The believer is to study his own life in the light of God’s known purposes, and in the light of what he is attempting to do for the Lord. We certainly do not understand everything that takes place in our lives, but we can read some of God’s dealings with us in advancing or checking our progress towards our intended goal for him. Many live largely for themselves, but the pastor, the evangelist, and the missionary have much more precise objectives for the Lord and they are to measure their lives against those objectives. Later, Christ reminded the twelve of these instructions that he had given them, and asked them if they had lacked anything, and they answered ‘Nothing’ (Luke 22:35). They had seen God’s supply, and they understood that his supply comes through what seems like very ordinary events of life. Alongside their ministry, which was to include supernatural miracles, was the quiet calm work of God providing for them by very ordinary means.
‘For the workman is worthy of his meat.’ As a general principle, every workman who does his work honestly and conscientiously is worthy of his meat, his food, his daily provision. The archaic word ‘meat’, meaning food, stands for all the necessities of life with which the worker is rewarded for his labour. God too treats those who work for him in the same way, but the means by which he supplies their needs is much more wonderful. He provides in such a way that they learn at the same time that he is Lord of heaven and earth. He commands the ravens to feed his servant; he commands the widow of Zarephath to sustain his prophet; he knows that we have need of all these things, and he adds all these things to us. His giving may be by means of others. It is a secret giving which needs us to reflect on our Creator’s powers, and his secret interventions in the workings of the world. That secret power clothes the lilies of the field, but also puts food on our tables. The one who has given himself to the Lord’s work has a special opportunity to see God’s provision, for the more we lean on him, the more he proves himself to us and provides for us. But it is also true that those people who heard the gospel owed a debt to the apostles for their labour. ‘If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?’ (1 Corinthians 9:11), says Paul to the Corinthians. The disciples must not hesitate to be dependent on the supply of their material needs from those they preached to; they were worthy of it.
Although there were special reasons why the twelve had to take nothing with them, Christ’s instruction here is a guideline to all ministers about the standard of living they are called to. The minister is not to be greater than his Lord, and his Lord lived as a relatively poor man. There are a lot of ministers today who seem to feel so well about themselves, that they think they can be much richer than the Lord, or than their great example in the ministry, the apostle Paul, or any of the apostles. It is easy to see those who are phonies by the things they do and how they pursue riches. They have no obedience to the Lord, no likeness to the Lord.