Luke 9:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.

NIV: Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town.

NASB: And whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city.

CSB: Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.

NLT: Wherever you go, stay in the same house until you leave town.

KJV: And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart.

NKJV: “Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.

Jesus continues His instructions to the Twelve as they branch out on their own for the first time. They are commissioned to works of healing and teaching people about the kingdom of God. After telling them to travel light and allow God to provide for their needs (Luke 9:3), Jesus now tells them to find one place in each city and stay there until they move on.

The practice of hospitality was extremely important in their culture. To refuse to house a guest was dishonorable unless the guest was particularly offensive. History suggests some wandering scholars would switch hosts often to take greater advantage of the custom.

Matthew gives more detail. In his account, Jesus tells the disciples to find who is worthy to receive them (Matthew 10:11). In this case, that means a home receptive to their message about the kingdom of God (Matthew 10:13–14). When Jesus sends out the seventy-two, He will call such a host a "son of peace" (Luke 10:6).

Hospitality is a subtle theme in Luke 9. Here, the disciples are welcomed. When a crowd interrupts the disciples' retreat, Jesus shows them hospitality (Luke 9:10–11). When the disciples find a man performing miracles in Jesus' name, they reject him, but Jesus welcomes him (Luke 9:49–50). The first village in Samaria they reach rejects them, but the second accepts them (Luke 9:51–56). Finally, Jesus explains that as we follow Him we may have to leave our families to travel in His service (Luke 9:57–62).

Luke 9:1–6 continues the stories of Jesus' power and authority which began in Luke 8:22. He equips His disciples with the power to perform wonders on His behalf. They experience a welcoming reception for their message. However, Jesus had warned this would not always be so (Luke 8:4–21). The disciples' joy is short-lived; when faced with thousands of hungry people (Luke 9:10–17) and a demon-tortured boy (Luke 9:37–43), they forget their own authority. Mark 6:7–13 also records the disciples' brush with power while Matthew 10 includes a much longer account of their training.

Luke 9 completes Jesus' Galilean ministry and begins describing His journey towards Jerusalem. Jesus gives His disciples miraculous power and commissions them to preach. The empowerment thrills the disciples but confuses Herod Antipas. A hungry crowd of thousands and hard teachings about following Jesus, however, shows the disciples' faith is short-lived. The transfiguration and the demonized boy precede stories of the disciples' continued confusion. They still struggle to accurately represent Jesus. Luke 9:51–62 begins the "travelogue" (Luke 9:51—19:27) with examples of the patience and sacrifice needed to represent Jesus as His followers.

Luke 9 straddles the two major sections biblical scholars call "Jesus' Galilean Ministry" (Luke 4:14—9:50) and "The Travelogue to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51—19:27). The Galilean ministry alternates calls to discipleship with stories on Jesus' authority and teachings. The travelogue records what Jesus did and taught to prepare the disciples for His crucifixion. After a final group of stories on how to respond to Jesus (Luke 9:51—11:13) and several examples of how the Jewish religious leaders reject Jesus (Luke 11:14–54), Luke presents Jesus' teaching on the kingdom of God (Luke 12:1—19:27).

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.