3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
There is such a place as enemy territory. Not every place on earth is a friendly place for the Gospel. Not every group you have contact with in your life is friendly to the Gospel. Perhaps even some in your family are not friendly to the Gospel. You might even feel like a lamb among wolves, always watching your backside to be sure you don’t get eaten! Jesus was sending out a larger group of his followers to prepare an even larger area of the region to hear the Gospel. They were his advanced party. They were to begin telling the message. But along the way Jesus wanted them to know that not everyone was going to welcome them. He also wanted them to not get sidetracked or slowed down on their journey. God would provide for their needs, so they did not have to carry provisions. They also had to stay on task and not slow down. It can be hard for us at times to trust fully in the ability of the Lord to provide. He does that through jobs, friends, and family, and sometimes through strangers. All provision is His provision. He also knows our tendency to get off course. We often get distracted along the way. The same was true for these early followers. Jesus gives them instructions that seem contrary to our modern conception of the “friendly” Jesus. He tells them to not greet anyone on the road. They must stay on task. For someone like me who probably has ADHD, it can be hard to stay on task. I must force myself to stay focused, and I don’t always succeed. Roads in those days were often the stomping grounds for thieves and robbers. This is where some of the “wolves” would hang out. So, to not greet people on the road was wisdom. They were not to let anything get in their way of accomplishing their task. We need to have this type of resolve in our lives. We need to stay focused on eternity, our family and our ministry.
The Arnold Journey 