Sunday 02 July 2023

Psalm 89:1-18

Background

Matthew chapter 10 begins with Jesus sending out the 12 disciples. They were sent with the same authority and power as Jesus had received from God. They were sent to share the message of Jesus with the Jewish people, to heal diseases, and to perform miracles. They were to rely on the hospitality of the people of the town or village to whom they were ministering, but they were also warned of the dangers ahead. Jesus prepared them for their journey and also for the varied welcomes they would receive!

In the later verses of chapter 10, on which we focus today, Jesus mentions the rewards for those who receive the disciples. In the culture of the time, those who were sent represented the community from which they came. So, in receiving each disciple, the welcome shown to them was representative of how they received Jesus ("Whoever welcomes you welcomes me" v. 40a), but also how they received God ("...and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me." v. 40b). Those welcoming the disciples would receive a prophet’s reward, if they accepted them and their words as prophetic, and a righteous person’s reward, if they received the disciples as righteous. Acts of hospitality, even the offer of a drink, meant that they would be rewarded for their actions towards the disciples.

To Ponder:

• What ‘reward’ do you think you would receive if you welcomed a disciple of Christ as a prophet or a righteous person?
• If you were about to be sent out as a disciple of Jesus, what would be in your mind as you prepare for the journey, reflecting on all Jesus had told you?

Prayer

Today we pray to be a ‘sent’ people, to reach into our communities and neighbourhoods where people are needy, and to offer a radical hospitality to those who visit us.