Day 4 (Wednesday) – “Sent to Receive”
*Matthew 26:6-13
Throughout this week we have been exploring our mission as disciples of Christ. We have learned that as followers of Christ we are to carry on the mission of Christ. We have learned that as people on the mission of Jesus we are sent to bring good news to the brokenhearted, offer our bounty to the poor, and advocate for justice. In short, we are sent to be emissaries of hope. But, if we’re not careful, our mission can end up sounding something like this: give of yourself, give of your time, give of our possessions, give of your energy, and then give some more. “Give, give, give” can easily become the mantra for Christian mission.
No doubt, giving is a key component of being sent in the name of God. We are called to give. Jesus gave of himself to such an extent that he offered his body unto death for the sake of the world. But Jesus was sent to be more than a sacrificial giver. Jesus was sent to receive. Jesus was sent to honor the sacrificial giving of others.
The story in Matthew 26 of the woman with the alabaster jar beautifully illustrates Jesus’ commitment to receive. Jesus was reclining at a friend’s dinner table, surrounded by his disciples, when a woman approached with an alabaster jar filled to the brim with expensive perfume. In an attempt to honor Jesus, this woman poured the perfume on Jesus’ head, emptying the bottle. Aghast that such an expensive luxury would be used for what appeared to be frivolity, the disciples grumbled amongst themselves that the perfume should have been sold to raise money for the poor. They were consumed with the “give” mentality of missions. Jesus was supposed to give, give, give – they thought –not receive! Yet Jesus would not allow the precious gift of the woman to be overlooked. “She has performed a good service for me,” he tells his disciples. She had given of herself to Jesus, she had poured out her love and commitment to Jesus so beautifully that her act was truly a gift to be cherished. And Jesus was determined to receive the goodness that she offered him. Jesus was determined to remind his followers that receiving the gifts of others is just as important as giving.
Like the disciples, we are often more comfortable being the giver than we are being the receiver. We find it easier to pour ourselves out for others than to allow others to pour themselves out for us. We must remember that “give, give, give” is not our mission mantra. If we only give, give, give, how are our brothers and sisters in Christ supposed to give? If we’re doing all the giving, how are others supposed to fulfill their Christian mission to give? When we go into mission work with the only intention of giving, we go with an attitude of pride. We assume that we are superior, the only ones with gifts good enough to be given. We rob our brothers and sisters in Christ of the chance to fulfill their Christian mission.
Many of us go out into the world ready to give, give, give, but rarely are we ready to receive the good gifts of others. Rarely are we ready to celebrate the God-given offerings of others. Rarely are we ready to acknowledge ourselves as the needy ones. As persons sent on the mission of Christ, we are called to be receivers. Like Jesus, we are sent to receive. We are called to humbly hold our hands out to others, honoring them by letting them give, give, give to us. So let us remember that we are sent as givers and receivers: we are sent as givers who desperately need our neighbors’ gifts of love.
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