The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Text: Matthew 10:40-42
By: Reverend Marjorie Bevans
In today’s Gospel lesson Jesus is preparing the disciples for their mission to share the good news. They will be sent to fellow Jews, and then to Gentiles, to those near and far away, to friend and stranger, even to those most Jews would have considered their enemies. They will encounter people who will be open to hear from them, and those who will mock and taunt them. Jesus has already warned them they will experience rejection, just as the prophets did. At the very end of the Gospel of Matthew, after the Resurrection, the disciples would receive their commission from Jesus to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” And the disciples did go, and we are here this morning because they did. Now people all around the world have heard the Gospel in each generation, in their own languages.
Along the way, the disciples would encounter people who were open to the Gospel, and they would be invited into their homes. Hospitality was important in the culture of the Middle East, and it remains so, even today. Even through the troubles experienced in recent times, even in the midst of war, hospitality remains important. When someone invites you into their home, and they offer you tea and a little food, they consider you a friend.
In Jesus’ time the people would have taken great effort to just have and keep a home. Whether one lived in a simple mud house or a tent, water had to be carried by hand from a well which was often far away. Fetching water would have been one of the most important household tasks every day. Growing or obtaining food would have taken much time and preparation. It would have to be attended to every day. There were no grocery stores or refrigerators. Bread was baked at a communal oven every day. Women took turns baking. Firewood had to be gathered. Many people in the Middle East still live this way today.
Travelers would take some provisions with them, but often it would not be enough and, far away from home, travelers would have to try to buy food if they could find it. Safe drinking water would have to be found along the way. It would have to be taken from a well if one could be found, if one had a cup or a bucket and a rope. So, travelers often had to rely on the kindness of strangers. And hospitality was offered, even when it created a burden on the host.
It was among these circumstances that the disciples would go from village to village, from town to town, sharing the Gospel with those who would listen to them, with those who would offer them hospitality. Whole families would come together to meet these guests and hear the story of Jesus, the Messiah and Son of God, who had come into the world to redeem it. They would hear the incredible story of his death and resurrection and what it meant for their lives. And whole families would be baptized and instructed in a new way of life.
The spread of the Gospel and the growth of the Church happened through the ministry of the disciples as they were guided by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would show them where and when and to whom to preach and teach. They would make friends. And they would also be chased from some towns, beaten, imprisoned, and eventually they were all martyred for following Jesus and sharing the Gospel. Those who were converted by their ministry would take up the mission of Christ after them.
This is perhaps the better way for us to evangelize today, to return to sharing with friends the glory of the Gospel, house to house, family to family, friend to friend. There is a certain integrity in this way of sharing the Gospel. It is not fancy, or highbrow, it is not contingent on some charismatic preacher, it does not involve salesmanship, or gimmicks, or emotional music. This kind of evangelism involves the heart. It requires that we pray and look deep within ourselves to see what love and joy there is within us to share.
Have we been open to receive the gifts of God’s grace? Has God’s grace transformed us? Do we have something to share with others? What do strangers see when they meet us? Do we, in the busy-ness of every day modern life, appear to be just like any other American living in a post-Christian world? Are we ashamed of the Gospel, uncomfortable sharing it with people we perceive might not want to hear it?
There is a vital connection between prayer and worship, and our ability to be a good influence for the sake of the Gospel. Christ must be at the center of our lives, not just on Sunday mornings, but every day. There are some new prayer cards on the shelf near the door. There are two morning prayers on it.
Please take one and use it to start your day. Keep it near your bed or coffee pot. Praying these prayers make help keep Christ near you throughout the day. We must be ready to pray throughout the day, with and for others.
As Anglicans we have such a rich heritage upon which to draw—Anglican spirituality in its full beauty, in music, poetry and art, with rigorous intellectual probing, with the tool of the Book of Common Prayer and the study of Scripture holding us together. We need to share our Anglican gifts with others. It is a beautiful way to be a sincere Christian. The Holy Spirit will come to us when we earnestly ask it to, and it will enlighten us, guide us and strengthen us in our mission.
This mission is more important now than it has ever been. The souls of millions of people around the world are lost. I hope we are prepared for our calling to share the most precious gift we have received, the Gospel of Christ which has brought us forgiveness through the grace of God. I hope we are and will be a good influence on those we meet for the sake of the Jesus.
Let us pray.
O God of all the nations of the earth: Remember the multitudes who have been created in your image but have not known the redeeming work of our Savior Jesus Christ; and grant that, by the prayers and labors of your holy Church, they may be brought to know and worship you as you have been revealed in your Son.
Amen.
