Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 120, Matthew 10:40-42 — The Sending of the Twelve Matthew 10:40-42 (NASB1995) “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.” Historical Context We have been reading Jesus’ instructions to His twelve chosen disciples as He sends them out for ministry. He specifically chose these men to represent Him as ambassadors to the remaining Jews and gave them divine power and authority to cast out demons and heal the sick (10:1). These representative men are also to present the good news of Jesus’ coming to the people of Israel and declare to them the truth that there is freedom from the burdens of the law. Discussion Yesterday, we read how believers must pick up their cross and deny themselves, their family, and their friendships for the gospel. Jesus is demanding His rightful place in the hearts of His people. They must love Him more than all others and show this in how they live. Picking up our cross symbolizes the death of personal desires and selfish ways of living. Jesus expects His followers to die to former beliefs and ways of living. Nobody who claims Christ can knowingly ignore this truth and live their lives independent of submission to Him. Those who are unwilling to let go of their past lives, selfish desires, and dreams are ‘unworthy’ of following Him—and ultimately rejecting Him for themselves or other antichrist gospels. We only have a short time in this life, while eternity lasts forever. Those who seek life here will eventually lose it for eternity, while those who follow Jesus will find life for eternity. Forfeiting personal desires and ways of living for the gospel leads to life in Christ. Living for ourselves and seeking earthly achievements and success away from Christ ultimately denies Him and forfeits our eternity. Today, we conclude Matthew 10 and read Jesus’ last instructions to the twelve. It is amazing how the entirety of Jesus’ instructions focuses on enduring to the end and losing everything for the message of Christ. It all culminates with the command to deny ourselves, as self-glory and pride are the most slippery roads away from the narrow way. As much as He has warned about persecution and the tough road many Christ followers will encounter, the LORD closes His teaching with a hopeful message here. This passage refers to vs. 11-14 about those who receive the gospel and disciples with hospitality and generosity. Jesus says, “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” Those who receive the gospel and put their faith in Christ receive the Father—as Jesus will confess them before the Father on judgment day (v. 32). But first, people need to hear the gospel from the mouths of the disciples. Many will reject the message of Christ, but those who receive the disciples receive Christ. But how does one receive the disciples? This is where we refer to vs. 11-14. Those who receive the disciples provide hospitality and generosity to them. They open their doors and do not turn them away. Doing so enables the disciples to find rest and comfort for a time as they faithfully continue on their journey. By receiving the disciples, these hospitable believers will also receive Christ and the Father will find them righteous. Jesus continues, “41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.” Here, the LORD is saying that those who receive a prophet because they are a prophet or a righteous person because they are a righteous person will receive the prophet or righteous person's reward. In essence, the reward given to the prophet or righteous person will also be rewarded to the hospitable person. Think back to how Jesus tells the twelve to provide a blessing of peace to whoever receives them (vs. 12-13). These hospitable people will find salvation in Christ, which includes the peace of Christ over their hearts, homes, and lives. Additionally, Jesus says, “42 And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.” Many people the disciples encounter on their journey will be so poor that they do not even have a home to provide shelter or food. For some of the poorest people, a glass of water might be the only gift of hospitality available, but it would be enough in the eyes of God.[1] This reward Jesus mentions includes eternal life and likely special rewards that will be given to the apostles, as they are the ‘prophet’ or ‘righteous person’ mentioned above. The apostles will share these rewards with those who received them and their message, which helped them fulfill their mission to spread the gospel in Christ’s name. I love how Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown conclude this passage. They say, “There is a descending climax here—‘a prophet,’ ‘a righteous man,’ ‘a little one;’ signifying that however low we come down in our services to those that are Christ's, all that is done for His sake, and that bears the stamp of love to His blessed name, shall be divinely appreciated and owned and rewarded.”[2] What a beautiful quote that encapsulates the LORD’s love and care for those who love and serve Him wholeheartedly. There is not one person higher than another, as ‘prophet,’ ‘righteous man,’ ‘little one,’ and the like receive each other’s rewards. It is in our continued faithfulness, however small it seems, that we will see heavenly rewards and ultimately the salvation of our souls in the end. Application It is amazing to see how the early disciples and fellow believers united for the gospel. In a way, this picture proves how the body of Christ must work together to fulfill the great commission. We cannot do it on our own, as each of us is a singular part of a whole body. When the twelve traveled they needed rest, food, and water, among other necessities. The LORD commanded that they bring nothing with them, so to rely solely on God to provide through the generosity and hospitality of those who would receive them. Not all would receive them, but this confidence and trust in the LORD anchored the twelve. Even when they were persecuted, they faithfully continued with their mission. Because of their faithfulness and the faithfulness of those who helped them, they will receive salvation and wondrous rewards for their service to God. Plus, here we are over 2,000 years later with an opportunity to do the same. We have far more resources available and far more people to reach. This also means we have far more opposition, but the mission remains the same. We must forfeit all for the sake of the gospel and rely on each other to see it through. The LORD will always provide for His children, and in the end, we shall receive eternal life for our faithfulness and endurance. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 11:1-6. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [2] Jamieson, Fausset, & Brown, “Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary.”
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