For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward

 

 Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.  For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him.  And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."  But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.  

Then He came to Capernaum.  And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?"  But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.  And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."  Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.  And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."

Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us."  But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.  For he who is not against us is on our side.  For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

 

- Mark 9:30–41 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus came to the disciples (from the Mount of the Transfiguration, with Peter, James, and John), He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.  Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.  And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"  Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.  And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.  So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."  He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him to Me."  Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.  So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"  And he said, "From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it:  "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.  And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."

 

 Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.  For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him.  And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."  But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.  This is the second time that Jesus predicts His death and Resurrection to the disciples (see also Mark 8:31).  My study Bible says that He does so in order to show that He is going to His Passion freely, and is not being taken against His will.  Note that the disciples still cannot comprehend what He is saying to them.  

Then He came to Capernaum.  And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?"  But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.  And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."  Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.  And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."  Today's reading really reflects upon the conventional understanding of what the Messiah would bring.  Just as the disciples cannot comprehend that the Messiah should be killed, they also seem to expect a worldly or "earthly" kingdom to be initiated by Christ.  Hence, their dispute as to who would be the greatest.  That is, who would occupy the highest position in such a kingdom.  My study Bible comments that it indicates a selfish interest in worldly power.  Thus, Christ points to a little child (see Matthew 18:2-4).  This emphasizes the virtues which are required for entrance into His Kingdom.  The qualities of the little child are humility, dependence, lowliness, simplicity, obedience, and a willingness to love and be loved.  In Mark's version, Jesus' emphasis on receiving the little child teaches the disciples the need for humility and service:  even in receiving one of these little children, we receive Christ Himself -- and not only Christ, but the Father who sent Him.

Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us."  But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.  For he who is not against us is on our side."  My study Bible comments on this same story in Luke 9:46-50 that Theophylact sees John's comment as a regret, his conscience having been pricked by what Christ has just said.  But St. Ambrose, on the other hand, sees John as expecting full obedience to accompany such blessings.  In either sense, Christ's response shows those acting in good faith are not excluded, even if they are not currently numbered among the disciples.  Theophylact writes:  "See how divine grace is at work even in those who are not His disciples" (see also Numbers 11:24-30).  On those using Christ's name without good faith, see Luke 11:23, Acts 19:13-16). 

"For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."  In some sense, this statement is another version of the one about receiving a little child in Christ's name.  It also is like another parable teaching about the nature of the kingdom of God.  There is a kind of network effect at work here, where faith forms a circuit of blessedness.  For a person to show hospitality in Christ's name -- even a cup of water to drink --  to such a one who bears the Kingdom is to also receive a reward.

Jesus tells the disciples, "For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."   I can't say that I perfectly understand what the word "reward" means in this context.  One supposes it has to do with the ultimate Judgment of Christ, and the understanding of the heart that is possessed only by God.  In Greek the word is μισθός/misthos, a word indicating something like wages, payment for work, recompense for labor.  (In modern Greek, it means "salary.")  In this case, we can consider it the reward for a good work.  It is the same word used in Matthew 5:12, where Jesus states in the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11-12).  It is a reward in the sense that one reaps what one sows, as again it is the same word used when Jesus states speaks of hypocrites who fast in order to show to others their holiness, and He declares, "Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward" (see Matthew 6:16).  In this case, He means there is no heavenly reward awaiting, but only the "worldly" award they sought in making such an appearance to others.  If we dismantle this sentence, we see there are two parts to the blessed action:  The cup of water is given by someone "in My name" and to "you" who "belong to Christ."  It is a sense in which believers who offer the least gift of charity in His name, to others who are seen as belonging to Christ shall not lose their blessed reward.   Jesus has just introduced a little child who, if received in His name, is the same as receiving Christ and also the Father who sent Him.  Moreover He has added that the disciples should not discourage others who work in His name.  Putting these two teachings together, we can simply imagine the many scenaria that would apply here to our own graciousness, and the gift of hospitality which is so important and was so cherished from the earliest years of monasticism.  Do we know who we receive?  Do we act in His name to offer graciousness or kindness to another, even a cup of water?  Let us recall the words of St. Paul, referring to the hospitality of Abraham: "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels" (Hebrews 13:2).   This two-way reciprocity of both receiving and giving in His name and those who belong to Christ reminds us of the instructions Christ gave to the disciples when sending them out on their first apostolic mission:  "And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!" (Matthew 10:12-15).  The special peace of which He speaks is linked to the blessing of the reward He names, a very spiritual understanding of blessedness and the hidden realities that connect us in faith and in grace.  There is a blessedness to faith which is not only necessary for Christ's miracles, healings, and exorcisms, but also for the spiritual fruits of a life in Christ.  Let us not forget how they are connected to hospitality, an understanding of graciousness, and how we are linked to our fellow faithful in His name, even strangers whom we don't know.  For we are connected in a fellowship which belongs to Him, and to the One who sent Him.