Luke 10:8-9 (NIV) “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.”
Jesus anticipates that the places to which He is sending these disciples will welcome them, just as the majority of people He Himself went to received Him. There would be some that would not receive them, but that was not expected to be the norm, since they were coming with good news.
When they were received well, they were to receive all of the hospitality offered to them, not sniffing at poor fare, or humbly refusing rich. If it was supplied to them, they were to receive it as God’s provision, as the wages for their work.
And in places that they were received, they were to demonstrate the reality of the kingdom of God my making whole those who were sick. Importantly, they were to immediately follow up this demonstration of kingdom power with the proclamation, “The kingdom of God is near you.”
The proclamation was vital. The healings alone could easily be misconstrued. Without that clear proclamation, the glory could be diverted, and become exaltation of the messengers (see Acts 14:8-13 which happened despite the clear proclamation of the gospel!). And if that happened, not only could the preparation for Jesus’ coming be sidetracked, the apostles themselves could be distracted, and even turned aside by the praise.
Father, it is interesting that today we are frequently taught to do good deeds without mentioning the gospel in order to “earn the right” to tell the people around us about Jesus at some future date. But often this backfires; all that happens is that we ourselves receive the glory, and are thought of as “nice people,” and it goes no further than that. Admittedly, that seems to be in a different ballpark than healing people, or other demonstrations of Your kingdom power, but the principle seems the same. Help me, Lord, in everything I do for others, to remember that I am acting as an agent of Your kingdom, and to clearly proclaim that reality, so that YOU receive all of the glory, and so that all of my actions really do prepare the way for You to come into the lives of those I am ministering to. Amen.