Matthew 10:37-42
Jesus said to his apostles:
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
“Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet’s reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is a righteous man
will receive a righteous man’s reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because the little one is a disciple—
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”
Backgrounder
We all enter this world surrounded by love. Love of the mother who bore us, nurtured us within herself, and who brought us into the world. Love of a father who provides for us, protects us, and raises us, Then, there’s the love of any children we may have. What could be more amazing than bringing new people into existence? How incredible that we – in our turn – can share the unique love of father or mother with our children.
And yet it’s never really like that. Even at the best of times, a loving family is imperfect. The most wonderful parents can struggle to be good role models at all times. Parents have their frustrations, their impatience, their ambitions, and many other things that we put in the way of love for our children. So, we grow up imperfect. We turn around and do our best, but do we ever truly love as we should? An honest look in the mirror tells us, probably not.
Jesus speaks truth into the families he addresses. We may not want to hear about the limitations of our love, but it’s true. In a sinful world, our human attempts at love are also marked by sin. Jesus calls followers because he offers them a way out of our imperfections, our failures to love.
Jesus can offer us a way out of the sin-marked love we find even in our families. Because he is love itself, and he shows us what love truly is. “In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:10)
Followers of Jesus need to make a choice based on an encounter. Once we’ve met Jesus and encountered his saving love for us, we know the most important news, the Gospel. And knowing the Gospel calls for a response. His yes to us comes first: “You did not choose me but I chose you.” (John 15:14). Jesus doesn’t just tell us of his love, he pours out his love for us on the cross.
To become a follower of Jesus is to say our own “yes” in response to his initiative. Jesus says that his followers must take up their cross, because the path he opens up leads us to a life of sacrificial love for others. The love of fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, in fact, of every human relationship will be cleansed of all selfishness and sin when we say our own “yes” to the love of Jesus. The pure love he has for us purifies our love for each other.
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” This is the love of Christ crucified. And in this light, we too can bring the divine love of Jesus to all we meet, so that when they receive us, they receive him. And now even the humblest gesture, the sharing of a cup of cold water, brings an eternal reward because it is a sign of Jesus’s love.