Text: Matthew 10:40-42 Revised Standard Version (RSV)
Rewards
40 “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. 41 He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”
In the Name of God, the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Amen.
John Stuart Mill, the 19th Century Utilitarian philosopher, once famously declared in an address at the University of St. Andrew: “Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.”[1]
Jesus tells us that doing nothing is not an option. But we already know that. For us the issue is not that we should act, but rather how we should act and what we can do when we act.
Probably more to the point, maybe we sometimes ask ourselves whether what we do is “enough.” Maybe we read about towering figures of faith like Mother Theresa, or the Dalai Lama, or Martin Luther King, or Martin Luther, or any of the countless heroes whose lives have made the world a better place, and we are left thinking that what we do is too insignificant to matter.
We all think that. I certainly have had more than one moment when I wonder if anything I do or have ever done amounts to a hill of beans.
But then we read today’s lesson…and affirm that, yes, what we do is important. We remember, in other words, that old proverb that tells us: “Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.”
That’s one of the first things came to mind when I read this passage. Even the smallest acts of kindness create ripples that in turn create bigger waves that then give rise to tidal waves of goodness that wash over the world.
I sometimes feel like a broken record (or these days, maybe I should say “a scratched CD”) for constantly saying that even the smallest act of kindness is a big deal. Jesus does indeed depend on us to show his love and compassion. As St. Teresa of Avila once said, “Yours are the only hands with which God can do his work….Yours are the only eyes through which God’s compassion can shine upon a troubled world.”[2]
Something as small as a cold cup of water can make all the difference. Our old friend, Professor David Lose, writes, “What a little thing, don’t you think, to give a cup of cold water? Jesus emphasizes the same by his use of the word ‘even.’ We often imagine discipleship as requiring huge sacrifice or entailing great feats, and sometimes that is exactly what discipleship comes to. But at other times, Jesus seems to say, it’s nothing more than giving a cup of cold water to one in need.”[3]
A cold cup of water. A smile of encouragement. A pat on the back. A hug to someone who is grieving. A ride to the grocery store. A text, or an email, a visit, or a phone call asking “how are you doing? Is there anything I can do for you?” These supposedly little acts, taken together, are really what make the biggest difference in the world.
Again Professor Lose: “Discipleship doesn’t have to be heroic. Like all the small acts of devotion, tenderness, and forgiveness that go largely unnoticed but tend the relationships that are most important to us, so also the life of faith is composed of a thousand small gestures. Except that, according to Jesus, there is no small gesture. Anything done in faith and love has cosmic significance for the ones involved and, indeed, for the world God loves so much.”[4]
“There is no small gesture.” Mark Link recounts the following true story about an eleven-year-old boy named Ian O’Gorman:
“Doctors removed a malignant tumor from the small intestines of eleven-year-old Ian O’Gorman. ‘Besides the surgery,’ said Ian, ‘I had tubes up my nose and I had butterflies in my stomach.’ To keep the cancer from returning, doctors put him on chemotherapy. When he lost all of his hair and became totally bald, thirteen of his fifth-grade classmates didn’t want him to feel different, so they got their parents’ permission to shave their heads. Jim Alter, their teacher, was so inspired that he, too, shaved his head.”[5]
What a wonderful act of love and compassion! These kids and their teacher went above and beyond what we would expect in such a situation – generally people murmur, “Oh, I’m so sorry you’re going through this,” or say, “You’re really brave!” or even, “I love your style!” and leave it at that. But these people backed it up with action, and helped to make a very sick little boy feel loved and included.
And Jesus in today’s Gospel lesson tells us that it’s in the little things that the goodness of God is most often seen. We think of the big things, but big things are few. Little things, little acts of kindness, are far and away more numerous and have a much greater or much more far-reaching effect than the big things.
Since this is the Independence Day weekend, the following true story is also appropriate. A few years ago, my sister posted a photograph of a letter from a Harley-Davidson dealership in Illinois to an active-duty serviceman and his wife regarding the storage of his motorcycle:
“Dear Christopher and Jaimie:
“Enclosed you will find the check you mailed to us regarding the account of Christopher. It is the policy of Reiman’s Harley Davidson to waive storage fees for our active duty service members who are deployed. It is our honor to keep your bike safe and secure while you provide us with our freedoms. We hope you return to us safe and sound. Until that time, we will store your bike at no charge to you. This is our way of saying ‘Thank You’ for your service to our country.”
Now this business didn’t have to do that. Most don’t. Yet imagine the impact that had on this serviceman and his family.
There is no small gesture. There is no such thing as an insignificant act of kindness.
The one major thing that makes St. John’s such a truly wonderful place is your hospitality. You always go the extra mile for everybody.
You, friends, are true disciples!
In the Name of God, the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Amen.
[1] Quoted in https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edmund_Burke
[2] Quoted in Link, Mark, S.J., Jesus: A Contemporary Walk with Jesus, Allen, TX, Resources for Christian Living, 1997, p. 253
[3]David Lose, “No Small Gestures,” Dear Working Preacher, June 24th, 2014
[4] Ibid.
[5] Link, p. 172