Gospel Notes by Michael Whelan SM
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 the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.
Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 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 10:37-42 – NRSV).
Introductory notes
General
Today’s Gospel has specific literary and historical contexts.
The text is part of the “Apostolic Discourse” in which the challenges of the disciples’ mission are emphasized. It follows immediately upon the following text: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.” (Matthew 10:34-36 – NRSV).
This is not a statement about what Jesus is offering. It is rather a statement about the consequences that may in fact follow when a person – including you and me – takes Jesus seriously. The text is written for a community of believers who find themselves in a socially turbulent and even brutal environment. Therefore “the disciples should expect to meet division within families (10:34–36), for in this way Mic 7:6 is fulfilled. They must not value their family ties (10:37) or even their own lives (10:39) above their following Jesus; their discipleship will surely involve suffering (10:38)” (Daniel J Harrington, The Gospel of Matthew, Liturgical Press, 2007, 152).
Specific
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: This probably reflects the hard reality of the community for which Matthew writes, where “fathers and mothers” are expressing their disappointment in – and perhaps rejection of – family members who choose to accept that Jesus is the Anointed One. The followers of Jesus are being reminded of their priorities. Throughout history this scenario has been repeated many times, where individuals have had to choose between family and friends, their success and even their survival on the one hand, and their faith on the other.
Matthew, like Luke, gets his material from Q. That said, Matthew differs significantly from Luke (14:26) in that he omits the verb miseō – “hate”. Matthew’s “whoever loves father or mother more than me etc”, avoids the harshness of Luke’s “whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother etc.”
Leon Morris writes: “(Jesus) assumes that there will be love between parents and children, but claims for himself a higher place in his disciples’ affection than that which they accord to their nearest and dearest on earth, and that in a society that held it a dreadful thing to put anyone higher than one’s parents. Loves is a significant word; it points to the warmest affection. Jesus does not bid his followers love their parents or their children (nor, on the other hand, does he forbid warm affection in the family). He simply assumes that family members will love one another. But he is concerned that they must not value their attachment to the members of their families so highly that he is pushed into the background. This has important implications for an understanding of the person of Jesus. No mere man has the right to claim a love higher than that for parents or children; it is only because he is who he is that Jesus can look for such love. The words imply that he is more than a merely human teacher and leader. Of the one who lacks this love for him he says that he is not worthy of me (GNB, “is not fit to be my disciple”). We must not forget that Jesus knew what it was to experience misunderstanding in the family, for his own thought him mad (Mark 3:21). Jesus is not asking from his followers something he did not know for himself” (Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew, W.B. Eerdmans, 1992, 267-268).
take up the cross: Whatever form it might take, there will be some serious consequences in discipleship: “Crucifixion was well known to Jews of Jesus’ time, and there is no decisive reason why the earthly Jesus could not have uttered such a saying. Here there is no reference to the cross of Jesus (cf. Matt 16:24). The saying warns of suffering and even painful death as part of the disciple’s lot. Of course, the saying takes on deeper meaning in the light of Jesus’ death and resurrection” (Daniel J Harrington, op cit, 151).
those who find …. lose and those who lose …. find: The deeper you penetrate the mystery of human existence, the more you find yourself dealing with paradox. Merely rational explanations will not do. Even a superficial understanding of the human reality might suggest the truth of this paradox: the self-centred, grasping individual is seen as “less” than the altruistic and magnanimous person. At the end, people are generally more admired for what they can do without than what they possess.
For Matthew though, the paradox finds its meaning in our identification with Jesus Christ: “for my sake”. This is not an ego-project but a work of grace through God’s Anointed. It calls for surrender therefore rather than mastery.
life: The Greek word used here is psyche. It may be translated as “life” or “soul”. In this instance, since the context is clearly Jewish or Semitic, “life” seems to be the best translation. And combined with the previous reference to the cross, where the possibility of martyrdom seems to be envisaged, “the saying probably has a broader application to self-denial and wholehearted acceptance of the demands of being a disciple” (Daniel J Harrington, op cit, 151). (Alternatively: “In 10:28 a Greek anthropology demands that psychē be rendered as ‘soul’” (Ibid).)
Whoever welcomes you welcomes me: This is a remarkable statement. It goes to the heart of the Christian life in general and the life of the disciple in particular. We are reminded of St Paul’s statement in his Letter to the Christians in Galatia: “I live now, not I but Christ lives in me” (2:19). It also echoes John’s use of the Greek verb meno (“remain”, “abide” etc), especially in the metaphor of the vine – see 15:1-17. Jesus identifies himself with the disciple, thus inviting the disciple to identify him/herself with him. See also Matthew’s Last Judgement scene – 25:31-46.
Discipleship implies an intimacy that is simply – and profoundly – a manifestation of the fulfilment of the promise, “I am with you!” And so there is an invitation: “Wake up! Be aware! Let this truth emerge in the depths of your being! Let it be your life! Let it shape everything you are and do, everything you think and imagine about yourself and your engagement with the world!”
Your kingdom come!
In today’s Gospel – Matthew 10:37-42 – we have the last instructions of Jesus in the “missionary discourse” – see 10:1-42. To those of us who have been raised in a free and prosperous society, Jesus’ words can jar. At times, they even seem harsh. There is a danger, therefore, that we will turn away or at least try to temper the message. If we do that, we may miss the liberating truth of that message.
Matthew’s Gospel is a dramatic account of the coming of a new way of being in and through Jesus, in which God is sovereign. This new way of being is outlined in the Sermon on the Mount – see 5:1-7:29. Jesus calls this new way of being, “the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew’s Gospel has more than fifty references to “the kingdom of heaven.” John the Baptist introduces it: “‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near’” (3:2). “The kingdom of heaven” is one of many “kingdoms.” “The devil” is in charge of the other “kingdoms.” So, Matthew writes of Jesus’ testing in the wilderness: “The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him”’” (4:8-11).
The “kingdoms” of this world are a fact of human existence. Jesus and his disciples – you and me – are therefore in enemy territory. However, Jesus’ words to Peter are to be remembered: “‘You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it’” (16:18). It is precisely within these “kingdoms” that “the kingdom of heaven” will emerge triumphant: “‘For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven’” (16:17). This is the intent of the Incarnation.
The coming of “the kingdom of heaven” involves Jesus and all those who choose to be his disciples in an existential struggle. It is literally a struggle for existence, a new existence. Do you think “the devil” is going to let this happen without a fight?
It’s impossible to separate out the actual words that the disciples heard Jesus say, from the words they use four decades later to express the intention of the message of Jesus to the first Christian communities. In today’s Gospel, we almost certainly have a mixture of the two. But the intention cannot be doubted: “The kingdom of heaven” is paramount, nothing, no other “kingdom,” can replace it. That intention is not negotiable. It must be received with the urgency with which it is spoken. Whilst we find ourselves living, walking and working in “kingdoms” of this world, no one and nothing can ultimately be preferred to “the kingdom of heaven.”