From: Matthew 10:37-42
Jesus’ Instructions to the Apostles (Continuation)
[40] He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him
who sent Me. [41] He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall re-
ceive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a
righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. [42] And whoever gives to
one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I
say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”
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Commentary:
34-37. Our Lord has not come to bring a false and earthly peace — the sort of
tranquility the self-seeking person yearns for; He wants us to struggle against our
own passions and against sin and its effects. The sword He equips us with for this
struggle is, in the words of Scripture, “the sword of the Spirit which is the word of
God” (Ephesians 6:17), “lively and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the
thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
The word of God in fact leads to these divisions mentioned here. It can lead, even
within families, to those who embrace the faith being regarded as enemies by rela-
tives who resist the word of truth. This is why our Lord goes on (verse 37) to say
that nothing should come between Him and His disciple — not even father, mother,
son or daughter: any and every obstacle (cf. Matthew 5:29-30) must be avoided.
Obviously these words of Jesus do not set up any opposition between the first
and fourth commandments (love for God above all things and love for one’s pa-
rents): He is simply indicating the order of priorities. We should love God with all
our strength (cf. Matthew 22:37), and make a serious effort to be saints; and we
should also love and respect — in theory and in practice — the parents God has
given us; they have generously cooperated with the creative power of God in
bringing us into the world and there is so much that we owe them. But love for our
parents should not come before love of God; usually there is no reason why these
two loves should clash, but if that should happen, we should be quite clear in our
mind and in heart about what Jesus says here. He has in fact given us an example
to follow on this point: “How is it that you sought Me? Did you not know that I must
be in My Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49) — His reply when, as a youth, Mary and
Joseph found Him in the Temple of Jerusalem after a long search. This event in
our Lord’s life is a guideline for every Christian — parent or child. Children should
learn from it that their affection for their parents should never come before their
love for God, particularly when our Creator asks us to follow Him in a way which
implies special self-giving on our part; parents should take the lesson that their
children belong to God in the first place, and therefore He has a right to do with
them what He wishes, even if this involves sacrifice, even heroic sacrifice. This
teaching of our Lord asks us to be generous and to let God have His way. In fact,
however, God never lets Himself be outdone in generosity. Jesus has promised
a hundredfold gain, even in this life, and later on eternal life (cf. Matthew 19:29),
to those who readily respond to His will.
38-39. The teaching contained in the preceding verses is summed up in these two
succinct sentences. Following Christ, doing what He asks, means risking this pre-
sent life to gain eternal life.
“People who are constantly concerned with themselves, who act above all for their
own satisfaction, endanger their eternal salvation and cannot avoid being unhappy
even in this life. Only if a person forgets himself and gives himself to God and to
others, in marriage as well as in any other aspect of life, can he be happy on this
earth, with a happiness that is a preparation for, and a foretaste of, the joy of Hea-
ven” ([St] J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 24). Clearly, Christian life is based on
self-denial: there is no Christianity without the Cross.
40. To encourage the Apostles and to persuade others to receive them, our Lord
affirms that there is an intimate solidarity, or even a kind of identity, between Him-
self and His disciples. God in Christ, Christ in the Apostles: this is the bridge be-
tween Heaven and earth. (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:21-23).
41-42. A prophet’s mission is not essentially one of announcing future events; his
main role is that of communicating the word of God (cf. Jeremiah 11:2; Isaiah 1:2).
The righteous man, the just man, is he who obeys the Law of God and follows His
paths (cf. Genesis 6:9; Isaiah 3:10). Here Jesus tells us that everyone who hum-
bly listens to and welcomes prophets and righteous men, recognizing God in them,
will receive the reward of a prophet and a righteous man. The very fact of gene-
rously receiving God’s friends will gain one the reward that they obtain. Similarly,
if we should see God in the least of His disciples (verse 42), even if they do not
seem very important, they are important, because they are envoys of God and of
His Son. That is why he who gives them a glass of cold water — an alms, or any
small service — will receive a reward, for he has shown generosity to our Lord
Himself (cf. Matthew 25:40).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
Liturgical Colour: Green.
| First reading |
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| 2 Kings 4:8-11,13-16 © |
| Responsorial Psalm |
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| Psalm 88(89):2-3,16-19 © |
| Second reading |
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| Romans 6:3-4,8-11 © |
| Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ac16:14 |
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| Or | 1P2:9 |
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| Gospel |
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| Matthew 10:37-42 © |