Matthew
10:40-42 (NRSV)
40 “Whoever
welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.
41 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; 42 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.”
Matthew 10:40-42 are sayings on
hospitality. If we are to teach and preach only the great themes of the Bible
and theology, we will ignore this passage. Yet, we would be poorer followers of
Jesus if we did so. We often hear of the encouragement to practice random acts
of kindness. In a sense, this passage has Jesus encouraging such acts. Yet, he
also suggests that such kindness is not random. They show others something of
who we are, so much so that God will not forget the one who shows hospitality. Jesus
is offering a blessing upon those who show hospitality to those whom Jesus
sends forth. Strangers are not always a threat or a nuisance. Anyone can assume
the stance of those who welcome guests into our lives. Ideally, of course, even
the distinction between host and guest will evaporate into a new bond of unity.
The ethic behind these sayings is that
of reciprocity. The messenger of Jesus is offering a gift through their preaching,
teaching, and actions. Some people will respond with the gift of welcome and a
simple act of kindness that will bring refreshment. In general, the one who
offers hospitality to a stranger is willing to welcome something new,
unfamiliar, and unknown. Strangers have stories to tell that may stimulate the
imagination in new directions. Coming from a different life-world than our own,
hospitality to the stranger opens the door to a novel perspective that may
expand us.[1] One
who welcomes the messenger of Jesus welcomes Jesus as well, and welcoming Jesus
means welcoming the Father who sent him. Jesus knows that within his ministry
context, he and his followers will have a largely negative relationship with
other Jews and with the occupiers from Rome. Therefore, when a person shows
hospitality to the follower of Jesus, God will remember them in eternity. Yet,
allow me to suggest that if all this is so of one who does not follow Jesus,
how much more should it be true of the follower of Jesus? Such hospitality is a
way the follower of Jesus can show the world a different way of relating to the
strangers that come into our lives. The background of such a saying is that to
welcome an emissary was tantamount to welcoming the one who dispatched the
emissary. In the context of discipleship, it assumes an inextricable bond
between teacher and disciple, sender and messenger. Luke 10:16 expands the
thinking here that to those who listen to the messenger listen to the one who
sent the messenger. John 13:20 says that those who receive the disciples
receive Jesus as the one who sent them. “A man’s agent is like himself,” says
Mishnah, Berakhot 5.5. Philippians 2:25 says that Epaphroditus was such an emissary
from the church to Paul and now from Paul to the church. Irenaeus, a writer of
the second century, used this notion to support the idea of apostolic
succession in order to meet the threat that unsubstantiated teaching
represented in his time. When Jesus refers to people who welcome the prophet
and righteous person, he could refer to any preacher, teacher, or one who acts
in a way commensurate with the message of Jesus. Even the simple act of offering a cup of cold
water is a saving act for the one who gives and the one who receives. I have
learned that in Chinese culture, a true act of hospitality is to take the time
to offer hot water. Even the smallest act of hospitality to a “little one” is
an act God will not forget in eternity. In the context of the ministry of
Jesus, such a little one is a follower of Jesus. Yet, such a little one is also
the one the beatitudes describe. They are the poor, the pure in heart, seekers
of righteousness, and merciful. They might be the one who needs the welcome of
forgiveness, as in the parable of the prodigal son. If we pay attention to the
teaching of Jesus, such “little ones” will become quite broad and inclusive. God
will remember those who offer such simple acts of kindness. Even if such
persons have never heard of Jesus, they are living their lives in the way Jesus
counsels here. The one who has heard of Jesus needs to hear these words and
live in them. God has some surprises for those who do simple acts of kindness
to the little ones of this world. We have the promise of Jesus that the Father
will remember them in eternity.
[1] Thomas
Ogletree, Hospitality to the Stranger: Dimensions of Moral Understanding
(Westminster John Knox, 2003), 2-3.
No comments:
Post a Comment