Matthew 10:40-42
“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and 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.”
These three little verses of Matthew’s Gospel seem a little out of context, all on their own – plucked as they are from Chapter 10, I mean. So, before we get to the point of it, I feel like we need to back up and set the stage, some.
Up until this moment in the 10th Chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus has been laying out the details for his disciples about their job description. He’s been preparing them to hit the road and to get about the work of preaching and teaching and sharing the Good News. He’s already given them authority over unclean spirits, you might remember. He’s already charged them with casting out demons and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. He’s told them to announce that, “The kingdom of God has come near.” He’s instructed them about how to dress, even. And he’s told them where to go, with whom they should stay, and what they should be wary of out there in the world.
And a lot of what they can expect isn’t pretty, to be honest. Just before what we heard this morning, Jesus warns his disciples about that, by telling them:
“… I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me … Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name…”
So it doesn’t sound like such a great gig, being one of those first disciples. Hitting the streets with the Word of God. Knocking on doors to share the Good News of the Kingdom. Preaching the Gospel. Teaching about God. Healing the sick. Inviting yourself into the hearts and lives of people who may or may not want anything at all to do with what you’re up to.
And I kind of wonder, with all of these marching orders, if Jesus doesn’t have an ulterior motive.
Don’t get me wrong. Of course, I’m sure Jesus wanted the dead to be raised and the sick to be cured and the good news to be preached and all of that. But I wonder, too, if the whole point of sending the disciples out into the world that way – with all of those rules and expectations and warning, even – was so that those first disciples, those rookie believers, could get a feel for what it’s like to be on the other side of the door, looking to be welcomed themselves, hoping to be heard themselves, longing to be received themselves, by whoever would have them.
See, even though they were new to all of this, they were insiders to a movement that was about to take off in a big way. And they were insiders who’d just been given tremendous responsibilities and unbelievable authority – to cure the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons; preach, teach, and forgive, remember. That’s the sort of stuff that might go to a person’s head, don’t you think? It’s the sort of stuff that’s so good… it’s the kind of power that’s so mighty… it’s a grace so amazing, it might make a person – or a people – lazy or entitled or stingy with the good stuff, if they aren’t careful.
For instance, a disciple might want to stay put, after a while, and let the sick come to his house for a cure. Or a disciple might want to hang a sign out front with office hours during which time demons might be exorcised. A disciple might think the forgiveness of sins should take place, conveniently, in large groups, at, say, 8:30 or 10 o’clock on a Sunday morning. Or, a rookie disciple might think this grace of God stuff is so good it will sell itself once word gets out – and if people don’t show up, if they don’t bend over backwards to receive it, it would be their loss, not the disciples’ problem.
But this morning, Jesus also says, “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.” On top of all the rest, Jesus means to raise up gracious, generous, selfless, humble, hospitable, welcoming disciples. “…whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones…”
I read an article this week about how the Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis issued some new guidelines warning that transgender kids may not be allowed to enroll in their schools. Apparently, there’s an eight-page document called “Policy and Complementary Norms on Sexual Identity in School Ministries,” that means to offer guidance about how to deal with students who have sexual identity or gender identity experiences that vary from what is “typical” according to the average bear and according to “traditional” church teaching.
Specifically, and admittedly in a very incomplete nutshell, from what I can tell, kids are welcome to attend school, even if they identify somewhere outside of the “typical,” “traditional” norm and expectation of the church, but once a student does something to legally change their gender identity from their biological sex, or once they physically alter their given biology, they may no longer be allowed to enroll.
But, “… 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.”
Now, I don’t mean to pick on our Catholic sisters and brothers. We are all in the same boat as Christian believers. They were just in the news this week. We Lutherans have been down similar roads before. In fact, I was contacted this week about a rumor that an educator at a local Lutheran school was fired for the “immorality” of being gay. And it’s not all about sexuality, either, of course. I got an e-mail not long ago from a friend of a friend who told me she wanted to be part of a church, but that she’d screwed up so many times in so many ways – that she was such a prolific sinner according to her family and as far as any faith community she’d ever known was concerned – that she was anxious and scared to even set foot inside the doors of a church. (You’d be surprised how many people out there in the world make that kind of confession once they find out I’m a pastor.)
Anyway, all of this reminds me about how stingy we can be with the good stuff of God’s grace. And, because of it, I’m afraid, too many churches in the world are known more for who they don’t welcome than for everyone that they do – or should be sharing cups of cold water with, as Jesus puts it.
And, what struck me about all of this, this time around, is that there were no eight-page documents of policy and procedure when Jesus sent those first disciples out into the world. And if there had been, it would have had more to do with the disciples than it would with those whom they were trying to reach with God’s grace and good news.
“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me …and 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.”
We are insiders to God’s movement of grace in the world, you and I. As far as I can tell, most of us gathered here have been welcomed – into a community of faith, into a family of believers, at the waters of baptism and to the table of forgiveness – and we know the blessing of that welcome. (If none of that feels true for you, yet. I’m especially glad you’re hearing this today. I hope it sounds like an invitation to the love of God in a way you’ve never felt it before.)
See, I think, like those first disciples, we’re to be reminded about what that sort of grace and welcome feels like – what that kind of mercy and forgiveness and love means for us – so that we are sent out into the world around us, offering it up like so many cups of cold water – to thirsty pilgrims wherever we can find them, at all costs – to anyone and everyone who hasn’t been welcomed or received or listened to or loved, just yet, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen
