Offering acts of loving kindness
The Gospel for this Sunday can be a difficult one to hear. It calls us to place our discipleship before our loyalty to family and even before our own life. It is important to place this passage in the broader context of not only the chapter in which it sits, but also within the Gospel as a whole.
Today’s passage appears at the conclusion of Chapter 10 in the Gospel of Matthew. The entire chapter deals with the commissioning and sending out of the disciples to “proclaim the Gospel, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy and drive out demons.” (Mt 10:8) The previous chapter concludes with the words, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field” (Mt 9:37-38). Chapter 10 is a response to this call. Jesus sends the disciples to “work the harvest” through proclamation, healing and exorcism.
At the end of the chapter, having spelled out all the difficulties a disciple must face, Jesus assures them that even the smallest act of welcoming the disciple will be rewarded.
It’s also important to understand that the Jewish audience of the Gospel of Matthew found themselves under increasing persecution and there was often division within families between those holding to orthodox Jewish beliefs and those following the new teachings of Jesus, known initially as “The Way”. For some early Christians, there was a very real choice to be made between following their faith and remaining loyal to family. The Gospel of Matthew repeatedly affirms Jesus as the promised Jewish Messiah; as the fulfilment of Jewish prophecy. For early followers of the Christian Way, this difficult message about being a follower was in the context of an affirmation that the message of Jesus was deeply grounded in their Jewish faith.
Jesus says, “If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water” to a disciple spreading the Gospel, then their ultimate reward is assured. To give “a cup of cold water” or “a cold drink” to another person was the most basic act of hospitality or service. It is a metaphor for doing the absolute least service to another. This was not a new concept in Jewish society. Gemilut Chasadim, or “acts of loving kindness”, is an ethical teaching that predates Christianity and the stories of Abraham, the patriarch of the Jewish faith, speak of his hospitality to strangers. Jesus is saying that even the most trivial act of service that recognises the work of the disciple will be welcomed and acknowledged. It suggests that “practical loving kindness” is both the test and the result of discipleship.
Having spelled out the difficulties of discipleship throughout Chapter 10, the Gospel writer has Jesus reassuring the disciples that anyone who welcomes them welcomes Him. There are echoes here of other parts of the Gospel of Matthew: the Beatitudes, with its blessings on the poor and humble of heart; the welcome of children, the “little ones” of the kingdom; and the Last Judgment (Mt 24), that reminds us that whatever we do for the least in the world we do for Jesus. Jesus even describes the disciples as “little ones” – a reminder both to them and to those who welcome them.
I take this opportunity to thank our staff, students and parents for a very busy term and wish them a safe and restful break. I hope you get a chance to do the things you love with the people you love and find some time for relaxation and reflection. Take care!
