Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 10:11-15

"And into whatsoever city or village ye shall enter, search out who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go forth. And as ye enter into the house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, as ye go forth out of that house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city." — Matthew 10:11-15 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: The Lord had said above, "The workman is worthy of his meat;" so that they would not assume from this that He would open all doors to them, He here commands them to use much circumspection in choosing a host, saying, "Into what city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy."

St. Jerome: The Apostles, on entering a strange town, could not know what sort of person each inhabitant was. They were therefore to choose their host based on the report of the people and the opinion of the neighbors, so that the preacher's worthiness might not be disgraced by the poor character of his host.

St. John Chrysostom: How then did Christ Himself stay with the publican? Because the publican was made worthy by his conversion. This command that the host should be worthy was not about social rank, but about providing food. For if he is worthy, he will provide them with food, especially when they need no more than bare necessities.

Observe how, even though He stripped them of all property, He supplied all their needs by allowing them to stay in the houses of those they taught. In this way, they were both set free from anxiety and also convinced people that they had come for their salvation alone, since they carried nothing with them and desired nothing beyond necessities. And they did not lodge just anywhere, for He wanted them to be known not only by their miracles, but much more by their virtues. Indeed, nothing is a greater mark of virtue than to discard what is superfluous.

St. Jerome: A host is chosen who does not so much grant a favor to the one staying with him as receive one. For it is said, "Who in it is worthy," so that the host may know that he is receiving a favor rather than giving one.

St. John Chrysostom: Also, observe that He has not yet endowed them with all gifts, for He has not given them the power to discern who is worthy, but commands them to seek it out. He commands them not only to find out who is worthy, but also not to move from house to house, saying, "And there remain until you depart out of that city." In this way, they would neither grieve their host nor subject themselves to suspicion of fickleness or gluttony.

St. Ambrose of Milan: The Apostles are not to choose carelessly the house they enter, so that they may have no reason to change their lodging. The same caution is not required of the host, so that in choosing his guests, his hospitality might not be diminished.¹

"When you enter a house, salute it, saying, 'Peace be to this house.'"

Glossa Ordinaria: This is to say, pray for peace upon the master of the house, so that all resistance to the truth may be pacified.²

St. Jerome: Here is a subtle allusion to the form of salutation in Hebrew and Syriac. They say Salemalach, or Salamalach, for the Greek or Latin, Ave; that is, "Peace be with you." The command, then, is that on entering any house they should pray for peace for their host. As much as they are able, they should calm all discords, so that if a quarrel should arise, those who had prayed for peace would have it, while others would have the discord. As it follows, "And if that house be worthy, your peace shall rest upon it; but if it be not worthy, your peace shall return to you again."

Remigius of Auxerre: Thus, either the hearer, being predestined to eternal life, will follow the heavenly word when he hears it; or if there is no one who will hear it, the preacher himself will not be without fruit, for his peace returns to him when he receives from the Lord a reward for all his labor.³

St. John Chrysostom: The Lord instructs them that, even though they were teachers, they should not expect to be greeted first by others, but should honor others by greeting them first. And then He shows them that they should give not only a salutation but a benediction, when He says, "If that house be worthy, your peace shall rest upon it."

Remigius of Auxerre: The Lord therefore taught his disciples to offer peace upon entering a house, so that by means of their greeting, their choice might be directed to a worthy house and host. It is as though He had said, "Offer peace to all; they will show themselves either worthy by accepting it or unworthy by not accepting it." For even if you have chosen a house that is worthy based on the character its owner has among his neighbors, you still ought to greet him, so that the preacher may seem to enter by invitation rather than to impose himself. This salutation of peace, in a few words, can indeed be seen as the test of the worthiness of the house or master.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: The Apostles greet the house with the prayer of peace, yet in such a way that the peace seems spoken rather than given. For their own peace, which was their heartfelt compassion, ought not to rest upon the house if it were unworthy. In that case, the sacrament of heavenly peace could be kept within the Apostles' own hearts.

Upon those who rejected the precepts of the heavenly kingdom, an eternal curse is left by the departure of the Apostles and the dust shaken from their feet: "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when you go out of that house, or that town, cast the dust off your feet." For one who lives in any place seems to have a kind of fellowship with that place. By shaking the dust from their feet, therefore, all connection to that house is left behind, and no healing or wholeness is received from the apostles' footsteps having trod their soil.

St. Jerome: They also shake off the dust as a testimony to the Apostles' labor—that in preaching the Gospel they had come even that far—or as a token that from those who rejected the Gospel they would accept nothing, not even the necessities of life.

Rabanus Maurus: Alternatively, the feet of the disciples signify the labor and progress of preaching. The dust that covers them is the triviality of earthly thoughts, from which even the greatest teachers cannot be free. Their anxiety for their hearers involves them in concerns for their hearers' prosperity, and in passing through the ways of this world, they gather the dust of the earth they tread upon.

Those, then, who have despised the teaching of these doctors turn all the toils, dangers, and anxieties of the Apostles upon themselves as a witness to their damnation. And lest it should seem a minor thing not to receive the Apostles, He adds, "Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city."

St. Jerome: This is because no one had ever preached to the men of Sodom and Gomorrah, but this city had been preached to and had rejected the Gospel.

Remigius of Auxerre: Or, it is because the men of Sodom and Gomorrah, despite their sensuality, were hospitable, but they had never entertained strangers such as the Apostles.⁴

St. Jerome: But if it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for that city, from this we may learn that there are different degrees in the punishment of sinners.

Remigius of Auxerre: Sodom and Gomorrah are mentioned specifically to show that sins against nature are particularly hateful to God. It was for such sins that the world was drowned with the waters of the deluge, four towns were overthrown, and the world is daily afflicted with many kinds of evil.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Figuratively, the Lord teaches us not to enter the houses of or associate with those who persecute Christ or are ignorant of Him. In each town, we are to inquire who among them is worthy—that is, where there is a Church in which Christ dwells—and not to move on to another, because this house is worthy, this host is our proper host.

However, there would be many Jews so devoted to the Law that, even while believing in Christ because they admired His works, they would remain under the works of the Law. Others, desiring to test the liberty that is in Christ, would pretend to be ready to forsake the Law for the Gospel. Still others would be drawn aside into heresy by a perverse understanding.

And since all these groups would falsely claim that they alone possess catholic truth, we must therefore seek out the house—that is, the Church—with great caution.

1. Ambros., in Luc., 9. 5
2. interlin.
3. ap. Rabanus
4. ap. Rabanus