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In today’s passage, Jesus uses the word “welcome” a lot:
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… (Matthew 10:40-41)
The word “welcome” is used six times in these two verses. So it’s an important word.
“Welcome” doesn’t mean simply a polite greeting. When you go into a store, you’re greeted with a smile and a welcome.
When Jesus says “welcome”, it means much more than that.
It’s more than a passive welcome. It’s an active receiving of that person. It is embracing that person. It is becoming aligned with that person. Aligned with who they are. Aligned with what’s important to them.
Aligning yourself with someone means being shaped by that person. What’s important to them becomes important to you. Their agenda becomes your agenda.
That person influences you. Shapes you.
An important question for us is: who are you aligned with?
When you’re born, you naturally become aligned with your family. Your parents and siblings shape who you are in so many ways. When you go to school, your friends, peers and teachers shape you. When you go to work, people at work and the work environment shape who you are. When you spend a lot of time with people, they shape who you are
But when you meet Jesus, there is a radical break in who you’re aligned with. Who you align yourself with goes through a radical change.
Jesus says this:
Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. (Matthew 10:40)
Who is the “you” Jesus is talking about?
He’s talking about the disciples of Jesus.
You align yourself with Jesus and those who follow him. That is who you become shaped by. And who are disciples of Jesus?
Matthew’s understanding of discipleship is this: those who seek the will of God. Seeking the will of God becomes the most important thing in a disciple’s life. It is the center of their existence and the criteria by which they do everything.
So to align yourself with Jesus’ disciples is to align yourself with those who seek the will of God.
That is what Jesus did. One day, he was teaching, and someone told him that his mother and brothers were outside waiting for him.
Jesus gave a strange response:
“Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!” (Matthew 12:48-49)
What did he mean by that? Was he disowning his family?
This is what Jesus says:
For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother. (Matthew 12:50)
Jesus is not disowning his family. On the cross, Jesus told his beloved disciple to take care of his mother after his death.
But Jesus is making a point: who he is aligned with has changed. He still loves his family. But he is aligned with those who seek the will of God.
Being a disciple of Jesus means a radical change in who you align yourself with.
But what does it mean to align yourself with those who seek the will of God?
Chapter 10 in Matthew is all about discipleship. They do everything they can to make God’s will a reality. They proclaim that God’s way of life is near. They heal people who are sick. They raise the dead to life.
But he also points out the consequences of living out God’s will. Chapter 10 is a whole list of things that disciples can expect. Opposition from people. Rejection by even family members. Persecution for what they are trying to do.
In other words, the path of true discipleship is very difficult. Seeking and living out God’s will sound nice, but they have very real life implications.
Jesus says:
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. (Matthew 10:41)
Align yourself with prophets and righteous people. Who are prophets and righteous people?
Prophets were not normal people. They were often very strange – eg. John the Baptist. But they had a remarkable gift: they saw clearly how things were.
They saw what was wrong. They saw injustices. They spoke truth to people in power. They spoke truth to people so that they might repent and change their ways.
Prophets were not liked. Especially by those in power and who were comfortable with their privilege. Even normal people didn’t want to listen to prophets. They were a nuisance to the comfortable ways of doing things.
So prophets were ignored and tuned out. They were marginalized. When they could not be ignored, they were persecuted. And they were killed.
What is a righteous person? A righteous person is not necessarily a morally upright person. That is not what Jesus is talking about.
A righteous person is one who seeks right. One who tries to do right especially when things are not right.
If things are not right, they try to make things right.
Righteous people are not liked, especially when what they do exposes what’s not right. They’re not liked because what they expose makes people uncomfortable. Making the changes they seek causes inconvenience.
And so righteous people are often ignored, ridiculed and marginalized.
Disciples, prophets and righteous people: Jesus is saying align yourself with them. Welcome them. Embrace them. Make their agenda yours.
They are often a minority voice. Align yourself with the minority voice. Align yourself with those who are least popular because of what they stand for. The ones being persecuted and suffering. Be in solidarity with them.
Aligning yourself with them is risky. There is a risk to your own popularity. Your own standing. Sometimes, even your own safety.
Aligning yourself with them requires courage. It is the more difficult path.
But it’s not just the risk you share with prophets and righteous people. Jesus promises that you will share their reward as well. What is the reward of prophets and the righteous?
Earlier in Matthew, Jesus says these things:
Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:10)
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6)
Life may be hard pursuing the will of God. But in the end, you will be rewarded. You will be filled. You will receive the kingdom of heaven. You will have communion and peace with God. Your life will have meaning and significance. You will know that you have lived a good life.
Being a disciple does not necessarily mean doing huge, great things.
Jesus says this:
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. (Matthew 10:42)
A cup of cold water: that is something anyone can provide. Jesus used that image to visualize the simplicity of what we can do. All that’s required is that you take notice of someone trying to do right. Offering a cup of cold water is saying: hey, I see you. Thank you for what you’re doing. Drink this cup of water to help you do what you’re doing.
LKCC VBS volunteer training.
Water in the pulpit.
Sioux Valley: “I got you” to fellow team member.
At church or in your everyday settings: don’t just be a passive bystander or a consumer there to take. Notice and be on the lookout for those trying to serve and do right. Be aligned with them. Offer them that cup of cold water: a word of encouragement, a lending hand.
Sometimes we feel tired and just want to take. But when you seek God’s will, God will always give you the strength to offer that cup of cold water. God will renew your strength through that act (how I felt after LKCC VBS talk).
Offer that cup of cold water to those who seek to do God’s will. Make this a practice of your daily life. It will change you. You will live out the will of God.
It will make you more courageous to stand with the minority.
When all is said and done, you will share in God’s reward when he says: well done, my good and faithful servant!
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