6-28-2026
Year A, Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
At Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church, North Little Rock
Matthew 10: 40-42
By The Rev. Michael Mitchell
IN THE PRESENCE OF THOSE WHO LIVE THE GOSPEL OF JESUS
Only two verses we read this morning, and in these verses Matthew gives insight into how Jesus welcomed people and how he understood the value of welcoming each other; and we learn much about the church in Matthew’s day in the 80’s, about 50 years after Jesus’ Earthly ministry.
Jesus opens with telling us the good we receive by welcoming those who come in his name and live and teach his ways. Jesus sent out his disciples to preach the Gospel ahead of him. Those people who received and welcomed the disciples learned the Good News of the Gospel, that God is with them, that God, the very source of love, is living within them and resuscitating their difficult lives, renewing their love of life and love for each other. Jesus comes to restore joy and hope and heal their brokenness. Welcome the disciples, and you welcome Jesus himself; to welcome Jesus is to welcome God, and the rewards are the benefits of the Kingdom of God.
In Matthew’s day 50 years after Jesus’ Earthly ministry, the churches did not have priests or ministers, but there were people who traveled church to church, like Paul did, who proclaimed the Gospel to the churches. Proclaiming the Gospel is what prophets do, so these traveling preachers were known as Prophets. Most stories and teachings about Jesus were still being told word of mouth, so these preachers told the stories and teachings shared and passed down by those who were with Jesus. Matthew was one of the people who wrote these things into Gospel Accounts. Today, we have the written materials of the New Testament and priests and preachers and teachers, but that was rare in the early church. When a Prophet came to town and the church welcomed them, they were rewarded with information about what Jesus said and did, and gained wisdom and encouragement from these encounters: the prophet’s reward.
Jesus also told his listeners that to welcome a righteous person would result in a reward of a righteous person. When I was in my third year of seminary, I interned with a church in South Louisiana. In that church, a couple in their 40’s worked with the youth groups and programs of the church. They were rather more conservative than typical United Methodists, so as an unaware 20 something year old, I was leery of them. One day I was in their home for dinner, and suddenly I felt the warmth and love this couple radiated to those around them. They were right-living people living out of love and kindness because they loved God. And you couldn’t help but know you were in the presence of God’s love when you were in their home. They taught me a lot about judging people; it’s not healthy. Righteous people in the Gospels does not only refer to the outward actions of people whom we say live right and do the right things; it does not mean self-righteous or judgmental or self-important people. No, it refers to people who have given themselves over to the love of God, taken it in, and share that love and kindness with the people around them. To welcome right-living people into our life is to share in a glimpse of the Kingdom of God and experience the incarnated presence of God in physical life. That’s the reward of welcoming righteous people.
Finally, Jesus turns our attention to “little ones.” Here it refers to little children, and it refers to followers of Jesus (his own disciples, the 12). Jesus often referred to children as examples of who is the greatest in the Kingdom of God, or whom we should be like in order to be receptive to God’s presence (see Matthew 18: 1-5). Jesus was particularly enamored by their humility, trust and quick ability to forgive and accept people. But he was also aware of their vulnerability, powerlessness, and exposure to being easily harmed. He warns against harming “little ones,” but in our scripture today, Jesus applauds anyone who meets the basic needs of children, like giving them a cup of cold water.
This verse goes further. In Matthew’s day, the members of the churches were often referred to as “these little ones.” And Jesus sometimes referred to his disciples as “little ones.” Here Jesus says there is reward in welcoming his disciples, then and now. When the people of the church show hospitality and kindness to each other and to newcomers, we welcome Jesus himself. When we welcome Jesus, he says we are welcoming God. So, when we speak to each other and to visitors to our congregation with kindness, we are welcoming Jesus. When we greet each other in the passing of the peace in a bit, we will be welcoming God. When we pray for each other, or check up on each other when we sense someone is struggling, or when we go out of our way to do a simple kindness for each other, Jesus says there is reward in this welcoming. There is community and belonging when we do this here. There is healing in this.
Amen.