Mt 10:7-13
Without cost: The gospel or the message of the kingdom is a free gift from God, not something that is due to a human being as some kind of reward. It has been handed over to the Son by the Father who wishes that the mysteries of his love be revealed not to the wise and the learned but to the childlike (Mt 11:25-26). The disciples hear the message as dōrean (“without cost,” as in gift or dowry); they are to announce it free of charge. This does not mean that the recipient of their good news have no obligations to the messengers; in fact they are to take minimal provisions, because their lodging and their food will be provided by those who receive them. What Jesus tells them is that monetary compensation should never be their motivation in preaching the good news.
Without cost: The gospel or the message of the kingdom is a free gift from God, not something that is due to a human being as some kind of reward. It has been handed over to the Son by the Father who wishes that the mysteries of his love be revealed not to the wise and the learned but to the childlike (Mt 11:25-26). The disciples hear the message as dōrean (“without cost,” as in gift or dowry); they are to announce it free of charge. This does not mean that the recipient of their good news have no obligations to the messengers; in fact they are to take minimal provisions, because their lodging and their food will be provided by those who receive them. What Jesus tells them is that monetary compensation should never be their motivation in preaching the good news.
The gospel passage fits Joseph Barnabas to a tee. A Levite from Cyprus, he sold a piece of property and brought the money to the apostles to be shared with the community of believers. He was truly Barnabas (Hebrew for “son of encouragement”) for the early Christians, but most especially for the converted Paul of Tarsus to whom he was mentor, friend, and companion. Paul would later be attacked before the Corinthian Christians by evangelizers who questioned why he was not receiving support from his converts. Paul says that he has rights like any other apostle but does not use those rights so as not to place an obstacle to the gospel of Christ. Certainly Kephas (Peter) and the rest of the apostles do the right thing to receive some support from the Christians, for “those who preach the gospel should live by the gospel” (1 Cor 9:14). But Paul and Barnabas have not used their rights, so as not to give anyone pretext to question their motivation.