “follower,” and Jesus had many disciples—Luke indicates there were at least seventy (Luke 10:1). However, the word “apostle” carries more significance and authority. An apostle is literally one who is sent out on behalf of the sender, akin to an ambassador. An apostle's words and actions represent and carry the authority of the one who sent them.

In short, a disciple is a learner or follower of a teacher, while an apostle is one who is sent out with authority as a representative or messenger of that teacher.

This distinction became crucial centuries later when the early church was determining which writings to include in the New Testament, with Apostolic sponsorship being a primary consideration.

The twelve apostles remain with Jesus throughout His ministry. They witness His miracles, hear His parables, and have the privilege of discussing their meanings directly with Him. They travel with Jesus and share in His daily life. They are present with Him in the upper room for the Last Supper (Matthew 26:20) and witness the events leading up to and following Jesus’s arrest.

One of the twelve, Judas Iscariot, betrays Jesus and aids Jesus’s enemies in arresting Him. Soon after, Judas takes his own life, leaving eleven apostles. During Jesus’s trial and crucifixion, all but John abandon Him, hiding in fear. Yet these remaining apostles encounter the risen Christ after His resurrection and are later empowered by the Holy Spirit to fulfill the Great Commission. Church tradition holds that all of them suffered greatly for their faith, most dying as martyrs, while John endured exile.

All three synoptic Gospel accounts specify that Jesus only sent out the twelve for this particular mission. The Gospel of Mark additionally notes that Jesus sent them out in pairs (Mark 6:7). Each disciple was given a partner—someone to labor alongside, to offer strength, and to provide encouragement during moments of hardship. This method reflects the wisdom Solomon shares in Ecclesiastes:

“Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.”
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

Luke continues by describing how Jesus equipped the twelve for this mission:

and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases (v 1b).

Jesus is preparing to send the twelve out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing (v 2), but He first gave His disciples the necessary tools to accomplish this task. Luke states they were given power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.

While Luke records that the twelve were given both power and authority, Mark specifies only that Jesus gave them authority over unclean spirits (Mark 6:7). Matthew expands on this, adding that they were also given authority to heal every kind of disease and sickness (Matthew 10:1).

Before sending them out, Jesus empowered the twelve to perform supernatural miracles. For a time, the twelve will be able to heal as Jesus heals because He grants them His power and authority. They will also be able to cast out demons as He does. This power and authority did not originate from themselves, but from Jesus, who commissioned them.

By doing this, Jesus provides them with the same model that He follows with His Father. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says that He does nothing on His own initiative or power but only what the Father instructs Him to do (John 5:19, 12:49). Throughout His earthly life, Jesus acted entirely within the power and authority granted by His Father. In many ways, Jesus was giving His disciples the opportunity to emulate Him.

And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing (v 2).

By dispersing these twelve men to proclaim the kingdom of God and perform healing, Jesus could significantly expand the reach of His ministry. An alternative advantage of Jesus giving the twelve this power and authority could be to help manage the large crowds, which often hindered His ability to communicate His message effectively. By commissioning the twelve with these powers, Jesus could focus more on teaching and less on healing. This strategy not only extended His message but also helped divert some attention away from Himself, making it less likely for His enemies to target Him prematurely. Consequently, more Jews could be blessed, and more praises could be offered to God for the marvelous things He was doing, while Jesus's identity remained concealed until the appointed time.

Jesus gives these men a purposeful mission to proclaim the kingdom of God and perform healing as they travel from one city to another. Matthew specified the message that the twelve were to announce, “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 10:7). This message was the same one Jesus and John the Baptist had been preaching (Matthew 3:2, 4:17, 9:35). Their preaching likely echoed the teachings and directives found in the Sermon on the Mount.

Although Luke does not detail whether Jesus provided a set destination or schedule of events for the disciples to follow, the Gospel of Matthew indicates that the twelve were given a set audience to pursue. In Matthew 10:5, Jesus’s instructions indicate that this mission was specifically intended for the Jews when He said:

“Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
(Matthew 10:5-6)

Gentiles are non-Jewish people. Samaritans were partially Jewish and partially Gentile who worshipped God on Mount Gerizim, apart from Jerusalem. When Jesus originally gave these instructions, He told the disciples to avoid the Gentiles and Samaritans and to focus specifically on the Jews.

The Gentiles were not included in the covenant with Israel, which is summarized by the Ten Commandments, calling Israel to live in social harmony and serve rather than exploit one another. When Jesus says not to go in the way of the Gentiles, He literally means for the twelve to avoid the roads leading to Gentile territories and regions. This broadly includes avoiding areas like Syria (to the north) and the Decapolis (to the east). Jesus’s command in Matthew 10:5 means “do not depart” the way or path. This indicates that Jesus did not want the twelve stopping to preach the kingdom in Roman towns and villages, such as Tiberias or Caesarea, scattered throughout Galilee and Judea.

The other area that Jesus forbade the twelve from visiting is Samaria. Samaria was located between the Jewish regions of Judea (to the south) and Galilee (to the north). It was bordered by two bodies of water, the Mediterranean Sea (to the west) and the Jordan River (to the east).

