Matthew 10:10: The worker is worthy of his nourishment.

Jesus sent the Twelve out with no means of support – no food, no money to purchase food, no extra clothes. They were to be like Israel, relying on the Lord to maintain them as they went out into the wilderness.

For the apostles, this maintenance took the form of finding houses that would show hospitality. Their Father would lead them to houses that were “worthy,” where their peace would stick, houses where they would be fed and cared for.

Jesus gives His rationale for this in verse 10: The apostles go out as laborers in the vineyard, and the laborer is worthy of his nourishment. As Paul says, we are not to muzzle the ox while it threshes. Laborers in the fields of Yahweh are not to be muzzled while they work. They are to live by their ministry.

I want to draw a somewhat different point from this verse, though. Jesus says that the worker should be nourished from his work, but we can turn that around and say that those who are nourished are workmen. And when we put Jesus’ point that way, we get an important insight into the meaning of this table.

The Lord’s Table is not for do-nothings. It is not for people who turn the other way when they see sheep wandering without a shepherd. It’s not for people who see a harvest and leave the work to others.

We are not here because we have earned a place at the table. I’m not saying that. But being here, we are called and commanded to participate in the harvest. When we have eaten and drunk, we are commissioned to go out to carry on the mission of Jesus. This is a table for workmen, where we receive nourishment for our task. Once we have eaten here, let us prove ourselves worthy workmen.