Whoever receives you receives Me, and the One who sent Me

At the very climax of the Discourse, Jesus makes a promise. Those who receive the Christian missionaries - designated as "prophet", "righteous man", "little ones" and "disciple" - will be rewarded.

Why will they be rewarded? That is because by receiving the disciples of Jesus they will receive Jesus Himself and God the Father: "Whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives the One who sent Me." The disciples, Jesus and God the Father are thus identified. A disciple is a Vicar of Christ and God. He becomes, in some sense, God incarnate and Jesus enfleshed to the people.

How does a Christian missionary become God incarnate and Jesus enfleshed to the people? He is a prophet - someone who proclaims the Gospel on behalf of Jesus; he goes from door to door and announces, "the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand". He is a righteous man - someone who is right in the eyes of God. He is one of these little ones - someone who remains small,  humble and insignificant. He is a disciple - someone who follows Jesus' instructions in the Missionary Discourse in particular. Thus the Christian missionary who acts as a prophet, righteous man, little one and disciple makes the presence of God and Jesus felt by the people whom he goes. People receive him; they are rewarded in return.

People will be rewarded, just as in the days of prophet Elisha. The prophet was sojourning in Shunem. A woman of influence in the city received him - she "urged him to dine with her", she welcomed him and gave food whenever he passed that way; she arranged a room with furniture for him to stay; thus, she lavished care on him. In return, he promised her, "This time next year you will be fondling a baby son." She gave a birth to a son! The story does not end there. One day the lad fell ill and died in the lap of her mother. But Elisha resuscitated him. The woman, who received "the man of God", was thus rewarded.

Who rewards those who receive the Christian missionaries? Did the Roman Empire reward the original Christian Missionaries? It rather martyred them! Let us turn to Saints Peter & Paul. For almost 20 years St. Peter found hospitality in many homes in Rome. Let us visit them again: The church of Santa Pudentiana was built on the ancient house, owned by the Patrician Pudens, a Roman Senator and the father of Santa Pudentiana. The family had provided hospitality to Peter. Later his two daughters, Saints Praxedes and Pudentiana were martyred! The church of Santa Prisca rising on the Aventine Hill and dating from antiquity was built above the former house of the matron Priscilla and her husband Aquilla who welcomed Peter. This house, cited in the Letters of Paul, was known for. having given hospitality to Peter. The remains of a Roman house are still visible. He had baptized a lot of people in a concave capital, which is conserved inside the right nave of the Church. The church was dedicated to Santa Prisca, the 13 year old girl of Priscilla and Aquilla, decapitated by Claudio! Her relics are kept in a crypt.
The church of San Paolino alla Regola is built over the house in which St. Paul stayed. It was there that he was arrested. What befell the householders is part of history!

Thus at a time, when Christianity was officially decreed baned, Rome rewarded death to those who house the Christian disciples. But those valiant men and women, young and old, of Rome did not wait for human approval or disapproval. Neither cross nor shackles could after their welcoming the disciples of Jesus. They feared only God: "and do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the One, who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna". They, including Saints Praxedes, Pudentiana and Prisca, were rewarded by God!