In verses 37 through 39 we have the way to follow the heavenly King. In verse 37 the Lord said, “He who loves father or mother above Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter above Me is not worthy of Me.” Our love must be absolute for the Lord. In our love nothing should be above Him. He is the One absolutely worthy of our love, and we must be worthy of Him.
Verse 38 continues, “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” Christ was crucified by taking the Father’s will (26:39, 42). When He was baptized, He was counted as crucified, and from that time He bore His cross to do the will of God. His called ones were identified with Him. He asked them to take their cross and follow after Him, that is, to take the will of God by putting themselves aside. This demanded that they, at any cost, give their love first to Him that they might be worthy of Him.
Verse 39 says, “He who finds his soul-life shall lose it, and he who loses his soul-life for My sake shall find it.” To find the soul-life is to allow the soul to have its enjoyment and not to suffer. To lose the soul-life is to cause the soul to suffer the loss of its enjoyment. If the heavenly King’s followers allow their soul to have its enjoyment in this age, they will cause their soul to suffer the loss of its enjoyment in the coming kingdom age. If they allow their soul to suffer the loss of its enjoyment in this age for the King’s sake, they will cause their soul to have its enjoyment in the coming kingdom age, that is, to share the King’s joy in ruling over the earth (25:21, 23).
In 10:40—11:1 we have the matter of identification with the heavenly King. Verse 40 says, “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him Who sent Me.” The apostles sent by the heavenly King, having been entrusted with His authority (v. 1) and peace (v. 13) and having been indwelt by the Spirit of the Father (v. 20) and identified with the King in His suffering (vv. 22, 24-25) and death (vv. 21, 34-39), were one with Him. Thus, he who receives them receives Him. To participate in such an identification with the heavenly King requires us to love Him above all, at any cost, and to follow Him by taking the narrow way of the cross, as revealed in verses 37 through 39. Not only do the sent ones have the King’s authority and peace and the Spirit of the Father, but they are also one with the King and are identified with Him. To receive the King’s sent ones means to receive the King Himself, because the sent ones are identified with the King. This is an encouragement to those who are sent. In the Lord’s recovery we have the authority, the peace, the Spirit, and the identification with our King. We are one with Him. Whoever receives us receives the King, and whoever rejects us rejects the King. This is not an insignificant matter. It is very serious. We all need to have the assurance that we have the authority, the peace, the Spirit, and the identification. All this is for the spreading of the King’s ministry. The King is still spreading His ministry today, and we are His sent ones with the authority, the peace, the Spirit, and the identification.
Verse 41 says, “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.” A prophet is one who speaks for God and speaks forth God. A righteous man is one who seeks after righteousness, who does righteousness, and who is persecuted for righteousness for the kingdom (5:6, 10, 20; 6:1). The heavenly King was such a Prophet sent by God (Deut. 18:15) and such a righteous man (Acts 3:14). His apostles sent by Him, having been identified with Him, were also such prophets and righteous men. Hence, whoever receives them shall receive a reward. One who receives a prophet is joined to the prophet’s word, and one who receives a righteous man is joined to the righteousness of the righteous man. Thus, such a one shall receive a reward as the prophet and as the righteous man.
The King’s sent ones go out as prophets and as righteous men. The prophet always comes with the word of God, and the righteous man always comes with righteousness. If you receive the prophet, you will receive the word of God; and if you receive the righteous man, you will receive his righteousness. How good it is to have the word of God and righteousness! This will help us to be ushered into both the reality of the kingdom today and also the manifestation of the kingdom in the future.
Verse 42 says, “And whoever gives to one of these little ones only a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.” This reward will be given in the coming age (Luke 14:14).
Matthew 11:1 says, “And it came to pass when Jesus had finished instructing His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.” After the Lord appointed the twelve and sent them to spread the preaching of the kingdom, He Himself went on in His ministry to teach and preach in the cities.