What does Luke 10:5 mean?

As Jesus' seventy-two disciples prepare towns for His arrival, they are to find homes that will accept both the messengers and the message. The Hebrew term sālom', or shalom, is typically translated as "peace" and was used in ancient greetings and farewells, much as the Hawaiian word aloha. Shalom can mean the opposite of war, but it also refers to completeness, soundness, and welfare; it includes a sense of calm security in circumstances and relationships. In an Israelite context, wishing someone shalom means to say, "May God be with you." The equivalent word in Luke's New Testament Greek is the root word eirēnē. By "house," Jesus means all the people in the home.

The messengers are people who follow an itinerant, unofficial Jewish rabbi who regularly argues with well-respected religious leaders such as Pharisees and lawyers. This rabbi eats with cultural outcasts, people considered immoral, and allows unclean and sinful women to touch Him (Luke 5:27–32; 7:36–39; 8:43–48). The message is that the kingdom of God is coming. If they are in Samaria, they also must overcome the cultural hatred between Jews and Samaritans. There are many reasons for people to reject the messengers and the message.

Whether or not the people give their peace determines how they will experience the kingdom of God. Those who receive the message peacefully will receive blessings. Those who do not reciprocate the disciples' peace will face judgment. In fact, if they witness the healing miracles of the disciples and still reject their message, they will face greater judgment than pagan Gentiles from Sodom, Tyre, and Sidon (Luke 10:12–15).