Matthew 10.40-42 Far Greater Rewards
The Jews had a custom. They called it shaliah. According to that custom, people were expected to treat the king's emissary as if he were the king himself. If the king sent a message to you by a messenger with bad news, you had better not shoot the messenger. You had better treat the king's messenger as if he were a VIP. You had better roll out the red carpet. You had better offer the messenger a cup of coffee and a donut. You had better be prepared to put him up for the night.
The king wasn't likely to give you extra points for treating his messenger well –– that was simply expected. But you could be sure that the king would punish you if you mistreated his messenger. Before you mistreated the king's messenger, you needed to make sure your insurance was paid and your will was signed.
Shaliah! People in other times and places practiced it too. The king's emissary is an extension of the king. Treat him well or prepare to suffer.
Now, that doesn't mean that the messenger is equal to the king. The king knew the difference –– and you can be sure that the messenger knew the difference too.
Tony Blair served as Prime Minister of Great Britain for ten years. When he was elected, Queen Elizabeth granted Blair and his wife an audience. Before they went into the queen's presence, someone took them aside and explained royal protocol. One of the rules was that nobody turned his or her back on the queen. When the time came, Blair and his wife would walk into the presence of the queen and bow or curtsey –– but when time came to leave, they would back out of the room –– always facing the queen until the door was closed. The Blairs took that seriously, of course, and practiced walking backwards so they would be able to do it gracefully when departing the queen's presence.
So the queen's minister is not the queen's equal –– not in the least. Walking backwards emphasized that fact. Everyone is subordinate to the queen. When granted an audience with the queen, you walk in –– but you back out.
You don't turn your back on the queen.
But once Blair backed out of that room, he was the queen's man. The queen expected people to treat him with respect. If someone tried to target Blair, the queen would sic all the queen's horses and all the queen's men on them. An insult to Blair would be an insult to the queen –– and to Britain. Shaliah! The queen's emissary is an extension of the queen. Treat him well or prepare to suffer the consequences.
You parents know something about shaliah. If someone were to help your son or daughter, you would be grateful. If you had the means, you might reward them. But if someone injured your son or daughter, you would be angry. You thoughts would tern to revenge. Shaliah!
In Matthew 10, we read about Jesus sending out his twelve apostles. He told them to cure the sick –– and to raise the dead –– and to cleanse lepers –– and to cast out demons (v. 8). He told them to travel light. They wouldn't need to carry money or food or a tent. They were to rely on the hospitality of the people whom they were serving. In other words, he told them to depend on shaliah –– to expect people to welcome them as if they were Jesus himself.
Jesus warned his disciples that they would face opposition –– but he assured them that God would go with them –– that God would help them. And then Jesus said:
"Whoever welcomes you welcomes me,
and whoever welcomes me
welcomes the one who sent me." (v. 40).
Shaliah! The messenger bears the image of the one who sent him. The apostles bore the image of Jesus –– and Jesus bore the image of God –– so the apostles also bore the image of God. A = B, so B = C. The disciples were to speak with God's authority. They were to act by God's power.
Then Jesus said something really important. Listen closely, because you will learn how you can please God –– how you can please God well enough to expect a reward.
Wouldn't you like to have God see you doing something good and say, "I need to reward that person"! In these next verses, Jesus tells us how to do that. He tells us how to please God so much that God will want to reward us.
In these verses, Jesus points to three different categories of people that God would like us to help. He said that if we will help these people that God will reward us. Listen carefully! These are Jesus' words. See if you can pick out the three different kinds of people that Jesus wants us to help. Jesus said:
"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" (vv. 41-42).
Did you catch the three kinds of people that Jesus wants us to help? Let me tell you a little bit about each of the three.
The first kind of person that Jesus wants us to help are PROPHETS.
We tend to think of prophets as people who foretell the future –– and some did –– but that was just frosting on the cake. In the Bible, prophets were people who spoke for God –– who said what God sent them to say.
In most cases, God sent prophets to straighten out people who were doing the wrong thing. Their typical message was, "Repent, or God will get you!"
In some instances, God sent the prophets to rebuke the rich and powerful for mistreating the poor and those who were powerless –– widows and orphans and such. For instance, the prophet Amos, speaking to the women of a place called
Bashan (BA-shan), said:
"Hear this word, you cows of Bashan,
...who oppress the poor,
who crush the needy,
who say to (your) husbands,
'Bring something to drink!'
...The time is surely coming upon you
when they shall take you away with hooks,
even the last of you with fishhooks,
...says the Lord" (Amos 4:1-3).
"You cows of Bashan." No wonder the prophets weren't popular! Can you imagine me addressing the women of this town as "You cows of Eastover / Columbia!”
So the prophets weren't popular. People often ran prophets out of town –– or threw them into a well –– or sent soldiers to kill them –– anything to shut them up. But Jesus says:
"Whoever welcomes a prophet
in the name of a prophet
(meaning, "because he or she is a prophet")
will receive a prophet's reward."
In other words, Jesus wants us to help prophets –– men and women who are delivering God's message, however unpopular. Jesus promises a prophet's reward if we will do so.
You need to understand that a prophet's reward in this life was usually getting run out of town –– or worse. But just imagine the grand reception that the prophet can expect in heaven. Just imagine how grandly God will receive us if we welcome prophets.
Second, Jesus wants us to help RIGHTEOUS PEOPLE.
Righteous people are people who obey God ––
people who try to do what God wants them to do ––
people who love God and their neighbors ––
people whose lives honor God.
Jesus says if we welcome people like that –– if we help them –– God will reward us with the reward of the righteous person. If we welcome a righteous person, God will treat us as if we ourselves were righteous. That sounds like a pretty good deal to me!
Third, Jesus wants us to help LITTLE ONES. Little ones could be nearly anyone –– children –– or the poor –– or the homeless –– or anyone who is vulnerable. In Matthew 25, Jesus promises rewards to people who feed the hungry –– or give a cup of cold water to the thirsty –– or welcome a stranger –– or clothe the naked –– or help the sick –– or visit the prisoner. We talked about that this week in VBS this week, didn’t we? The poor and persecuted in the Sudan. In that context, Jesus says,
"Truly I tell you,
just as you did it to one of the least of these
who are members of my family,
you did it to me" (25:40).
And so Christians have been collecting money for disaster relief ever since –– and running soup kitchens and food pantries. Christians built hospitals when there was no money to be made building hospitals. We have visited prisoners. We have run programs for drug addicts. We have drilled wells. We have started schools. We have built orphanages. Christians, especially United Methodists will go to the ends of the earth to help the needy. Jesus says, "None of these will lose their reward."
So these are the three groups that Jesus calls us to help:
• Prophets
• Righteous people
• and little ones
I can't begin to tally all the ways that the people of this congregation are already doing these things. Nor can I imagine all the ways that God has in store for us to do so much more in the months and the years to come. And I truly believe that God has blessed –– and will bless –– the people of this congregation for helping others.
I do know this –– Jesus has promised us a reward for our service, and I am confident that what God will do for us will be far greater than everything we have ever done for others –– far greater!
Keep your eyes open for opportunities to help prophets, righteous people, and little ones. Each opportunity to help is also an opportunity to receive God's blessings.
