Jesus’ Proxies – Matthew 10:40-42

Younathan’s testimony is that after initially making fun of a newcomer from southeast Asia that his culture normally teased, he became friends at this guy’s initiation. His new friend wasn’t yet a Christian and Younathan was a Muslim, but when his friend became a Christian Younathan was already moved to search for God. His friend’s parents then became Christians and began a low intensity introduction of Younathan to Christianity. He had a dream from Jesus who challenged him to read the Bible and come to Him. His friend invited him to church. The Scriptures and the testimony of his friend brought him to Christ.

Jesus has been honest with his disciples that persecution will be the lot of those who follow him. But there will also be those who receive and welcome them and this will be the prelude to their becoming Christians.

“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:40-42 ESV)

There are costs to discipleship, but there are rewards, also.  Being absolutely loyal to Jesus, even to the point of death if need be, is a receiving or welcoming of Jesus into one’s life that shows one’s loyalty to the Father who sent him.  And there will be those who receive the us as believers as we fulfill the roles of prophets or righteous ones. And God will reward them too.  And God will send people into our lives to do ministry for Him in His name, the “little ones,” who will also have needs of support and be our opportunities for demonstrating our discipleship or loyalty to Him, and He will reward that.

Jesus doesn’t describe what the reward will be and doesn’t need to.  We know the generous love of our heavenly Father and that what He gives us will be absolutely what we needed and fulfill the deepest yearnings of our hearts. 

Salvation is the ultimate reward, of course.  Jesus states it negatively. The person who receives him and his disciples will “by no means lose his reward,” but the intent is to say, “this person will be rewarded with salvation.” Receiving God’s messengers or little ones is clear evidence that you belong to Him and have faith in Jesus the Messiah and are, therefore, saved.