William Burkitt Notes and Observations - Luke 10:7 - 10:7

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William Burkitt Notes and Observations - Luke 10:7 - 10:7


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Here our Saviour gives his disciples sundry directions, how to manage themselves in this expedition for preaching the gospel.

He enjoins them, 1. To observe the rules of decency in going from place to place; having entered a house to continue there, not changing their lodging, and going from house to house, thereby avoiding all show of lightness and inconstancy, and testifying all gravity and stayedness in their behavior; this being a special means to win authority to their persons and ministry.

2. He gives them a power to work miracles for the confirming of the doctrine which they preached: Heal the sick that are therein. This was necessary, partly to procure reverence to their person, being poor and unlearned men; and partly to gain credit and authority to their doctrine: for the doctrine of faith in the Messiah, as now come and exhibited in the flesh, being a strange and new doctrine to the Jews, the truth and certainty of it was to be extraordinarily ratified and confirmed by working miracles; one sort of which was healing of diseases in an extraordinary manner.

Observe, 3. How Christ encouraged his disciples against the want of success: he bids them denounce the judgments of God by shaking off the dust of their feet; which action was emblematical, and signified that God in like manner would shake off them, and esteem them no better than the vilest dust.

Learn hence, that those which despise the message that the ministers of the gospel bring, shall hereafter find the dust of their feet, and the ashes of their graves to give a judicial testimony against them in the day of Christ. Wherever the word is preached, it is for a testimony, either a testimony for, or against a people. For, if the dust of a minister's feet bear witness against a people, their sermons much more.

Observe, lastly, the dreadful judgment denounced by our Saviour against the contemners of his disciples' doctrine: Verily it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.