Bringing the Text to Life
A Cup of Cool Water Matthew 10:40-42
If we're going to offer someone a cup of water, we should make it something special.
At a Glance
We Westerners don't really care for tepid water. If a waiter brought us a glass of warm water, we'd probably ask him to take it back and replace it with cold water. In today's text, even Jesus stresses the importance of cold water. He doesn't talk about giving a cup of water to the "little ones." He says these "little ones" must be given cold water. What's going on here?
Editors' Pick
For material based on today's Old Testament text, see "Lucky Abraham," June 26, 2011, at HomileticsOnline.com.
"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"
(Matthew 10:42).
A cup of cold water — such as many of us have sitting beside our pulpits when we preach — seems like such a little thing. But it's not.
The little word "cold" used in this passage is psuchros in the Greek. Jesus didn't have to add that word. He could just as easily have said "a cup of water." But he specified cold...