The Prophet's Reward

 

THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

28 June 2026, St. Joseph Cathedral

2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16a

Rom 6:3-4, 8-11

Mt 10:37-42

       I have always been sort of stymied by these words of Jesus from Matthew’s Gospel today: Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward… I don’t know exactly what to say about them.

       What possible application in your life or in mine could Jesus’ words have? How often do most of us encounter prophets or holy men? Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward… What do you do with a statement like that? What is the Lord promising to reward the person who follows those words of his? …It is an enigmatic statement, but in its liturgy for this Sunday, the Church helps us out by tying this verse from Matthew 10 to a passage from the OT book of 2^nd Kings, where it talks about the Shunamite woman’s hospitality given to the prophet… In his day, Elisha was clearly known as a prophet, and this couple received him into their home as such, as a holy man. The prophet is grateful for the little room up on the roof of her house that they built for him and wishes to repay her somehow for her generosity and so he asks for a suggestion from his servant and then follows up on it.

       (Elisha asked,) “Can something be done for her?” Gehazi reads the situation correctly, seeing that the couple’s greatest suffering was being childless. And Elisha responds accordingly, through his intervention into the order of things, by his prayers addressed to God. The prophet, the holy man of God does for them what only God could do or grant. Thanks to Elisha, the holy man’s prayers, she and her husband are blessed soon after his visit with the birth of a baby boy. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward…

       So great! What’s the application in my life or in yours? No doubt there are any number of possibilities, but fundamentally I think the passage calls us to go deeper in terms of the two great commandments to love of God above all things and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Matthew 10 takes me a step beyond the simple admonition to “Love thy neighbor”. It goes beyond the usual scriptural reference to the parable of the Good Samaritan. Good deeds are not just something we toss out there.  We see the other side of the commands to love especially in vv. 37-38 of today’s Gospel: 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; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

The Shunamite woman saw and acted. Elisha on God’s behalf saw to it that she was rewarded for her thoughtfulness. The implications of love of God for the life of a follower of Christ open up possibilities. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.

Not only are we obliged to do good, but Jesus tells us we will indeed be rewarded for it.  …and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.

       Nowhere in this passage from 2 Kings do you get the impression that the Shunamite woman was calculating anything or counting on a reward for showing kindness to Elisha. She simply recognized his dignity as a prophet.  Growing up we were always taught that doing the right thing was its own reward. Jesus says it a bit differently, but that is the basic message.

       The admonition to give without counting the cost is only part of it. It’s like when we were taught that although sorrow for our sins and offenses if motivated by our dread of losing heaven and ending up in hell is sufficient for a good confession, but we can and should strive for perfect contrition inspired by a love for God and not ever wanting to offend Him Who has loved us so much. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward…

       The Shunamite woman was not dealing out of a simple sense of duty or even looking for repayment. When we think about the duties of our state in life or more generally about our Christian duties, we should by thinking about is treasuring others for who they are. Beyond duty by the grace and through the holy will of God, we are opening up a whole world of possibility, which is good here but greater in and for the hereafter.

PROPERANTES ADVENTUM DIEI DEI