St Matthew, Chapter 10, verse:42, The Reward.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Blessings for the Apostles' benefactors) Part 5. 

The rewards for the people that the apostles will talk with.  Christ tells his disciples that those who receive them as messengers will receive rewards.  Those who heed the words that they speak will receive him and the Father in heaven also.  God is the sender of the message.  Christ is the spokesman of the message and the disciples are the message carriers.  They will preach to the lost sheep of the house of Israel first and then to the Gentiles.  Great are the rewards  And small are the rewards.  To those who receive them they shall rejoice.

Christ tells his disciples about the rewards of the prophet.  He tells them about the rewards of the just man.  Now he  talks about the little ones, the children.  He tells his disciples,  "And whoever gives to one of these little ones but a cup of cold water to drink because he is a disciple, amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward."   The little ones are precious in the eyes of God.  Christ tells his disciples that they are also disciples.  They can also carry the message of Christ.  They who receive them and provide some kindness and a cup of cold water to drink, must also be rewarded.  Such kindness shall receive, in return, kindness from God.  They shall not lose their reward.

The children are disciples.  They run, they play, they shout, they jump, and they are full of energy.  They are like sponges.  They soak up what they see, what they hear, and what others do.  In good company they are playful and fun loving.  In bad company they will be destructive because of the influence of the devil from their peers and adults. 

It is amazing what children will say.  It is amazing what they will repeat when they hear something that they hear.  We are their influence.  We must beware of what we do at all times in their presence.  For what we say and do will be repeated.  If we speak the love of Christ that is in our hearts they will pick it up.  They will absorb the love that is within us and carry it to other children.  They will be messengers also to those who do not know the message.  And they will be warriors in the battle against the evil one when we teach them the defenses that Christ has given us.

Be kind to the children.  Show them the love that Christ has shown us.  For we are but children in the eyes of God, his children.  He who gives but a cup of cold water to these little ones will not lose their reward.  Are you kind to children?  Do you know that you are a child also, a child of God?  Do not lose your reward.  Do not miss the opportunity to serve the little ones!  For they too are disciples and they carry the message of Christ also.  Listen!  Hear!  Understand, the message of Christ!  Your reward is in the little ones.  Be kind to them.   

St Matthew, Chapter 10, verse:41a, The Reward.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Blessings for the Apostles' benefactors) Part 3. 

In the previous verses Christ talked to his disciples about the message they carried and how they would be received.  The messenger carries the message.  He is only the bearer of the news in the message.  And the news comes from the one who sent the message.  If a king sends a message to another king he sends it by messenger.  The messenger carries the message and the king receives the message because of the bearer of the message and who sent it.  The disciples bare the message of Christ.  They are the ones who will be received based upon the message and who receives the message.  If the message is not received then the disciples will not be received and the one who sent the message also.  Christ told his disciples that those who receive them are also receiving him, Christ.  But even more so, those who receive Christ are receiving the Father in heaven who sent Christ to earth to carry the message to the people.

Who will receive the message?  Who will not receive the message?  The forces of the evil one will work against the disciples to prevent the message from being received.  They will use all kinds of tricks and traps to prevent the people from receiving the message, either individually or as a whole.  The disciples know that they are going into battle.  They have been in training with Christ for this moment when they will face the people who have been blinded and deceived by the evil one.  They are aware of the danger they face and who is behind that danger.  Yet they must make every attempt to reach the people.  They must unveil the tricks of the demons.  They must come with force to demonstrate to the people that they come with the power of God behind them.  They must cure the sick, heal the lame, raise the dead, and cast out all demons so that the people will be able to see clearly and hear soundly the message of the kingdom. 

Christ tells his disciples that there will be rewards to those who receive.  He say,  "He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward."   There are stipulations to the rewards that will be handed out.  Who is a prophet?  How does one recognize a prophet?  What distinguishes a prophet from any ordinary man who wants to be a true prophet.  Many will say, " I am a prophet."  Many will prophesy about things to come.  Some will speak the truth about future events and some will speak circumstances.  But how does one recognize a true prophet?  What distinguishes one from the other?  For both will prophesy.  Both will speak about things to come.   Both will have influence over the people to sway their thoughts and minds.  Who is real and who is false?  Christ says that one should receive a prophet because he is a prophet and that will determine one's reward. 

Christ is a prophet and he is God, one in being with the Father.  He speaks the words of the father bringing the message to the disciples and to the peoples of Israel and to the Gentiles.  God spoke through Christ.  What is a prophet if nothing more than a spokesperson for God.  For God speaks to the people through the prophets.  If one accepts the words of the prophet then one accepts the words of God.  A true prophet speaks truth.  A true prophet does not tarry in his words.  A true prophet has no words of his own but only those that God gives to him. 

A true prophet communicates with God the way that no other man does because he speaks the words of God.  OH, what a reward to be able to hear the voice of God and to carry his message.  What a gift!  What a blessing!  What a joy to know that the words that are spoken are not the words of the person but the words that come forth from the mouth of God. 

That reward has responsibilities.  That reward has consequences.  That reward comes with a burden.  Many will look upon a prophet with anticipation.  Many will desire to know his words.  Many will demand, request, seek, to know what he will speak for their own passions and dreams and plans.  But the true prophet only speaks the words of God and not his own.  He is but a messenger.  He is only the spokesperson through which the message is delivered.  Receive the prophet because he is a prophet.  Receive him because he carries the words of God and not his own.  Receive him for he is just a human being like ourselves and does not have words of wisdom from God for our own needs but words for the glory of God.  Receive him as you would receive yourself and you will receive the prophet's reward, knowledge of God's words for man.