Mark 6:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he said to them, "Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there.

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

NASB: And He said to them, 'Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town.

CSB: He said to them, "Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that place.

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

KJV: And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.

NKJV: Also He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.

While sending the Twelve on their first missionary journey, Jesus does not allow them to take two tunics for warmth because He expects them to stay in the homes of those they minister to. By remaining in the first home offered to them, the disciples are not tempted to find better accommodations. They also prevent jealousy in those who come to hear their preaching later and wish to host them.

By staying with the first household that invited them, the Twelve duplicate Abraham's servant. Abraham sent him to find a wife for Isaac from among Abraham's kinsmen. The servant reached the area and asked God to identify His choice for Isaac's wife. Rebekah immediately came and offered to water the servant's camels.

The practice of hospitality has always been very important in the Middle East. John devotes an entire letter to his friend Gaius, praising him for taking in traveling evangelists despite criticism from another member of his church. He says, "Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God" (3 John 1:5–6).

Jesus' words speak to us in two ways. First, we should be ready to provide lodging and support for pastors, missionaries, and other ministers. Second, if we are in a place where we rely on support provided by others, we should be grateful, even if we think we deserve more.

Mark 6:7–13 describes the Twelve's missions trip, sandwiched by two less-encouraging accounts. Jesus' rejection at Nazareth teaches the disciples and us that preaching the gospel is often most difficult at home (Mark 6:1–6). The execution of John the Baptist by Herod Antipas shows that sometimes doing the work of Christ brings dire consequences (Mark 6:14–29). Jesus had chosen the Twelve to be with Him, to preach, and to have authority to cast out demons (Mark 3:14). They had been with Jesus, not it was a time for them to be sent out to minister to others. Later, Jesus will send out seventy-two (Luke 10:1–12). Before He ascends to heaven, He will send out all who believe in Him (Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 1:8; John 17:20–26). Matthew 9:35—11:1 recounts this event with more detail, while the account in Luke 9:1–6 is nearly identical to Mark's.

Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth, but the people there are faithless and skeptical. As a result, Jesus performs no more than a few minor miracles. He then assigns His twelve apostles to travel in pairs, preaching repentance and healing various conditions. Mark then takes a brief detour to explain the death of John the Baptist, beheaded after Herod Antipas is tricked by his wife. The focus then returns to Jesus, explaining His miraculous feeding of thousands of people, walking on water, and healing people in Gennesaret.

Even as the Twelve are given opportunity to wield some of Jesus' power and authority, they still struggle to understand. They misinterpret who He is, what He has come to do, and how much He will ask of them. They fear Jesus' display of deity, but seem to dismiss the murderous rejection of His hometown and the death of John the Baptist. It's easy to have faith in a prophet who seems poised to rescue Israel from foreign rule. It is still beyond them to understand that He is actually God.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.