John Calvin Commentary Matthew 10:14

"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." — Matthew 10:14 (ASV)

And whoever will not receive you. This severe threat of punishment against those who despise the gospel was intended to encourage His disciples, so that they might not be held back by the world's ingratitude. Indeed, He directs the apostles what He wishes them to do if they meet with those who despise the gospel. But His principal design was that, wherever their doctrine was rejected, their well-founded grief and distress might be relieved by consolation, so that they might not falter in the middle of their course.

And we see how Paul, relying on this consolation, boldly defies all human obstinacy, moves on steadily in the midst of hindrances, and boasts that he is:

a sweet savor to God, though he is the savor of death
to them that perish (2 Corinthians 2:15–16).

Now, this passage shows how highly the Lord values His gospel. Indeed, as it is an inestimable treasure, those who refuse it when it is offered to them are guilty of profound ingratitude. Furthermore, it is the scepter of His kingdom and therefore cannot be rejected without treating Him with open contempt.

Shake off the dust. Just as the Lord here commends the doctrine of the gospel, so that all may receive it with reverence, and terrifies rebels by threatening severe punishment, so He also commands the apostles to proclaim the vengeance which He threatens. But they cannot do this unless they burn with a very ardent zeal to make known the doctrines they preach. We must therefore maintain that no man is qualified to become a teacher of heavenly doctrine unless his feelings regarding it are such that he is distressed and agonized when it is treated with contempt.

To shake off the dust from the feet was probably a custom prevalent in Judea at that time, as a sign of execration. It was intended to declare that the inhabitants of the place were so polluted that the very ground on which they walked was contaminated. I conjecture that it was an ordinary custom from our Lord’s way of speaking about it as something well known. This form of execration further confirms what I recently mentioned: that no crime is more offensive to God than contempt of His word, for He does not command them to use such a solemn method to express their detestation of adulterers, murderers, or any other kind of evildoers.