Church Fathers Commentary Luke 9:1-6

"And he called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. And he sent them forth to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staff, nor wallet, nor bread, nor money; neither have two coats. And into whatsoever house ye enter, there abide, and thence depart. And as many as receive you not, when ye depart from that city, shake off the dust from your feet for a testimony against them. And they departed, and went throughout the villages, preaching the gospel, and healing everywhere." — Luke 9:1-6 (ASV)

St. Cyril of Alexandria: It was fitting that those appointed as ministers of holy teaching should be able to work miracles, and by these very acts be recognized as the ministers of God. Therefore, the scripture says, Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all devils. In this, He brings down the haughty pride of the devil, who once said, There is no one who will open his mouth against me.

Eusebius of Caesarea: And so that through them the entire human race might be reached, He not only gives them power to drive away evil spirits, but also to cure all kinds of diseases at His command, as it follows: And to cure diseases.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Observe here the divine power of the Son, which does not belong to a fleshly nature. For it was within the power of the saints to perform miracles, not by their own nature, but by participation in the Holy Spirit; yet it was completely beyond their power to grant this authority to others. For how could created beings have dominion over the gifts of the Spirit? But our Lord Jesus Christ, as God by nature, imparts graces of this kind to whomever He wills, not by calling down upon them a power that is not His own, but by infusing it into them from Himself.

St. John Chrysostom: But after they had been sufficiently strengthened by His guidance and had received sufficient proof of His power, He sends them out, as it follows: And He sent them to teach the kingdom of God. And here we must remark that they are not commissioned to speak of physical things, as Moses and the Prophets were. For they promised a land and earthly goods, but these apostles promised a kingdom and whatever is contained in it.

St. Gregory of Nazianzus: Now in sending His disciples to preach, our Lord instructed them in many things, the chief of which are that they should be so virtuous, so constant, so temperate, and, in short, so heavenly, that the teaching of the Gospel might be spread as much through their way of life as through their words. Therefore, they were sent without money, staves, or a single garment. He therefore adds, And He said to them, "Take nothing in the way, neither staves."

St. John Chrysostom: Indeed, He ordained many things by this command. First, it made the disciples above suspicion. Secondly, it kept them free from all care, so that they might devote their full attention to the word. Thirdly, it taught them their own particular virtue. But perhaps someone will say that the other commands are reasonable, but for what reason did He command them to have no scrip for their journey, nor two coats, nor a staff? In truth, it was because He wished to stir them to all diligence, freeing them from all the cares of this life so that they might be occupied with the single care of teaching.

Eusebius of Caesarea: Therefore, wishing them to be free from the desire for wealth and the anxieties of life, He gave this command. He took it as a proof of their faith and courage that when they were commanded to lead a life of extreme poverty, they would not shrink from what was ordered. For it was fitting that they should make a kind of exchange, receiving these saving virtues to reward them for their obedience. And as He was making them soldiers of God, He equipped them for battle against their enemies by telling them to embrace poverty. For no soldier of God entangles himself in the affairs of a secular life.

St. Ambrose of Milan: The kind of person who ought to preach the Gospel of the kingdom of God is defined by these Gospel precepts: he must not rely on the support of worldly aid. Clinging completely to faith, he must believe that the less he requires those things, the more they will be provided for him.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For He sends them out as absolute beggars, so that He wanted them to carry neither bread nor anything else that people generally need.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Alternatively, the Lord did not want the disciples to possess and carry these things with them—not because they were unnecessary for sustaining this life, but because He sent them this way to show that these provisions were owed to them by the believers to whom they proclaimed the Gospel. This was so that they would neither possess worldly security nor carry with them the necessities of this life, whether great or small.

Therefore, according to Mark, He excluded everything except a staff, showing that the faithful owe everything to their ministers, who require no non-essentials. But He mentioned this permission for a staff by name when He says, "They should take nothing in the way, but a staff only."

St. Ambrose of Milan: For those who wish, this passage can also be explained as representing a spiritual disposition, which seems to have cast off, as it were, a certain covering of the body—not only rejecting power and despising wealth, but also renouncing the pleasures of the flesh itself.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Some also understand the command for the Apostles not to carry a scrip, a staff, or two coats to mean that they must not lay up treasures (which a scrip, for collecting many things, implies), nor be angry and have a quarrelsome spirit (which the staff signifies), nor be false and double-hearted (which is meant by the two coats).

St. Cyril of Alexandria: But it may be asked, "How then will necessary things be provided for them?" He therefore adds, "And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart." It is as if He said, "Let the food from your disciples be enough for you; they, receiving spiritual things from you, will provide you with temporal things." But He ordered them to stay in one house so as neither to inconvenience their host nor to attract suspicion of gluttony and self-indulgence for themselves.

St. Ambrose of Milan: He declares that it is inconsistent with the character of a preacher of the heavenly kingdom to run from house to house and violate the rights of sacred hospitality. But just as hospitality is expected to be offered, so also if they are not received, the dust must be shaken off, and they are commanded to depart from the city, as it follows: And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony, etc.

The Venerable Bede: The dust is shaken off from the Apostles’ feet as a testimony to their labors—that they had entered a city and the apostolic preaching had reached its inhabitants. Alternatively, the dust is shaken off when they receive nothing (not even the necessities of life) from those who despised the Gospel.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: For it is very unlikely that those who despise the saving Word and the Master of the household will be kind to His servants or seek further blessings.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Alternatively, a great return for hospitality is taught here: that is, we should not only wish peace to our hosts, but also, if any faults of earthly weakness obscure them, these faults might be removed by their receiving the footsteps of apostolic preaching.

The Venerable Bede: But if anyone, through treacherous negligence or even out of zeal, despises the word of God, their fellowship must be avoided. The dust of the feet must be shaken off, lest by their empty deeds, which are like dust, the path of a pure mind be defiled.

Eusebius of Caesarea: But when the Lord had equipped His disciples as soldiers of God with divine virtue and wise instructions, sending them to the Jews as teachers and healers, they then went forth, as it is written: And they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.