The Response
Sermon recorded at Niton Methodist Church 26 June 2011
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16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23 When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24 “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!
26 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law 36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.
37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 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. 42 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.” -
Generosity
Setting the Scene
Our Gospel reading comes at the end of a section on being sent out in mission.
Having an accountancy background I like to present things as debits and credits!
In the early part of the passage Matthew 10v16-39 we find:
The Debit side of mission - the gruelling battle we are engaged in -
‘I am sending you like sheep into wolves…. v17 Beware they will flog you….v18 you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me….v19 When they hand you over…Don’t worry about how you are to speak… for what you will say will be given to you….the Holy Spirit speaks through you …v22 You will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be Saved. Verse 23 instructs, when they persecute you in one town flee to the next, v26 Have no fear of them, v28 Fear not those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. V34 ….I have not come to bring peace but a sword. V38 Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
This is the debit side of discipleship!
Now for the credit side… Matthew 10:40-42 speaks of the privilege of being recognised as Christ’s representative, his ambassador. ‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.’
Jesus’ teaching on spreading the good news focuses on the difficulties and challenges they must expect.
He then goes on to talk about the rewards that are in store for responding to the Prophet, the Righteous Person and the ‘Little one.’
Today’s Talk is about a Right Response, it is all in the response. There are three basic responses shown here, our response to …
1. Person
2. The need
3. The Communion
1. Responding to the Person
Responding to the person whether they are a prophet, the righteous or the ‘little ones.’
Francis of Assisi had wealth, he was upper class, well known in the community - but he was not happy within. He was searching for meaning and purpose. While he was out riding one day he met a leper who was severely disfigured with the disease. In an instinctive act of love Francis dismounted & flung his arms round the leper. Astonishingly, in his arms the face of the leper changed to the face of Jesus Christ.
Welcome is not just greeting but seeing Christ in that person and acting as you would to Christ Himself. They are in Christ and remember the context of going out and mission so they are coming in Christ’s name and those who respond with an appropriate welcome will receive a heavenly reward. Jesus doesn’t amplify on what the reward may be. BUT he does teach us there are rewards for responding to the person who comes in his name. The secret seems to be that the reward is incidental – the people are not being hospitable to gain reward but because they are serving the person as if it were Christ himself.
There is another issue here…
Is the role of the person important, should you respond differently to the Head of Methodist Conference or the Minister of the Church or an ordinary 5-8. On the level of basic respect perhaps we should. If we believe they are in a position of leadership in the church then we are taught elsewhere to respect that God-given role and encourage them to lead.
But if that means there is a spiritual pecking order where the Prophet or the full-time Christian worker is higher up the pyramid than the builder, gardener, the shop assistant, the mechanic or the child then….I don’t think that is consistent with Jesus’ teaching elsewhere.
Jesus is not saying there are special categories of Christian service eg the Prophet is tops pecking order, then Righteous man (probably holy person, the teacher or preacher). Then somewhere down the bottom of the pile is the ‘little ones.’
Jesus of all the teachers of that period was radical because he demonstrated equality of all, widow, the child, the little ones.
(I need to briefly explain this phrase ‘Little ones’. It is probably not children per se but a term to describe ordinary followers, disciples (it is a term of endearment).
How may we RESPOND TO THE PERSON?
What may this response/welcome look like? Is it a Christian handshake, a special introduction?
No, the welcome is probably about doing very ordinary things.
Maybe looking after the kids to allow the person to attend a home group or perhaps a meal or an act of kindness. The welcome could mean driving someone to a meeting (remember the context of this text is ‘being sent out’).
HOW YOU RESPOND TO THE PERSON will be a witness to seekers. The could see that faith is a living thing.
Responding to the needs
In Chapter 10v42 Jesus said, ‘whoever gives a cup of water..’
NB Jesus wasn’t just talking about giving drinks of water but about noticing needs around us and responding with kindness and generosity.
When I was hitchhiking in Greece in 1978, the heat in Athens was stifling, 40 Celcius and I actually knocked on someoine’s door to ask for a glass of water! The person served me awater on a silver tray. In the Middle East to give a cup of cold water was a classic act of courtesy and basic hospitality. It was the same in Greece in 1978 as much as in Galilee in AD30.
Now let me take you into a posh restaurant and you are given the wine menu. You say to the waiter, ‘Can I have glass of tap water please?’ Their response will probably not be the classic act of courtesy.
Why so? There is no reward, no gain for the server.
The cup of cold water was the classic act of courtesy. But there’s something deeper going on, in this teaching of our Lord, the cup of water deserves NO reward but Matthew 10:42 says God does give a reward, there is a blessing which God will pour out that goes beyond what we deserve – God notices those things you do which may be taken for granted or undeserving of rewards in church terms.
I think the secret here is that those who serve did not think they were gaining Brownie points in heaven.
Their service was an overflow of their love for Jesus Christ. It was the natural reaction of a loving heart.
Today there are many that help the needy for praise or awards and rewards, maybe a CBE or a Knighthood!
I'm proud of myself when I empty my old clothes into a carrier bag for charity but we must examine our motives that our acts of kindness and generosity to meet the needs of others should be truly altruistic.
Responding to the Fellowship
Did you notice in the opening verse that the Holy Communion is present in the welcome scenario. ‘Whoever welcomes you, welcomes me and welcomes the one who sent me.
There’s you, Jesus, the Father, the Holy Spirit and the other person.’
There’s a picture here of Father Son and Holy Spirit wrapping the Godhead, the Trinity, round the fellowship you create by your welcome, by your response - it is a picture of a Holy Communion.
There was a tribe of Native Americans who lived in the state of Mississippi. They lived next to a swift and dangerous river. The current was so strong that if somebody stood in they would be swept down- stream. One day the tribe was under attack from settlers, outnumbered & with their backs against the river. Their only chance of escape was to cross the river. They linked and huddled together. Those who were strong picked up the weak, aged, disabled and children and put them on their shoulders. The tight communion waded out into the river. To their surprise they discovered that their communion and the weight on their shoulders carrying the weakest helped them to keep their footing and to make it safely across the river. It is an object lesson in togetherness!
If you welcome someone in Christ’s name or if you build fellowship in a home group; bearing or sharing burdens as a group - it is establishing community, demonstrating the body of Christ a holy communion.
When we go the extra mile to welcome or respond to Christians or churches together here or further a-field you are establishing fellowship and building a bond of Christian love. That is part of our witness and part of the mission perspective, the sending out that Jesus was teaching in these two chapters in Matthew 9 and 10. The call to welcome or help a prophet, a Holy Person or the ‘little ones’. The reality is that we are good at serving those who are least like us. Churches are quite good at luncheon clubs and toddlers groups, Foodbank, Street-Pastors - people least like us. But what about the welcome and the fellowship we extend to other Christian disciples, people we are sitting beside, people we could be meeting with in home groups?
I believe Jesus is teaching us to build fellowship, and establish the body of Christ around us here in church, not as a holy huddle but as a body of Christ equipped for spreading the gospel.
“Then he told them: Go and preach the good news to everyone in the world.”
Mark 16:15 (CEV)
Go forth and tell! O church of God, arise!
go in the strength which Christ your Lord supplies;
go till all nations his great name adore
and serve him, Lord and king for evermore
James Seddon (1915 - 1983)
