Read Mt 10:40-42 There are a few different ways to read this scripture, even if you are a bible scholar and go to the Greek words that Matthew used.
But when you hear the first words, doesn’t it sound like words from John? John 13:20 says, “Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” As disciples, we represent Jesus, and Jesus represents God.
In Matthew, Jesus had been talking about how his first disciples should do their work. He told them how to accept hospitality from those who were open. And do you remember verse 14? “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.” Matthew warns that it will be bad news for a town where there’s no welcome.
But Matthew talks about “rewards” here. Are these the desirable things, then? Well, yes and no. In this reading, “rewards” really is more like “just desserts” – what you get or what you deserve for what you have done.
“Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward.” What are the ‘rewards’ of a prophet? The prophets usually weren’t treated well in the Bible. Look at Matthew 5:11-12: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Jesus got really upset over Jerusalem and its leaders: “you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you” (Mt 23:37). If “a prophet’s reward” means that you get what a prophet gets, it could mean a hard time.
But what of the next one? “whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous”. What’s the reward of the righteous? In Matthew, these sound much more positive: “the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Mt 13:43). They are rewarded with eternal life (Mt 25:46).
Would you choose to come in the name of a prophet or of a righteous person? Are we supposed to choose? Of course not. We come in the name of Jesus. Jesus was both prophet and righteous person. As Christians, we can expect both the negative and the positive in life. But the positives exceed the negatives: there is nothing beyond eternal life!
What about our last saying? “whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.” (Mt 10:42). Who is being welcomed now? A ‘little one’. In whose name now? Just a disciple – any follower of Jesus. A ‘little one’ here doesn’t mean a child, but someone who is new to being a Christian, someone early in their walk of faith. They can be effective evangelists, too! They may come in the name of a disciple, but we all come in the name of the one who sent us: Jesus. Jesus opened his arms to everyone – including the children he called ‘little ones’, and people from everywhere that he saw had a seed of faith.
We follow Jesus, the prophet, the righteous one, the one who cares for the least.When we come in the name of Jesus, we can be a blessing for those who open themselves to us.How will we serve?We try to speak truth, we aim to live rightly, and with even simple hospitality the scene is then set.We represent Jesus, and God can do the rest in people’s hearts.
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