Samaritans were the mixed descendants of the Syrians and the fallen Northern Kingdom of Israel, following Assyria's conquest of Israel in 722 B.C. Jews and Samaritans harbored mutual dislike for one another. This cultural divide is clear in the Samaritan woman’s surprise that Jesus would speak to her and ask for a favor, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?" (John 4:9). Jesus also uses this torn relationship between Jews and Samaritans in one of His parables to illustrate that the command to love our neighbor as ourselves applies to all people, even those we might dislike (Luke 10:25-37).

Jesus instructed the twelve to avoid the paths of the Gentiles and any city of the Samaritans because the good news and the message of the kingdom must first be delivered to the covenant people of the house of Israel. But after Jesus completed His earthly mission and was preparing to ascend to heaven, He gave a new command to expand the spread of the Gospel beyond the Jews, saying,

“You shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
(Acts 1:8b)

But that time was not yet. The message that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 10:7) was to be proclaimed first to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, the Jews. God is honoring His covenant with Israel before extending this offer to everyone else. The twelve are to go to their fellow countrymen.

Mark and Luke’s Gospel accounts do not include Jesus’s instruction that the twelve must exclusively direct this message to Jewish towns.

A basic explanation for why one Gospel chose to include this directive and two Gospels chose to omit this directive can be found in the respective audiences each Gospel was intended to reach.

Matthew, writing for a Jewish audience, wanted to demonstrate that Jesus was the Messiah. His account included many prophecies and allusions to the Old Testament to prove his claim, thus it included details and references familiar to Jewish readers. Therefore, Matthew’s Gospel included Jesus’s original instructions as they applied before His ascension into heaven.

Mark and Luke, on the other hand, wrote for Gentile audiences. Mark wrote for Roman believers. Luke wrote for Greek believers. And their accounts were written after the Gospel had spread widely among Gentiles across the Roman world; Jesus’s earlier limitation, to only preach to Jews, no longer applied.

Mark and Luke likely chose to omit this instruction to prevent confusion or the need to explain why it no longer held. Instead of including it like Matthew did (Matthew 10:5), Mark and Luke focused on the core message which was relevant to their Gentile audiences—“that men should repent” (Mark 6:12) and to proclaim the kingdom of God (v 2).

It is perhaps understandable that Mark and Luke’s accounts would have omitted details that could possibly confuse their Gentile readers who were unfamiliar with Jewish tradition. And this would especially be the case, if those details—like Jesus’s instructions to only go to the Jewish homes and villages—no longer applied because His directives were for the past and for a specific and already completed mission.

In other words, Mark and Luke omitted Jesus’s directive to avoid the Gentiles because the Gospel was now open to Gentiles. Had Mark and Luke included this outdated instruction, it might have caused some of their Gentile audience to wrongly conclude that Jesus’s Gospel was not intended or effective for them, even though the Gospel and its blessings were now available for them.

In addition to proclaiming the kingdom of God, Jesus empowered and commanded the twelve to miraculously perform healing for those in need.

As mentioned in verse 1, Jesus not only gave the twelve power and authority to heal diseases, but also the ability to heal those with demons.

The Gospel of Matthew included the power to “raise the dead, cleanse the lepers” (Matthew 10:8). In this, the disciples were temporarily given power similar to what Jesus had Himself.

Although none of the Gospels give specific accounts of the disciples performing these miracles, Mark 6:13 and Luke 10:17 affirm that they did. The likely reason for why the Gospels do not actively depict in detail the disciples’ miracles was because the authors did not want to elevate the disciples and distract from Jesus.

Furthermore, when Luke continues his account in the Book of Acts, he provides several examples where the disciples perform wondrous miracles after Jesus ascended into Heaven and the Holy Spirit comes upon them.

When the disciples used this power and authority, the Gospel of Matthew states “how” they should perform the miracles. Jesus gave them a principle to serve by: “Freely you received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8).

They were not to exploit the authority God has granted them, nor abuse this gift of power to manipulate or control others. As the twelve recognized that they received a free gift, in the same way they were to freely share and use it for the benefit of others. They were not to charge for these blessings but instead offer them generously. Jesus made this clear by commanding, “Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts” (Matthew 10:9).

This principle marks a profound difference between earthly kingdoms and the kingdom of God.

In earthly kingdoms, those with power often use it for selfish gain. Selfish rulers may withhold goods and services until their demands are met, or use authority to extort and manipulate.

However, the kingdom of God operates by a different standard. Those in power are to use their authority to meet the needs of others and serve them, regardless of any potential personal gain or loss. Similarly, the gift of eternal life is freely given to all who are willing to accept it (Romans 5:15-18).

And He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have two tunics apiece (v 3).

Jesus instructed the twelve to bring almost nothing with them for their journey. They were to leave the following items behind:

• staff
• bag—i.e. no clothes, or personal items
• bread—i.e. no extra food
• money
• extra tunic

They were to rely entirely on God’s provision and the hospitality of those they ministered to, trusting Him to supply their needs through the kindness of others.

