Today, our gospel message comes to us from the 10th chapter of Matthew, beginning with the 40th verse, “Welcome Christ in those Christ sends.”
“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” (Matthew 10:40-42)
Father, You sent your Word to bring us truth and your Spirit to make us holy. Through them, we come to know the mystery of your life. Help us worship you, one God in three persons, And reveal yourself in the depths of our being by proclaiming and living our faith in you. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
“Ambassadors of Christ”
This morning our gospel text concludes the discourse that Jesus gave to His disciples when He commissioned them to continue the ministry that He had begun with the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Two weeks ago, the Gospel of Matthew informed us that after the disciples had witnessed the healing ministry of Jesus Christ, Jesus instructed His disciples to go and do likewise.
And we heard last week that the ministry that Jesus had given to His disciples would not be easy because not everyone who heard the “Good News” and experienced the presence of God in their life would want to be a part of God’s Kingdom.
And we were told that Jesus warned His disciples that they might be persecuted and that some people might react violently against them when they acknowledged Jesus as Lord and continued His ministry of humble service.
And yet, despite all these risks, last Sunday, we also heard Jesus instruct His disciples to be faithful, pick up their cross, follow Him, and not be afraid because each one was precious in His sight and was well known by God the Father in Heaven.
Well, today, we have the final words from Jesus concerning the ministry He had bestowed upon His disciples. And unlike the doom and gloom of the previous two weeks, today, Jesus informs us that persecution is not the only result of discipleship.
In fact, Jesus informed His disciples that they would come across people who loved God and honor the people God sent to them.
And so Jesus explained that these folks would welcome them like they were welcoming Him and like the one who sent Him and that they would receive their reward (for their act of welcoming will not go unnoticed). And the reward (of course) would be the gift of salvation offered to us through the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And because they welcomed and accepted you, they, too, will now have the reward of participating in Christ’s ministry.
Now I know that this sounds simple and appears easy to comprehend, but I must ask: “How do we participate in the ministry that the Lord has given us?” And to help answer this question, I would like you to look at vs. 42 momentarily and reflect upon what Jesus is asking us to do.
The verse states: “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
Did you know that throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus spent a great deal of time teaching His disciples how things work in the kingdom of God? And that Jesus provided for His disciples’ examples of how they could “Be His Ambassadors” and carry out the ministry His Father had given to Him. One such example is recorded in Matthew 25: 31-40.
The text reads: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.”
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’”
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
And the point being when Christ’s Disciples reach out to the less fortunate with a hand of compassion, and with a hand of mercy, and with a hand of acceptance, they are, in fact, reaching out to Him.
And the wonderful thing about Christ’s teaching is that it does not have to be something big or difficult or beyond our ability. Sometimes it may be just a cold cup of water given in the name of a disciple.
Unfortunately, we all can think of many reasons why we cannot be there for our neighbor and be Christ’s Ambassador. Too often, when we are offered the opportunity to share Christ’s love, we respond that we are too busy, or too tired, or too shy, or too inexperienced to be of any use in the ministry God has given to us.
But God calls us to care for His little ones. And God has given us an example of how we can share His love with others through the gift of His Son.
Jesus said: “Anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
May we be found faithful! Amen.
Let us pray: Almighty God, your Son Jesus has taught us that what we do for the least of your children, we also do for Him. Give us the will to serve others, as He was the servant of all, who gave up His life and died for us so we may forever live in your Kingdom. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
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Scripture is taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Sermon contributed by Paul Zwarich.
When Christ’s Disciples reach out to the less fortunate with a hand of compassion they are in fact reaching out to Him.
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