Matthew 10:40 (ESV)
Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives
him who sent me.
When you hear the phrase, “Great man of God” who comes to mind? I’m not sure
we understand great at all. We are such a celebrity driven society that the
concept in this verse is almost beyond us. In some ways, this verse is about
identity. What is done to you is done to Christ. Whoever receives you isn’t receiving
you; they are receiving Christ. Whoever rejects you isn’t rejecting you; they are
rejecting Christ. It’s not about you. It’s about Jesus. Turn that truth around
and the same thing is true. What people see in you they see in Christ. We stand
here in his stead.
This passage is not only about identity in the sense of identifying with
Christ. It is also about identity in that those we consider great are not necessarily
considered great in God’s mind. He promises reward to those who serve
unnoticed, not just the flashy, on-stage names, but the ones working behind the
scenes. He honors those who serve without acclaim, those who feed the hungry without
advertising it. He rewards those who support, encourage, and pray for the ones
doing the visible work. In the end, we might just find out that the great men
and women of God are not the ones we thought after all.
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