He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. (NIV) Matthew 10:40
I ran across this verse a couple of weeks ago and have been chewing on it ever since. It’s almost like a tongue twister, isn’t it? This verse has a propensity for pronouns. Jesus talk — He, who, you, Me, he, who, Me, Him, One, Me. Since Jesus lives in us, anyone who accepts us, accepts Jesus, who then, by relationship, accepts Jesus through the One who sent Him. Yikes! It’s like chasing your tail, right? Reminds me of the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon only it’s the Billionth Degree of Jesus. Those who know Him, are all connected – one body, remember? That’s how it’s supposed to work. Anyway.
Receives. Welcomes. Accepts. Takes in. Gets hold of. Takes possession of. Acquires. Secures. Jesus is saying to the Disciples, we’re all in this together. If someone accepts you, they accept Me. If they accept Me, they accept God My Father. That clears it all up then. But, wait.
Receives. Welcomes. Accepts. We understand those words, don’t we? We’re consumers. We know how to receive gifts. We welcome gifts. We accept gifts. What do we do with gifts? We receive them and then open them, right? We welcome them and then open them, right? We accept them and then open them, right? We don’t open them and then accept them, right? Of course not! That would be crazy. That’s out of order. But that’s exactly what “Christian” is all about. It’s all about opening first.
Celebrating Christ-mas is about receiving and then opening the gift. Celebrating Christ-ian is about opening and then receiving the gift. It’s about opening, letting, allowing, our hearts and minds to receive, to welcome, to accept the gift, the Greatest Gift ever. Being open to receive is difficult though.
To open. To give access. To unlock. To unseal. To unshut. That makes us vulnerable, doesn’t it? Vulnerable to others. “He who receives you…” Vulnerable to Jesus. “…he who receives me receives the one who sent me.” As hard as it may be, when we open, we receive, and look what happens:
And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. Colossians 3:15
When we open, we receive. Here, Brother Paul is telling the folks of Colosse, be open to receive the peace that comes from Christ. Peace. We’re all looking for peace this time of year, aren’t we? Is it so easy to just open and receive? It is. When we open, we receive and look what happens:
For no matter how much they used, there was always enough left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah. 1 Kings 17:16
When we open, we receive. Elijah and the widow were open to receive God’s provision from a handful of flour and a mite of oil in a jug. Provision. We’re all looking for provisions aren’t we? We’re all looking to be cared for. Is it so easy to just open and receive? It is. When we open, we receive and look what happens:
And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, please let this child’s life return to him.” The Lord heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he came back to life! I Kings 17:21-22
When we open, we receive. Elijah and the widow were open to receive God’s miracle. Miracles. We’re all looking for miracles aren’t we? We’re looking for someone to stretch over us and heal our diseases – mind, body, spirit. We’re all looking for the impossible to be made possible. Is it so easy to just open and receive? It is. When we open, we receive and look what happens:
They asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had given for Israel to obey…When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet…They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage…The people went away to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them. Nehemiah 1:12
When we open, we receive. Ezra, Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem were open and received understanding. We’re all looking for understanding, aren’t we? Just trying to grasp the meanings. We’re all looking for answers to the questions of life. Is it so easy to just open and receive? It is. When we open, we receive and look what happens:
“I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David!” Luke 2:10
When we open, we receive. We, like the Shepherds, open and received life. We’re all looking for a Savior, aren’t we? Someone to save us from our sins. Someone to save us from ourselves. A Deliverer. Someone to be Lord of our lives, because we can’t. Someone to be true to the promises made. Someone to worship. Is it so easy to just open and receive? It is. When we open, we receive and look what happens.