After nine days, I am now resuming the publication of Rev. Sang Ho Bae's exposition of the Gospel of Matthew. This time, he explained the meaning of Matthew 10:40-42:

40 Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.

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The Lord, sending His disciples with the mission of proclaiming the gospel, said, “Whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me” (Matt 10:40). The Lord’s disciples are those who, being sent by the Lord, proclaim His word. Therefore, to receive the disciples is to receive the Lord who sent them, and to receive the Lord is also to receive God, who sent the Lord.

God speaks through His servants. The prophets of the Old Testament, the apostles of the New Testament, and the ministers of the word in the age of the church are all means of grace established by God. They do not proclaim themselves but proclaim God who sent them. Therefore, receiving them is not merely receiving a person but an act of honoring the office God has established and accepting the word God has sent. The Lord said this: “Whoever receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward… and whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple… he shall by no means lose his reward” (Matt 10:41–42).

Receiving as Recognition, Acceptance, and Participation in the Gospel

The “receiving” spoken of here goes beyond simple material help; it includes recognizing his ministry, accepting his word, and participating in his gospel work. God does not forget such acts, even the smallest ones, and repays them with reward. This shows clearly how precious gospel ministry is to God. In fact, gospel preachers did not receive only persecution but also welcome.

The apostle Paul recalls that the Galatians “received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus” (Gal 4:14). They did not judge Paul by his appearance or background. Rather, they recognized him as a servant sent by the Lord and gladly received him, and they accepted the word he proclaimed as the word of God.

The Need for Discernment

Receiving the Lord’s servant does not mean idolizing him or following him uncritically. Scripture teaches us to discern and beware of false prophets and false teachers. But despising the true servants whom God has established, treating their ministry lightly, or damaging their office is to oppose God. God never takes lightly the act of opposing the servants to whom He has entrusted His word. This is not to exalt a person but because of the authority that God’s word possesses.

The most important way to receive the Lord’s servant is to receive the word he proclaims as the word of God. Paul praised the Thessalonians, saying, “When you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God” (1 Thess 2:13).

Praying for Gospel Ministers

Listening attentively to the words of gospel preachers and obeying that word is the way to receive the Lord’s servant. Also, receiving the Lord’s servant means covering their weaknesses, praying for their ministry, and helping them to carry out their calling with joy. The writer of Hebrews says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them… let them do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you” (Heb 13:17). This does not mean to absolutize the pastor. It means to honor the office God has established and to listen humbly to the word of God that is delivered through that office.

Helping the pastor who has been entrusted with God’s word to minister with joy is the work of building up the church. When the pastor ministers with joy, the church is strengthened; but if the pastor ministers with grief, it is not beneficial to the church.

Participation in Gospel Ministry

Gospel ministry is a precious work that gives life, and therefore the Lord does not forget even the smallest act of giving a cup of cold water for the sake of a gospel worker. The reason one who helps a prophet receives a prophet’s reward is that he has participated in the prophet’s ministry. Gospel ministry is never accomplished by one person alone. There are those who proclaim the word, and there are those who pray and help for that ministry. All of these are God’s coworkers, called for one purpose. We must, like Lydia, who received Paul, receive gospel workers, pray for their ministry, and help them to carry out their calling with joy. This is not merely a human kindness but an act of faith that pleases God, and one that God surely rewards.

The Lord firmly declared, “Truly… he shall by no means lose his reward.” Receiving a gospel worker is receiving the Lord Himself and participating in His work. We cannot go back two thousand years to serve the Lord directly, but by serving gospel workers we may still today take part in the blessed place of serving the Lord.

Check Receive the Word, Receive the Lord, to listen to the AI-generated song version of this article.