13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – June 28,
2026
2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a; Romans 6:3-4, 8-11; Matthew
10:37-42
Theme: Discipleship Conditions and Rewards to Christians Who Support Jesus’ Missionaries
A. A Brief Exegetical Analysis of Matthew 10:37-42
- Historical
and Literary Contexts
This
text concludes Jesus' Mission Sermon to his disciples, as Matthew reports it in
chap. 10. In this sermon, Jesus sent his disciples on a mission with
instructions (vv. 1-15); he warned them about the coming persecutions (vv.
16-25); he encouraged them, reassured them of God’s protection, and promised to
acknowledge or deny them before God if they acknowledge or deny him before
people (vv. 26-33), and prepared them for the repercussions while explaining
the conditions and rewards of discipleship (vv. 34-42).
2.
Form, Structure, and Movement
This
Gospel narrative is rich in metaphors. It is structured into two movements.
Jesus first discussed the conditions of discipleship with his twelve sent (vv.
37-39) before telling them about the rewards awaiting all who will support them
in their mission (vv. 40-42).
3.
Detailed Analysis
Vv.
17-20. Immediately before these verses, Jesus informed his disciples that his
mission on earth would not bring peace but division among family members, as
some would believe in him while others would not (10:34-36). Jesus’ mission on
earth may cause division not only among believers but also among his own
disciples. This is why in vv. 17-20, he discusses the conditions of
discipleship with them as requirements to be worthy of him and succeed in their
mission.
The
first condition is that the disciples must love Jesus more than their family
members (v. 37). Jesus does not mean that his disciples should hate their
families. Instead, he means that the love they have for him and his mission
must surpass their love for their families. The second condition is that the
disciples should accept taking up their crosses and following Jesus to be
worthy of him (v. 38). The cross alludes to Jesus’ crucifixion, so Jesus asks
them to follow in his footsteps by being willing to be crucified because of him
and his mission. This clarifies the third condition, which states: “Whoever
finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find
it.” (V. 39). Amid persecution, the disciples who try to save their earthly
lives by denying Jesus will lose their lives in eternal condemnation. In
contrast, those who courageously accept losing their earthly lives for the sake
of Jesus and his mission will “find” their lives in the heavenly kingdom.
Vv.
40-42. Jesus connects the disciples to him and God: “Whoever receives you
receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” (V. 40). In
the mission, Jesus represents God, and the disciples represent Jesus;
therefore, the disciples represent God. He then promises rewards to all
believers who support his disciples and their mission. Matthew identifies three
different rewards based on three titles of the disciples: Prophets, righteous
men, and little ones. The disciples are the “prophets” because they announce
the Word of God. They are “righteous men” due to their religious lifestyle and
dedication to representing Jesus. They are “little ones” because they are
defenseless before their persecutors. Thus, Matthew intended to urge the believers
of his time to provide three types of support to the missionaries: they should
sustain their mission of proclaiming God’s Word, supply necessary needs for
their religious lifestyle, and assist them when they face persecution. All the
rewards promised to the disciples will also be granted to all believers who
support them in their mission.
4.
Synthesis
Jesus
asks his disciples to do three things to be worthy of him and succeed in their
mission: (1) they should love Jesus more than they love anyone else, (2) accept
his call to follow in Jesus’ footsteps of crucifixion, and (3) be prepared to
lose their earthly lives if necessary. Jesus depicts the disciples on a mission
as “the prophets” because of the Word of God they announce, “righteous men” due
to their religious lifestyle and dedication to representing Jesus, and “little
ones” because they are defenseless before their persecutors. Therefore, the
believers who support the disciples’ mission of proclaiming the Word of God,
provide them with essential needs for their religious lifestyle, and help them
when persecuted, will receive the same rewards promised to the disciples.
B.
Pastoral Implications
- Liturgical
Context
In the Gospel, Jesus first asks his disciples
and us to do three things to be worthy of him and succeed in our mission: we
should love Jesus more than we love our family members; we should accept our
crosses and follow Jesus’ footsteps of crucifixion; and we should be ready to
lose our earthly lives for the sake of Jesus and his mission. In our second
reading, Saint Paul supports this when he reminds us that since we were
baptized into Jesus’ Death, we should not be afraid to carry out Jesus’
mission, even amid persecution, because we believe in the Resurrection. Second,
in our Gospel, Jesus promises us rewards if we support his disciples of our
time in their mission. Our first reading gives us an example of an unnamed
woman of influence who was rewarded for her generosity to Elisha, the holy man
of God.
- What
the Church Teaches Us Today
In
the first part of our Gospel passage, Jesus calls us to do three things to
prove that we are worthy of him and to succeed in our Christian mission. (1) We
should love him and his mission more than anything else. “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.” (Mt 10:37). Jesus does not ask us to hate
our family to prove our love for him; instead, he calls us to a higher level of
love for him and his mission. Last Sunday, we learned that people may
discourage, reject, mock, and even persecute us because of our Christian faith
and ministries. The goal of the devil in this mistreatment and persecution is
to force us to abandon our faith and ministries. Therefore, when we love Jesus
more than anyone else, we will never leave him and his mission.
(2)
We should take up our crosses and follow Jesus in order to be worthy of him (v.
38). Crosses can refer to any situation we cannot change, such as illnesses
that individuals may live with for the rest of their lives. Crosses can also
encompass all challenging ministries that demand a great deal of energy, faith,
patience, and courage. Taking up our crosses also entails accepting the
ultimate sacrifice of our lives for the sake of Jesus and the people we serve.
Jesus is our great example to imitate; He did not run away but carried his
Cross until the end of his earthly life.
(3)
We should be ready to lose our lives or sacrifice ourselves for the sake of
Jesus and his mission. “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses
his life for my sake will find it.” (Mt 10:39). This means that whenever we
abandon our faith and mission due to the trials we face to protect our lives in
this world, we will lose them in heaven. When we continue to serve people and
maintain our Christian faith, even amid persecution and death, Jesus reassures
us of eternal salvation in God’s kingdom. In our second reading, Saint Paul
teaches us the same thing. He reminds us that we were baptized into Christ’s
death, and since Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we
too might live in newness of life (Rm 6:3-4). Therefore, we should not be
afraid of “losing” our lives in this world because we believe in the
Resurrection in heaven.
The
second part of our Gospel exhorts us to support the religious brothers and
sisters, the ordained and lay ministers, and their missions (Mt 10:40-42).
Matthew identifies them in three categories, determining the three types of
support we should provide them. First, as the “prophets” who announce God’s
Word to us, we are called to support their mission of evangelization. Second,
by their religious lifestyle, they are “righteous men and women.” Therefore, we
should provide them with the necessary resources so they can continue to be
good examples of those who left everything to follow Jesus through a life of
obedience, chastity, and poverty. Third, they are “little ones,” meaning that
when persecuted, we should help, encourage, and support them. Jesus reassures
us that we will receive the same rewards promised to his missionaries
if we support them and their mission. Our first reading gives us an example of
a “woman of influence” who was rewarded for her hospitality to Elisha, God's
prophet and holy man.
May
the liturgy of this Mass inspire us to be committed missionaries and active
Christians who support Jesus’ ministers of our time and their mission. Amen.
Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD
Pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church in Jackson, MS &
SVD USS Biblical Apostolate Coordinator
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