A Place for Jarred: Matthew 10:40-42 - Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

[Jesus said to the twelve:] ⁴⁰“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. ⁴¹Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; ⁴²and 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.” (NRSV)

Affirmation Cross at Lutherlyn.  Photo by author.

I spent last week at Lutherlyn for confirmation camp. 

In our group of 35 campers, there was a young man by the name of Jarred, who had a severe cognitive impairment.  He was barely able to speak, and lacked the motor skills to participate in games.  He often made loud grunts and groans which were, at times, disruptive.  Most difficult of all, he was prone to suffering seizures.

So at some point in time, a decision was made as to whether or not to allow him to come to camp.  One could argue that it isn’t fair to the other campers to have their experience distracted or even disrupted by this camper and his condition.  You could even argue that confirmation camp isn’t suitable or appropriate for him, and suggest he go to camp elsewhere. 

Nonetheless, he came to camp.  And yes, he required a tremendous amount of personal attention from the counselors.  Sometimes, he was disruptive and bothered the other campers.  But it all worked out in the end.  Jarred had a great time—and the other campers were good to him.

In fact, I will say without question that his absence would’ve diminished the overall experience for everyone.  There’s a place for everyone in the Body of Christ.  If people excluded, particularly for circumstances beyond their control, how can it truly be Christ’s body?

This is where we see the big difference between the kingdom of this world versus the kingdom of God.  In the kingdom of this world, you’d do a cost-benefit analysis.  You’d weigh the pros and the cons—and if the scales tip towards the cons, you act accordingly.  You tell Jared he can’t come to camp. You measure every decision in the pursuit of desired outcomes—and let nothing get in the way.

So why welcome Jared to camp?  Why bother giving a cup of water to a little person?  Won’t they be thirsty again?  Don’t they need far more than a drink of water, anyway?  You might help this one person, but there’s a billion more you can’t do anything about!  So what difference can you make? And how are “little people” going to advance God’s kingdom, if they can’t read or write, or if they don’t have any money?  Don’t we need more big people, strong people, wise people, rich people?

Think back to vacation bible school…  We met a lot of great kids—and great families who thanked us profusely for our ministry.  But, there were a few children who got into a lot of mischief!  They tested our patience.  They wore us out.  They distracted the other children.  Some seemed bored out of their minds and completely uninterested.  I’m certain that some parents brought their children to VBS seeking nothing more than free babysitting—which none of us signed up to do!  Should these children be excluded?

It’s a completely different matter if you have a child (or an adult) who’s acting abusively towards other people.  Sometimes hard decisions must be made.  Sometimes, the loving thing to do is to exclude toxic people.  But there’s a difference between toxic people—and people who just make us uncomfortable.  People who test our patience.  People who challenge our ability to fulfill our mission by their showing up—like a crying baby at church.  Don’t all babies cry?  Even if you can’t hear the sermon or concentrate on the prayers, can some noise keep God away from you?  Could this not be a sign that God’s kingdom is drawing nearer?

God’s kingdom is the welcome extended to Jarred and his parents—and the patience and gentleness with which we lived in community with him.  Truth be told, his presence didn’t diminish everyone’s experience.  He enriched it.

The same can be said about the ornery preschoolers you chased around the church and the ones you comforted when they cried.  They brought out the Christ in everyone.  You turned “free babysitting” into family time with the living God.  You assured these children and their families how much they matter to God.  And together, we tasted heaven, if only for moment. 

As a disciple of Jesus, you can’t give people the world.  You can’t fix all their problems.  You can’t instantly convert the people you serve into active, contributing members of this church.  But in Christ, you can make a world of difference for people. 

When you make a place for Jared, you’re making a place for Jesus, too.  And you’re seeing God’s future dawning.  The more you do what Jesus does, the more you’ll see him.  And it only takes one little cup of water; some patience; some strength; some calm—all of which God will provide.