The only items Jesus permitted them to bring were the most basic necessities to aid their travel from city to city. The twelve were charged to keep their load light. More possessions would only hinder their mission of proclaiming the kingdom. This simplistic way of travel became common practice for the disciples as these instructions are seen again in Luke 10:4 when Jesus sent out seventy disciples ahead of Himself.

The disciples would receive enough financial support and hospitality from people they met on their journey to cover daily needs for food and shelter, but not so much that they would need a bag to store any excess. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus assures the disciples that the worker is worthy of his support (Matthew 10:10), permitting their focus to be on seeking treasure in heaven rather than accumulating earthly wealth (Matthew 6:19-20).

Jesus was training his followers to rely on God, walk by faith, and remain focused on their mission. He was preparing them for the time when He would no longer be physically with them, and they would be responsible for spreading the gospel of the kingdom.

Jesus instructed the twelve about how they were to approach a town, enter it, and find a house where they can stay:

“And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city.”
(Matthew 10:11)

Luke’s account appears to condense this instruction:

Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city (v 4).

As the disciples considered their need for shelter for this journey, Jesus directs them to stay in a house within the city that they are visiting. Jesus assured the disciples that they would find those who were gracious to welcome them into their homes, “for the worker is worthy of his support” (Matthew 10:10b).

Whatever house they entered needed to remain their place of lodging for the duration of their stay in that city (Matthew 10:11.

Hospitality to travelers was an important cultural value throughout much of the ancient world. It was unlikely that smaller towns and villages would have official accommodations such as inns, so many travelers relied on the hospitality of local residents for overnight stays. Travelers were considered vulnerable, and it was customary to accept a traveler as an overnight guest and provide him with a meal and lodging if he asked.

Moses instructed Israel to be hospitable to foreigners residing in their land. This command would have extended to Jewish strangers traveling from out of town:

“When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.”
(Leviticus 19:33-34)

Jesus even used the value of hospitality as an illustration of faithfulness and as a measurement for judgment (Matthew 25:31-46).

In another instance, Jesus used hospitality to gauge the heart of His host when He visited the home of Simon the Pharisee. During this visit, Simon silently questioned Jesus’s character for permitting a sinful woman to wash His feet. Then Jesus revealed Simon’s failure to extend customary hospitality to his guests while the penitent woman went above and beyond to show kindness (Luke 7:44-48).

The virtue of hospitality is similarly emphasized in 1 Timothy 5:10, Titus 1:8, Hebrews 13:2, and 1 Peter 4:9.

Jesus did not promise that the disciples will be gladly received everywhere they go. Some cities will be unwelcoming and reject His disciples and their message. Jesus prepared the twelve for this circumstance.

And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them (v 5).

The expression shake the dust off referred to a Jewish custom, when travelers would sometimes shake off Gentile dust upon re-entering Israel to avoid ceremonial defilement. In the same way, this command to the twelve signified that even Jews who rejected the Gospel were placing themselves outside God’s covenant blessings. It served as a solemn warning that their rejection would not escape God’s notice and that they would be held accountable.

Jesus’s instruction—shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them—does not suggest that the disciples should repay harm with harm, as in the phrase, “an eye for an eye.” Instead, it is an order for them to leave judgment in God’s hands. If a town is inhospitable or rejects their message, they are not to take it personally or harbor resentment. Rather, they are being advised to shake the dust off their feet and move on to the next town, trusting that God will deal with the matter.

Matthew expands on this idea, recording further instructions from Jesus to His disciples, “If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace” (Matthew 10:13).

This positive message of giving a “blessing of peace” to a house may have been included in the Gospel of Matthew (while absent from Mark and Luke’s accounts) because he was writing to a Jewish audience and aiming to show them that their promised Messiah had come, and they could choose to receive or reject that message.

But by the time Mark and Luke’s accounts were written, the matter had already been settled—the Jewish people had not only rejected and crucified Jesus, but had also, for the most part, refused the message of His resurrection and the calls to repentance from His disciples (Acts 3:17–21). This rejection even extended to Paul’s preaching in the temple, which was met with hostility and ultimately rejection (Acts 21:17–22:23).

It is possible that Jesus’s instruction regarding a positive reception (Matthew 10:13) was left out of Mark and Luke because it was no longer a relevant issue. However, the warning about rejection remained, “And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them”—because by the time of these writings, the Jewish people had already rejected Jesus as the Messiah.

The phrase—shake the dust off your feet for a testimony against them—further shows that the messengers were not responsible for how their message was received. By doing this, the twelve were publicly disassociating themselves from the unbelief of that town and its impending judgment. (See Matthew 10:15).

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus’s instructions to the twelve are extended well beyond those found in Mark and Luke.

The Bible Says Commentary of Matthew’s extended account of Jesus’s instructions are listed below:

• Matthew 10:5-10
• Matthew 10:11-15
• Matthew 10:16
• Matthew 10:17-20
• Matthew 10:21-22
• Matthew 10:23
• Matthew 10:24-25
• Matthew 10:26-27
• Matthew 10:28
• Matthew 10:29-31
• Matthew 10:32-33
• Matthew 10:34-37
• Matthew 10:38-39
• Matthew 10:40-42

In the next section, Luke describes the disciples’ obedience to their assignment.