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Matthew 10:40-42 – fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Context
As we continue through this sending passage, we get these final three verses of chapter 10. Now, to different preachers these verses may sound relatively innocuous (and perhaps boring) or they may sound contrary and confusing. Afterall, didn’t Jesus just say that he didn’t come for the righteous but for the sinner? And isn’t a prophet’s reward that of the cross (where he just said they needed to go)?
Welcoming More Than
Verses 40-41 are building on one another. Welcoming Jesus is welcoming God. Welcoming a prophet produces a prophet’s reward. Welcoming a righteous person produces a righteous person’s reward.
If I’m being honest, I really want Matthew to be giving these final lines as a “punchy/tongue-in-cheek” delivery. I want Matthew to be building up to the conflict-driven climactic verse, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! (23:37).” I want Matthew to give a clever line about welcoming the sinner.
But, in reading this section a few times, narratively these verses feel more sincere than that. Jesus is sincerely sending the disciples out as prophets for the world. Jesus doesn’t want the disciples to face rejection—although he knows they will. Jesus wants the disciples to go out and have an impact. He wants them to spread the news of the coming kingdom of God and to turn the hearts and minds of the people back towards God and one another.
These lines of welcome are familiar territory at the time. This is Matthew again returning to the tradition and having phrases that resonate with the audience. Culpepper writes, “Underpinning these sayings lie two Semitic motifs. First, one’s name carries one’s character and authority. Second, the one sent, the šālîah, carries the authority of the sender. Therefore, whoever received a prophet or righteous one (terms that appear to be synonymous cf. 13:17, 23:29) shares in the work of the itinerant, and therefore share the itinerant’s reward.”[1]
So, if this is sincere, who is this line for? It’s not exactly for the disciples because they are the one’s carrying the message not receiving it. Jesus isn’t telling this to them to dangle it in front of their hearers like a carrot and tell them “Listen and you’ll receive a reward!”
No, Matthew is turning the lesson back explicitly towards his audience. But it’s not about speaking this message to others, it’s about receiving prophets into our lives. We are not only supposed to be bearers of the Good News, sometimes we need to receive it. Sometimes we need to listen to prophets. And we are not only supposed to listen to them, but we are supposed to welcome them. We are supposed to receive the righteous into our lives, even the “Roman Centurions” who fall outside the tradition but walk the walk (Matt 8:10-12).
Matthew is instructing us on how we should receive the prophets and the righteous of the world.
Preaching Possibilities
For a second, treat this as a parable. When preaching parables, we often see ourselves in the view of who is doing the good deed or in contrast to who makes the mistake. With the parable of the sower, we may see ourselves as the sower or we aspire to be the good soil. With the parable of the Good Samaritan, we often see ourselves as the Samaritan or aspire to be the Samaritan in contrast to the religious leaders who walk by. With the parable of the 10 bridesmaids, we may aspire to be the five who remembered to bring their oil in contrast to those who forget. But what if we are the seed? What if we are the person who was robbed and left for dead? What if we are the bridegroom who locks the other bridesmaids out?
Now, many of us have preached on parable nuances before and reflected on being different characters. However, often when we get lessons like we’re hearing today, ones that are not parables, we do something like our initial reaction to parables. We see ourselves in the character with the most meaning and authority. We see ourselves as the disciples who are being sent out into all the world. And I think we could certainly hear that in the last two Sundays. But all of a sudden, these last few verses seem to have a different audience. Matthew is speaking to his audience, the ones in his community he’s trying to convince about inclusion and repentance (see all of the interactions in chapters 8 and 9).
Sometimes we need to take a step back, especially as pastors, and see ourselves and our congregations as part of the listening audience. Sometimes we need to think about receiving prophets and not just being prophets. Sometimes we need to think about receiving the righteous and not just aspiring to be the righteous.
From my perspective, the reward of a prophet is the fulfillment of the kingdom of heaven. When we receive a prophet, we receive the message of the coming of the kingdom and we see a glimpse of that kingdom. And the reward of the righteous is the presence and joy of God. When we receive a righteous person, we receive the presence and joy of God in our midst.
But we have to be willing and ready to receive and welcome those prophets and righteous ones who are in our midst. And in tradition of the prophets, that word will never be easy to hear or to stomach. It will almost always call us to examine ourselves, our messages, and our traditions and bring them into alignment with God.
So, we could again ask, who are the prophets that we need to hear from in our community?
Who are the righteous ones who are organizing and pulling the community together but maybe aren’t a part of our tradition or even our faith?
Are we ready to receive the messages? Are we ready to welcome prophets into our lives?
[1] R. Alan Culpepper, Matthew, 210.
Micah Krey 
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