Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. The identification of the disciples with Jesus and Jesus with the Father creates a chain of reception: receiving a disciple is receiving Jesus; receiving Jesus is receiving the Father who sent him. John 13:20 records the same chain: whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. The implication for the communities that receive or reject the disciples is enormous: their response to a wandering apostle is their response to the Son of God and the God of Israel. The disciples' vulnerability and apparent insignificance mask the weight of who they represent.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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