And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. (Luke 10:7-9)
It’s interesting here that Jesus gives instruction to these missionaries to not go from house to house but to remain in the same house where they are provided, and to receive what is provided to eat and drink, giving us further insight that a laborer deserves his wages. Why is this interesting? For several reasons…
Before we dive into these specifically, it is important to note that reaping physical wages for sowing spiritual labors is a biblical concept. This concept in its basic principle of a laborer deserving wages, goes all the way back to the Law, where it says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain” (Deuteronomy 25:4). Paul very clearly laid this out that it’s not for the ox’s sake that this was included in the Law, but to point to the fact that God designed that those who minister spiritually would be provided for physically, when he wrote to the Corinthians:
Do we not have the right to eat and drink? Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?… If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? (1 Corinthians 9:4-7, 11) and Paul even further explains this as God’s design a few verses later when he said, Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:13-14).
Even further, in one of the letters that we consider to be a guidance for those serving in ministry and how the church should conduct itself, we’re told to Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” (1 Timothy 5:17-18)
This principle is biblical and shouldn’t cause us to look at missionaries/pastor/teachers as if they are reaping something they shouldn’t by having their needs provided by God through the people they were entrusted to shepherd and equip.
With that in mind, let’s look at the several reasons this is so interesting:
In our human minds, we may think that staying in multiple places would be a lighter burden on those hosting, but Jesus said to remain at the same house, not to go house to house. If they went from house to house, they’d only be there a short time making the hospitality less of a burden, but they would be spending less time at each house which means the quality of relationship they could build and minister in would be less. Also, the less burden on those hosting would mean more burden on the missionaries themselves, but they deserve their wages, of which housing is included.
Eating and drinking what is provided would seem like a no brainer to us now, but back then when dietary restrictions of the Law and the traditions that the Pharisees held so dear, many would scrutinize what they were served. Jesus tells them not to do this, but to simply be thankful for the provision and eat what’s provided.
Matthew Henry in his commentary on this section said, “Christ here refers to the traditions of the elders about their meat which were so many that those who observed them were extremely critical, you could hardly set a dish of meat before them, but there was some scruple or other concerning it; but Christ would not have them to regard those things, but eat what was given them, asking no question for conscience' sake.”
Although we looked at a laborer deserving their wages from the outside, Jesus said this to the laborers themselves. There can be a tendency from a laborer’s perspective to feel like they should be giving everything and expecting nothing in return. In part this is true, in that sharing the gospel should not be the means by which anyone gains. Salvation is free and is freely shared without motive for financial gain, otherwise they’re simply a hired hand.
However, the fact that a laborer deserves their wages goes beyond sharing the gospel. Laborers spend a lot of time in a day ministering spiritually, which means there’s not that time available to earn wages to live. If they can’t labor in a typical job for a paycheck since they’re busy ministering spiritually, then the work they do labor in needs to provide their means to survive, which is what Paul mentioned in 1 Corinthians 9. The hard part then, would seem to be getting the laborer to not only understand that, but not feel guilty for receiving the Lord’s provision through the work they’re doing. The Lord can provide in any number of ways, and by the hand of others should be no less be received and with no less gratitude. And the labor was not easy work – they were healing and preaching the kingdom of God, day in and day out, and sometimes facing opposition from those who would not receive them.
An overarching aspect of all this comes back to trusting God. God is the one who provides all things, and these laborers were going out, seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and they had to trust that God was going to provide for their needs. But the trust also comes in on the part of those whom are being ministered to as well. When we give tithes and offerings, we’re not giving to the church leaders, we’re giving to God. We’re entrusting that He is going to take and use what we’ve given how He wills, part of which is providing for church leaders who labor over you as shepherds and teachers.
Yes, there are instances in which money given to certain churches doesn’t get used well, but that has nothing to do with us. Our faithfulness and desire to fill God’s storehouse should be based on our relationship with God in which we give with a cheerful heart; not based on our own outward examination of how other servants of God are being stewards. If you’re being spiritually sown into, there should be no problem physically providing means for those laborers to reap a living.
Whether you labor in ministry full time or not, there is application for you in this. Trust God, be thankful for His provision, AND actually receive His provision as you labor in the mission He’s called you to.