Luke 9:3

9:1-9 Christ sent his twelve disciples abroad, who by this time were able to teach others what they had received from the Lord. They must not be anxious to commend themselves to people's esteem by outward appearance. They must go as they were. The Lord Jesus is the fountain of power and authority, to whom all creatures must, in one way or another, be subject; and if he goes with the word of his ministers in power, to deliver sinners from Satan's bondage, they may be sure that he will care for their wants. When truth and love thus go together, and yet the message of God is rejected and despised, it leaves men without excuse, and turns to a testimony against them. Herod's guilty conscience was ready to conclude that John was risen from the dead. He desired to see Jesus; and why did he not go and see him? Probably, because he thought it below him, or because he wished not to have any more reprovers of sin. Delaying it now, his heart was hardened, and when he did see Jesus, he was as much prejudiced against him as others, Lu 23:11.

Luke 9:3 . The instructions in this and the next two verses follow pretty closely the version in Mk.— μηδὲν αἴρετε εἰς τὴν ὁδόν : as in Mk., but in direct speech, while Mk.’s is indirect ( ἵνα μ . αἴρωσιν .)— μήτε ῥάβδον : Lk. interprets tie prohibition more severely than Mk. Not a staff (Mk. except a staff only).— ἀργύριον , silver, for Mk.’s χαλκόν : silver the common metal for coinage among the Greeks, copper among the Romans.— δύο χιτῶνας , two tunics each, one on and one for change.— ἔχειν : infinitive, after αἴρετε , imperative. It may be a case of the infinitive used as an imperative, of which one certain instance is to be found in Php 3:16 ( στοιχεῖν = walk), or it may be viewed as a transition from direct to indirect speech (so most commentators). Bengel favours the first view.

Verse 3. - Take nothing for your journey . Dr. Farrar well sums up the various directions of the Master to these his first missionaries: "The general spirit of the instructions merely is, 'Go forth in the simplest, humblest manner, with no hindrances to your movements, and in perfect faith;' and this, as history shows, has always been the method of the most successful missions. At the same time, we must remember that the wants of the twelve were very small, and were secured by the free open hospitality of the East." Luke 9:3

3 . And he said unto them ] For a much fuller account of the instructions given to the Twelve see Matthew 10:5-15 . Some of these are recorded by St Luke as given also to the Seventy, Luke 10:1-16 . neither staves ] Or a staff (as N, A, B, and many uncials). The plural may have been frivolously introduced by some copyist who wished to avoid an apparent discrepancy with Mark 6:8 , “save a staff only.” St Matthew also says, ‘not even a staff.’ Minute and wholly unimportant as the variation would have been, it may turn on the fact that our Lord told them not specially to procure ( μὴ κτήσησθε , Matt.) these things for the journey; or on the fact that speaking in Aramaic He used the phrase כי אם (kee im), which might be explained ‘even if you have a staff it is unnecessary.’ nor scrip ] i.e. wallet, a bag carried over the shoulder to contain a few dates or other common necessaries. 1 Samuel 17:40 . neither dread ] which they usually took with them, Luke 9:13 ; Matthew 16:7 . neither money ] Literally, “silver.” St Luke uses the word because it was the common metal for coinage among the Greeks. St Mark uses “copper,” the common Roman coinage. neither have two coats apiece ] i.e. do not carry with you a second tunic ( ketoneth )—which indeed is a rare luxury among poor Orientals. (See on Luke 3:11 .) If they carried a second tunic at all they could only do so conveniently by putting it on ( Mark 6:9 ).

St Mark adds that they were to wear sandals, and St Matthew that they were not to have travelling shoes ( hupodimata ). The general spirit of the instructions merely is, Go forth in the simplest, humblest manner, with no hindrances to your movements and in perfect faith; and this, as history shews, has always been the method of the most successful missions. At the same time we must remember that the wants of the Twelve were very small (see on Luke 8:3 ) and were secured by the open hospitality of the East (Thomson, Land and Book , p. 346).