THE WORDS OF JESUS
Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional – Part 49
“Whoever receives you receives Me”
“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.” – The Words of Jesus, Matthew 10:40-42.
This is the last of Jesus’ instructions, (sermons), to His disciples, which are recorded, beginning in the book of Matthew 5:1 and continue through Matthew 10:42. (They are recorded in the other Gospels as well and can be found, in summary form, in Matthew 4:1-17).
Jesus has taught and showed them how to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (see Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus now gives his disciples authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. (See Matthew 10:1).
Jesus now finished His work of teaching and instructing with these chilling words:
“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”.
There is much to discover here, but let’s focus on the ‘bottom line’ of His message: REWARD.
- Clearly, ‘whoever receives Jesus, received God the Father. (‘Receive’ means to gladly welcome and accept.)
- Next, Jesus uses a Hebraism to compare what is understood by a Jew, ‘The one who ‘receives’ a prophet receives a prophet’s reward”, which is the one who can see, perceive and understand the message of God and His oracles, chiefly the salvation offered through the Christ Who is Jesus.
- Next, Jesus informs and reminds that ‘one who receives a righteous person’, that is a person who is in right standing with God and man, will receive that same reward of being in right standing with God and man.
- ‘And whoever gives one of these little ones (which can be translated and understand as relating to age, influence, social status, intellect, etc.), even a cup of cold water (the simplest of compassionate acts of goodness), because he is my disciple, truly I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward’.
Whoever, as a disciple of Jesus and in disregard of influence, social status, personal gain, wealth, intellect or ability, will show compassion ‘even to the least of these’ will by no means lose his reward.
A Christian, by their very nature and definition, is a disciple of Jesus; and a disciples’ reward is complete forgiveness of their sins, being made into a new creature, made into a child of God and a joint heir with Jesus, to live forever with Him in His Father’s house in heaven.
But, to those who have even walked with Jesus, and have ‘cast out demons in His name, and done many mighty works in His name’, but fail to show compassion on the least of these, He declares to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Let’s pray for one another that we not be found coming up short!
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
PREVIOUS: THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are You To Do With Them?, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me”, Part 48
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So, also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead”. (See James 2:14-17)
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