The Meaning of Matthew 10:40 Explained

Matthew 10:40

KJV: He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

YLT: 'He who is receiving you doth receive me, and he who is receiving me doth receive Him who sent me,

Darby: He that receives you receives me, and he that receives me receives him that sent me.

ASV: He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

What is the context of Matthew 10:40?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

He that receiveth  you  receiveth  me,  and  he that receiveth  me  receiveth  him that sent  me. 

What does Matthew 10:40 Mean?

Verse Meaning

By receiving His disciples those to whom the disciples would go would show that they welcomed Jesus. Because they received Jesus they would also receive God. How a person receives an agent shows his attitude toward the one who sent him and toward all that one represents.

Context Summary

Matthew 10:34-42 - Receiving Christ's Representatives
In Jesus Christ we acquire a new affinity, stronger than that of family ties. When we enter into the family of God we belong to all His children. They are our brethren and sisters in the most intimate sense. See Matthew 12:48-50. The new love that floods our nature does not make us less but more tender and sympathetic toward our own kith and kin; but if we are compelled to choose, then we must stand with the children of God, though it should rend us from the old happy family life in which we were nurtured.
As to the closing paragraph, may we not illustrate it thus? When the widow who sustained Elijah at Zarephath entered Paradise, she found herself standing amid the great prophets of Israel. When she asked the attendant angel whether there was not some mistake, he replied, "Certainly not. In treating the prophet as you did, you proved yourself to be of the same spirit and temper as he; and it is but right that you should share in the prophet's reward."
For Review Questions, see the e-Sword Book Comments. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 10

1  Jesus sends out his apostles, enabling them with power to do miracles;
5  giving them their charge, teaches them;
16  comforts them against persecutions;
40  and promises a blessing to those who receive them

What do the individual words in Matthew 10:40 mean?

The [One] receiving you Me receives and the [One] having sent Me
δεχόμενος ὑμᾶς ἐμὲ δέχεται καὶ τὸν ἀποστείλαντά με

  The  [One] 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
δεχόμενος  receiving 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Middle or Passive, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: δέχομαι  
Sense: to take with the hand.
ἐμὲ  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
δέχεται  receives 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: δέχομαι  
Sense: to take with the hand.
τὸν  the  [One] 
Parse: Article, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἀποστείλαντά  having  sent 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: ἀποστέλλω 
Sense: to order (one) to go to a place appointed.
με  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.