In Matthew chapter 10, the apostle compiles and summarizes Jesus’ teaching from various discourses on missions. After initially outlining the source, staff and specifics of the mission of the twelve apostles, Matthew goes on to outline the peculiar dangers that they, and subsequent generations of disciples, would suffer as a result of preaching Christ (what we call evangelism).
The chapter concludes with a declaration of the rewards that would be distributed to those involved in various capacities in the mission. Just as the entire discourse moves from the twelve apostles to all believers at large, so does its conclusion. Jesus moves from describing the rewards for “prophets,” to “righteous persons,” to the “little ones” (10:41-42). It is not His intention to present these three groups as mutually exclusive classes, but rather to show that all kinds of people are necessary and vital in support of the mission. Those who actually go and preach the Gospel, those who pray for those who go, and even those who support the mission in the smallest of ways (whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water) are all going to be appropriately rewarded.
