(Matt Koerber)
Matthew 10:40-11:19 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. 41The 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. 42And 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.”
11 When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.
2Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
7As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10This is he of whom it is written,
“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’
11Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. 13For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
16“But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,
17“‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’
18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”
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The first paragraph of our reading today is the conclusion from a lesson that Jesus taught the disciples before sending them out in ministry (v.10:5, 11:1.) Most immediately he is preparing the disciples for a wide range of different receptions to their ministry. When he says, “whoever receives you receives me” (v.40), he is reminding them that they go as his ambassadors and that ultimately the response of other people will be rooted in their response to the Gospel. This is a good reminder for all of us as we think about sharing our faith. Ultimately, acceptance or rejection of the Gospel is not personal to us, but reflects on Jesus.
However, Jesus also draws out a larger principle about prophets in general which will shape the rest of our section for today. He said, “the one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward (v.41.)” So what does it mean to “receive a prophet”, and a “prophet’s reward”? Simply put, to receive a prophet is to regard the prophet as being a reliable messenger from God and heed their message. The reward of the prophet is to have actual communication from God. When we respond to that message, our lives come in line with the purposes of our creator. The beginning of chapter 11 shows the way people respond to various prophets/messengers.
How John the Baptist should regard Jesus (v.1-6) Disciples from John the Baptist came to Jesus with a question, essentially seeking confirmation about his identity. Perhaps John’s imprisonment caused him to question whether Jesus was really the Christ. In response Jesus points to his miraculous deeds and authoritative message, perhaps alluding to OT prophecy to demonstrate that he is the Christ. Those who receive him and are not “offended” (v.6) (turned away) will receive the “reward” of the Gospel.
How Jesus regarded John (v.7-15) Turning to the crowds, Jesus asks what they thought of John the Baptist. Public opinion was that John was a prophet, and Jesus agrees. But he also points to a unique role that John had, making him one of the greatest humans ever born to this point in time.1 The reason that Jesus says that John is “more than a prophet” (v.9), is because he connects John’s ministry to a prophecy found in Malachi 3:1. Malachi’s prophecy describes a coming prophet who would “prepare the way” before God and his return to his temple2. If the crowds were willing to receive John as a prophet and listen to his message, then they would receive the “reward” of properly identifying Jesus.
How the people regard Jesus and John (v.16-19) While the potential is there to properly receive the ministry of John the Baptist and Jesus, it is clear that most of the people are missing the point. Jesus highlights the foolishness of the human heart in their contradictory responses. John was criticized for being too severe, and Jesus was criticized for being too celebratory. Like children, the crowds want God to bend to their own whim. Ultimately Jesus was mocked for being a “friend of sinners (v.20.)” We see that the vast majority of people would not receive the ministry of Jesus in his earthly ministry. However, after his resurrection and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, God would work in the hearts of many who were spiritually dead and draw them to life and faith. While this section ends on a sour note, the good news that Jesus is a friend of sinners continues to resonate and give us hope. When all rejected him, he stayed true to his purpose and died for his enemies (Rom 5.)
- Jesus clearly sees a new age of redemptive history breaking in. So, while John is the greatest of humanity during the Old Testament age, Jesus is initiating a new age in which God’s Spirit will be poured out and God’s kingdom will advance. Therefore, “the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” The phrase, “the violent take it by force (v.12)”, seems to refer to the spiritual warfare that surrounds the advance of God’s kingdom. As you might imagine, a great deal of confusion is associated with this cryptic saying. ↩︎
- Malachi 4:5 continues this line of prophecy by naming the coming messenger “Elijah.” This is further confirmation that Jesus connected John the Baptist to Malachi’s expected messenger. The consequence of this is that when Jesus visits the temple, he is fulfilling the prophetic expectation that “The Lord will come to his temple” (Mal 3:1) and cleanse it. This points to the divine identity of Christ and also foreshadows the cleansing of the temple in Matthew 21. ↩︎
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An audio version of each devotion will be posted on our church podcast “Life Together at CRPC,” which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.