Matthew 10:40-42 hospitality
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.”
Hospitality is a common theme for Christ. Jesus welcomes many that others don’t and at
the same time accepts hospitality from some who others wouldn’t. It seems pretty simple hospitality does and
yet it can be very hard. You see often
we judge and that judgement gives road blocks and rationalization to our
helping or lack thereof. What a powerful
reminder here that just a sign of welcoming can bring us closer to God.
A sense of belonging is so important.
Our firsts – first day at school, first day on a job, first day at a new
church, first meeting with a neighbor in a new place, first lunch, first date,
ect… - are all made better when we feel welcomed. It is in that moment we feel like we “belong”
that we let our guard down and we welcome those around us. Jesus
is expressing this sense to his disciples and in doing so assurance to them
that they do belong. That those who
welcome them belong. He isn’t saying “no
one will be mean.” But he is saying that
it doesn’t matter, those who don’t welcome you aren’t important. What matters is that you belong to me.
Let us welcome each other today knowing that we all belong to
God. Knowing that it isn’t for us to
decide who does and does not belong but is instead our job to welcome all.
