When Jesus says, “a prophet’s reward,” he isn’t necessarily talking about a generous compensation package. That’s why we need prophets, to help us bridge the gap between what is and what we wish were so.īut we don’t always treat those prophets so well. Sometimes we don’t see things the way they really are. This truth Jeremiah speaks sounds strange to them – how can they know peace in exile? How can they welcome this kind of a prophet, who tells them to accept defeat? Sometimes our dreams don’t match reality. That’s actually been their problem all along – they didn’t want to surrender themselves fully to God’s purpose, and their pride has cost them their homeland. It’s time to surrender to the inevitable reality that Babylon is going to carry Israel off into captivity. It’s time to make the best of a bad situation. Hananiah tells the people what they want to hear. In the Old Testament lesson Jon read for us earlier, two prophets claim to speak the word of the Lord. “Thus says the Lord…” usually introduces the prophet’s proclamation. A prophet is a truth-teller, someone who announces God’s Word in God’s voice. What does it mean to welcome a prophet, and what is a prophet’s reward for such a welcome? To answer this question, we have to know what a prophet is and what a prophet does.Ī prophet is not a fortune teller prophesying is not predicting what will happen in the future. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple-truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.” (Matthew 10:40-42) “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Sometimes our dreams don’t match reality. What if you hadn’t dusted or vacuumed in weeks, and there were dirty dishes in the sink? What would your welcome to the King of Kings look like then? More than likely, we’d find some way to set out a meal for Jesus, knowing that good food usually makes for good conversation, and the gospels all tell us that Jesus liked to eat with people.īut what if Jesus showed up at your door when the larder was empty? What if the beds weren’t made and the place was a mess? What if there was no place for Jesus to sit, because every seat was piled high with newspapers, unfolded laundry – stuff… you get the idea. We like to think we would welcome Jesus if he showed up on our doorstep, don’t we? We would recognize him immediately, and we’d usher him into our homes with joy. “Whoever welcomes you, welcomes me,” Jesus says to his disciples, “and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” (Matthew 10:40)
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