The Message translation reads:
Jesus said, “We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God's messenger. Accepting someone's help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I've called you into, but don't be overwhelmed by it. It's best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won't lose out on a thing."
I love this image of being intimately linked in the harvest work. Living and working in an agricultural community reminds me of my childhood growing up on a farm. It's hard work. It's dusty and dirty and sweaty. There are lots of bugs, smells, and prickly parts. But it's good work.
All of chapter 10 in Matthew is about the commissioning of the disciples. Being a disciple is hard work. It is met with hardships and strifes. Take nothing with you and prepare for division. That call to discipleship would turn most of us off! But according to The Message translation, Jesus says, "don't be overwhelmed...start small...".
These last couple of verse of chapter 10 are a message not only to the disciples, but to those who will be welcoming them. It's a message of hospitality.
So what does it mean to be a prophet? In the ancient world, a prophet communicated the message of the king or ruler of the land. When you welcomed a prophet, you were esentially welcoming that king or ruler. And in the Bible, the prophet was the watchman and the messenger. The prophet listened for the word of God and then communicated it to the people. Biblical prophets weren't always welcomed. But Jesus says that the prophets who proclaim the Good News should be welcomed because they are representing God.
What does it mean to be a righteous person? Well, again, in the ancient world, we'd be thinking of a scholar or one who studied the text and lived out their lives according to the Word. They weren't the self-righteous people of the Pharisees, but people who were trying to live into and bring about the Kingdom of God.
And the little ones? Well, the little ones can be read a variety of ways...the vulnerable, the children, the children of God. Aren't we all little ones in some respect?
Not all of us are called to be prophets, but we can welcome the prophet. Not all of us are scholarly teachers or preachers, but we can teach each other about life. Not all of us are called to ordained ministry, but we all are disciples and a royal priesthood. When we think of our "work" or "harvest", we have to ask, is it consitent with the work of Jesus in bringing about the Kingdom of God. What is our harvest? At St. Mark's I think our harvest is grounded in our prayer and worship life together. Our harvest is the work we do in our family life, in our communities, at our daily jobs. Our harvest is about living into the Kingdom of God. And it starts with something simple...like a glass of water for someone who's thirsty.