Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Matthew: Chapter 10].
was making his rounds in the land of Syria on behalf of the
national goddess." Deissmann also quotes a pun in the
_Didaskalia=Const. Apost_. 3, 6 about some itinerant widows who
said that they were not so much \ch•rai\ (spouseless) as \p•rai\
(pouchless). He cites also Shakespeare, _Troilus and Cressida_
III. iii. 145: "Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back, wherein
he puts alms for oblivion." {For the labourer is worthy of his
food} (\axios gar ho ergat•s t•s troph•s autou\). The sermon is
worth the dinner, in other words. Luke in the charge to the
seventy (Lu 10:7) has the same words with \misthou\ (reward)
instead of \troph•s\ (food). In 1Ti 5:18 Paul quotes Luke's
form as scripture (\h• graph•\) or as a well-known saying if
confined to the first quotation. The word for workman here
(\ergat•s\) is that used by Jesus in the prayer for labourers
(Mt 9:38). The well-known _Didach•_ or _Teaching of the Twelve_
(xiii) shows that in the second century there was still a felt
need for care on the subject of receiving pay for preaching. The
travelling sophists added also to the embarrassment of the
situation. The wisdom of these restrictions was justified in
Galilee at this time. Mark (Mr 6:6-13) and Luke (Lu 9:1-6)
vary slightly from Matthew in some of the details of the
instructions of Jesus.
10:13 {If the house be worthy} (\ean •i h• oikia axia\). Third
class condition. What makes a house worthy? "It would naturally
be readiness to receive the preachers and their message"
(McNeile). Hospitality is one of the noblest graces and preachers
receive their share of it. The apostles are not to be burdensome
as guests.
10:14 {Shake off the dust} (\ektinaxate ton koniorton\). Shake
out, a rather violent gesture of disfavour. The Jews had violent
prejudices against the smallest particles of Gentile dust, not as
a purveyor of disease of which they did not know, but because it
was regarded as the putrescence of death. If the apostles were
mistreated by a host or hostess, they were to be treated as if
they were Gentiles (cf. Mt 18:17; Ac 18:6). Here again we have
a restriction that was for this special tour with its peculiar
perils.
10:15 {More tolerable} (\anektoteron\). The papyri use this
adjective of a convalescent. People in their vernacular today
speak of feeling "tolerable." The Galileans were having more
privileges than Sodom and Gomorrah had.
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/MT10.RWP.html (3 of 8) [28/08/2004 09:03:05 a.m.]