Mark 9:41 — Community Reflections

MARK 9:41 — KING JAMES VERSION 0

“For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.”

Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward — the cup of water is the minimum act of hospitality — the cheapest, easiest, most ordinary act of service. Even this minimum act, done in Jesus' name, will not lose its reward. The principle of reward-for-smallest-service is the positive form of the servant-of-all teaching: every act of service, however small, in the kingdom's name has eternal weight.

Church Fathers on Mark 9:41

John, loving the Lord with eminent devotion, thought that He who performed an office to which He had no right was to be excluded from the benefit of it.
Bede · 8th century

Or again, some unbelievers, seeing that the name of Jesus was full of virtue, themselves used it, and performed signs, though they were unworthy of Divine grace; for the Lord wished to extend His name even by the unworthy.
Theophylact · 11th century

We must take care that this saying of the Lord appear not to be contrary to that where He says, 'He who is not with Me is against Me.' [Luke 11:23] Or will any one say that the difference lies in that here He says to His disciples, 'For he that is not against you is on your part,' but in the other He speaks of Himself, 'He who is not with Me is against Me?' As if indeed it were possible [ed. note: St. Augustine has here quasi vero, instead of quasi non, which hardly makes…
Augustine · 4th century · de Con. Evan., 4, 5

Read all 9 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain

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