002. "Salute No Man by the Way"
"Salute No Man by the Way"
JESUS is sending out the seventy, two by two, into every city and place where He himself would come. He tells them that the harvest is very great but there are few laborers. He tells them to carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes; and to salute no man by the way. This sounds to our ears rather impolite and not like Jesus, who was kind and friendly. We are accustomed only to the manners of the Western world and we think merely of a nod of the head, a smile, or a grasp of the hand, which takes very little time.
Why did Christ command the seventy to salute no man by the way? They were on very important business, going out as messengers for their King and they must not loiter in idle conversation with the people they would meet on the way.
If a peasant from the Bible Lands should come to our country and watch us hurrying to catch a train and see us nod to a friend as a salutation, he certainly would consider us extremely impolite. No peasant would ever be so rude. When he walks through a town or village and meets an acquaintance, he rushes up to him and falls on his neck and kisses him on both cheeks, as the father of the prodigal son did. Then they each lay the right hand over the heart, then on their lips, and then slowly raise it to the forehead; and after that clasp each other’s hands.
Placing the hand over the heart is saying, "With my heart I love you"; placing the hand on the lips is saying, "With my lips I give you the kiss of friendship"; while raising the hand to the forehead signifies, "I esteem and respect you." Next they exchange greetings and inquire after each other’s .welfare. Then they question each other with complimentary speeches which would take, at the very least, another half hour, and they embrace again and depart.
Time is of no importance to these villagers and you never saw one hurry. They frequently stand by the hour repeating over and over the same words, such as, "Is there peace with thee? Is there peace with thy house?" When we read in the Bible, "Is it well?" the meaning is, "Is there peace?" Genesis 37:14 : "And he said to him, Go I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks." This is also found in many other places in the Bible.
Because of this very common custom of such long greetings, Elisha said to his servant Gehazi, "If thou meet any man, salute him not" (2 Kings 4:29).
Salutations today are just as lovely as in Old Testament days. When you meet a friend in any of the Bible Lands, he exclaims, "Peace be unto you." When he leaves you he will say, "God go with you" - "Mar salaam," to a man; "Mar salaami," to a woman. You reply, "Peace remain with you" - "Allah selmack," to a man; "Allah selmick," to a woman. A native may be just longing to kill you, and yet when you meet him on the street, he will stop and greet you thus: "May your days be blessed! God give you health and smooth your path! Peace to your lives. Go in peace." The Bible has many salutations which are common today in Bible Lands. When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary in Nazareth to announce to her that she was to be the mother of the Messiah, Mary was troubled in her mind to know what manner of salutation the angel used - was it the usual form, was it flattery, or had it a real meaning?
There is scarcely a salutation found in the Bible that may not be heard spoken every day in the villages of Palestine. All this helps us better to understand why Christ said to the disciples, "Salute no man by the way."