Luke 9:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”

NIV: If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.'

NASB: And as for all who do not receive you, when you leave that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.'

CSB: If they do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them."

NLT: And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.'

KJV: And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.

NKJV: And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”

The Twelve have been told that as they travel to spread the news of the kingdom of God, they should find a host who is "worthy"—who is willing to hear their message—and stay there until it is time to move on to the next village (Luke 9:4; Matthew 10:11).

If they find a town where no one will listen, they must not stay and beg for money, as the traveling philosophers do. They are to leave, symbolic of judgment against the town as if it were pagan and unclean. By shaking the dust off their feet, they illustrate there is nothing in that town worthy of their attention. Jesus adds, "Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town" (Matthew 10:15).

Later, when a Samaritan village refuses to show Jesus and the disciples hospitality, James and John will offer to call down fire to destroy everything (Luke 9:54). The disciples are thinking about Jesus' honor; Jesus is thinking about God's honor.

About sixty years later, the apostle John will deal with the issue of hospitality in 3 John. He will write to a believer named Gaius, praising him for his willingness to host traveling Christian teachers. In comparison, another man in the church, Diotrephes, rejects the authority of church leaders like John, refuses to host traveling believers, and persecutes those who do provide lodging. John suggests that Diotrephes "has not seen God" while Gaius' love for other believers is well known (3 John 1:3, 5–6, 11).

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.