Luke 10:4

Luke 10:4, in plain English

Jesus told them to carry no money, no bag, no sandals, and not even to stop and greet people along the road. The urgency was intense.

Why it's here

No supplies and no small talk. Jesus wanted them laser-focused on the mission. Every delay mattered. Every detour cost time. The kingdom message was that urgent.

Who's speaking

Jesus gives travel instructions emphasizing urgency.

Where it sits in the story

Travel light and move fast: no wallet, no luggage, no shoes, and do not stop to chat on the road. The urgency of the kingdom message left no room for distraction.

The scholarly reading

Instructions mirror the Twelve's commissioning (9:3) but add mē bastazete ballantion, mē pēran, mē hypodēmata ('carry no purse, bag, or sandals') and the unusual command mēdena kata tēn hodon aspasēsthe ('greet no one along the road'), emphasizing extreme urgency.

Language and setting

The prohibition against greeting travelers reflects the urgency of the mission: Middle Eastern greetings were elaborate, time-consuming rituals. This echoes Elisha's command to Gehazi in 2 Kings 4:29. The stripped-down travel requirements reinforce radical trust in God's provision.

Voice

Jesus gives practical mission instructions to the seventy-two.

Significance

Jesus stripped their supplies down to nothing: no money bag, no travel pack, no sandals. He even forbade stopping for the customary lengthy greetings, signaling the extreme urgency of their kingdom mission.

2And He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.

3Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.

4Carry no purse or bag or sandals. Do not greet anyone along the road.

5Whatever house you enter, begin by saying, ‘Peace to this house.’

6If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you.

Read all of Luke 10 — A lawyer asks how to inherit eternal life and gets an answer he doesn't expect. The hero of the story is the one everyone despises.