February 2001
A
Publication of the
Vol.7, Issue
1
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I've always enjoyed Christ's teaching in the
Gospels, thus I often look there first for material with which to begin a
lesson. Through the years I've found
that a great deal of what Jesus taught on during His ministry is
given further attention by "instruction
in righteousness" in the epistles. It is refreshing to start in the
gospels and enlarge upon a topic by going to the epistles. As it so often
happens I started with one idea, that of "giving," and ended with a
lesson that gave great emphasis to the matter of "receiving." I hope that you'll be benefited by my study
of this text. Here are the verses for your convenience and edification:
"He that receiveth
you receiveth me, and he that receiveth
me receiveth him that sent me. [41] He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive
a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous
man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. [42]
And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold
water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no
wise lose his reward." (Matthew 10:40-42)
The
Time
The "time" here was when the
Apostles received their commission and instruction when Jesus sent out the
twelve. Therefore the foremost lesson recorded here would be the authority
Christ vested in the Apostles. However, as we will see, you and I as christians appear here in the
context as well.
The
Place of the Apostles
The importance and place of the apostles is
set forth with linear emphasis. This emphasis begins with "he who"
-> (receiving) the apostles -> (which is to receive) Christ -> (which
is to receive) the Father who sent Him. In His teaching elsewhere Jesus stated
that the antithesis is also true, for to reject those He sent out was to reject
Christ, and the Father who sent Him (Lk.10:16). Thus, this particular teaching
is fundamental to illustrating a correct relationship with God the Father. How
would this "order" relate to the words of Jesus in John 14:6? "Jesus
saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the
life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." Obviously, without
accepting and obeying the words of the apostles one cannot realize salvation in
Christ Jesus, and therefore cannot come to the Father. This order
"protects" basic truths. The apostles were guided into "all
truth" necessary for man's salvation and service (John
Our
Text From Another Viewpoint, Matthew 10:41
Here I see emphasis placed upon apostles,
prophets and righteous men in general. In this I see the diversity of the
We begin to see the importance of the
"righteous man" mentioned here as we consider that the value of the
"giving" and "receiving" is of a spiritual nature. A
righteous man who was not able to give what the apostles were given would be
blessed for his receiving and giving as well.
"Freely
you have received, freely give"
Giving is emphasized in various ways in this
context. Consider what the apostles received in order that they might give to
others. Let's read what Jesus said to them: Matthew 10:6-14,
"But go rather to the lost sheep of the
house of
give. [9] Provide neither gold, nor
silver, nor brass in your purses, [10]Nor scrip for
your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves:for
the workman is worthy of his meat. [11] And into whatsoever city or town ye
shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.
[12] And when ye come into an house, salute it. [13]
And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not
worthy, let your peace return to you. [14] And whosoever shall not receive you,
nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the
dust of your feet."
I can see that they had a lot to give! The
Word of God is the greatest thing one can teach another today. They were able
to confirm that Word with signs and cures. One easily recognizes the difference
between the apostles' ability to perform miracles and the phony faith healers
today. Matt. 10:1, "And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples,
he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all
manner of sickness and all manner of disease." Notice that it says
"all manner" of sickness and disease. Jesus said, "... cleanse
the lepers, raise the dead ...: freely ye have received, freely
give." Have you ever seen a modern
"faith healer" try to cure leprosy? Look at this: "raise the
dead." Yes, and Matt. 11:5 says "the poor have the gospel preached to
them."
They gave many things and brought "blessing" to the households
where they stayed.
More
Lessons on "Receiving"
They would be both received and rejected,
Matt. 10:14. Considering the wonders of what they received to impart, lest they
think that they would receive "great" honor among men and be
"received" by all Jesus told them the truth. Not all would receive
them! The "shaking off the dust of
the feet" was to be a testimony against them (Lk.
9:5) To the seventy he said, "But whatever city you enter, and they do not
receive you, go out into its streets and say, 'The very dust of your city which
clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this,
that the
An important lesson is found in Matt. 10:11.
The same is recorded in Luke 9:4, "Whatever house you enter, stay there,
and from there depart." Later to the seventy he said, "remain in the same house" until finished and "Do
not go from house to house." (Lk. 10:7) They
were not doing this to serve their own bellies therefore they were not to be
changing places for the sake of better quarters, entertainment, etc.. (Rom.
Concluding
with "Giving"
Jesus closes in verse 42 with His point on
giving a drink of cold water in the name of a disciple. It is probable that one
of these "little ones" in this context would be anyone of those
mentioned whom we've studied who serve God. (Cp. Matt.