Matthew 10:40-42–Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation

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Welcome to today’s Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation covering Matthew 10:40-42 wherein we receive Jesus’ teaching on what it means to receive others.

Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.  The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.  And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

Jesus was big on welcoming.  He loved to fellowship with all sorts of different people, unashamed to be seen with any of them.  But this didn’t mean that He was just some happy-go-lucky guy who didn’t stand for much of anything, able to blend in to whatever crowd.  Oh no, for directly previous to the verses we find here, Jesus made it clear that He would actually bring great division into even households because of who He was and what He said in regards to hard-to-swallow truth.  Jesus knew that some did and some didn’t, that many would and many wouldn’t accept Him.  Such then would be the case for those who would follow in His footsteps, the disciples who would model their lives and words after His.  And for those today who might propose that they like or accept Jesus as a good teacher but not as God, they, said Jesus, will actually be missing the God that they think they have a handle on altogether: whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. Notice the pattern that is presented to us–Jesus listened to and obeyed His Father, we listen to and obey Jesus (and so also the Father), and so a rejection of any three, so long as the emulation is happening rightly, is a rejection of the truth about God completely.

Obviously then, Jesus would highlight the great importance of welcoming those who bore His name, identifying themselves with Him.  He gives three categories of people that we might share fellowship with: prophets, righteous people, and “little” disciples.  The first two groups are the ones that naturally carry a fair amount of honor.  Particularly concerning prophets, these are the guys who might come into town with a fancy message, polished delivery, or stamp of approval from other church leaders.  Now he might deliver a message that would really be challenging, but assuming that many of His listeners love the Lord, he would be accepted and bring blessing to the church and whatever household might be hosting him.  We might assume similar things with the righteous person who had lived for sometime in uprightness and purity, setting an example for others to follow.  But then finally, there exists the little one who loves Jesus, him or her who has nothing extravagant to bring but is actually just in need of a drink.  This is perhaps like the man that James describes who comes into church in shabby clothes and might be looked down upon because of such (James 2:2-3).  This one Jesus says carries with him a blessing, it is inferred, that will be most certainly given one day in heaven.  It is as if He is letting God’s people know that the “lowly one” who is least noticed by man is under the eye of the One who sees all things, taking note of those who show love and kindness to them.

It isn’t that Jesus is dismissing the fact that we should receive into our company the prophets and notably righteous people but that God has a special reward for those who love on the lowly.  Having a welcoming spirit to everyone in the faith is here emphasized, and understandably so since even families will be divided over Jesus.  How then are we caring for one another?  Is our attitude one of sharing?  Are there areas in which we are discriminating the cool or more “respectable” Christians from those in the other crowd?  And finally, are we focused on heaven, and our rewards therein, as we think about how to bless our brothers and sisters in the Lord?  Like Jesus, lets get big on welcoming today.

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