Ioan Leonte, group 2

The Disciples Discourse 2: Matthew 10:37-11:1

Sources, Redaction and Intertextuality

NKJ
Matthew 10:37 "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he
who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38
"And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
39
"He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
40
" He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
41
"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.
42
"And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple,
assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."
11:1
Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He
departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.
BGT
Matthew 10:37~O filw/n pate,ra h' mhte,ra u`pe.r evme. ouvk e;stin mou a;xioj( kai. o` filw/n
ui`o.n h' qugate,ra u`pe.r evme. ouvk e;stin mou a;xioj\
38
kai. o]j ouv lamba,nei to.n stauro.n auvtou/ kai. avkolouqei/ ovpi,sw mou( ouvk e;stin mou
a;xiojÅ
39
o` eu`rw.n th.n yuch.n auvtou/ avpole,sei auvth,n( kai. o` avpole,saj th.n yuch.n auvtou/
e[neken evmou/ eu`rh,sei auvth,nÅ
40
~O deco,menoj u`ma/j evme. de,cetai( kai. o` evme. deco,menoj de,cetai to.n avpostei,lanta,
meÅ
41
o` deco,menoj profh,thn eivj o;noma profh,tou misqo.n profh,tou lh,myetai( kai. o`
deco,menoj di,kaion eivj o;noma dikai,ou misqo.n dikai,ou lh,myetaiÅ
42
kai. o]j a'n poti,sh| e[na tw/n mikrw/n tou,twn poth,rion yucrou/ mo,non eivj o;noma
maqhtou/( avmh.n le,gw u`mi/n( ouv mh. avpole,sh| to.n misqo.n auvtou/Å
11:1
Kai. evge,neto o[te evte,lesen o` VIhsou/j diata,sswn toi/j dw,deka maqhtai/j auvtou/( mete,bh
evkei/qen tou/ dida,skein kai. khru,ssein evn tai/j po,lesin auvtw/nÅ

What does Jesus means by being “mou axios” meaning “worthy of Me”? What is the difference
between worthy and unworthy?

We have received all that we have as a gift. Even our life is a gift from God. But every gift is
given because it is needed. And receiving something we need is being called for something
greater. So not receiving the gift means that you don’t need it for your growth, and
furthermore such a gift it will be damaging to you. Therefore the gift of living in Paradise was
taken from Adam and Eve because it was harmful for them, because the Paradise included the
Tree of the Life which made also the evil eternal, which was not the plan of God. Rather, as
Saint John Chrysostom writes, the expelling form Paradise was a sign of great mercy for the first
people1. In the same way prevention of the grace of God is a sign of mercy for those who don’t
1
Sfantul Ioan Gura de Aur, Comentariu la Facere, Ed. IBMBOR, Bucuresti, pp. 210-213
receive his gifts, and don’t respect His covenant made with them, the covenant in which God
bring the eternal joy, and they shall do some things.
So if you are worthy of God means that you need God because you are agree with the covenant
made by Him with you and act accordingly.

What does Jesus meant by taking one’s cross, since He was not crucified yet and since the cross
was an object of reproof?

Jesus, by these words, meant that one should expect to die every day because when somebody
was taking his cross, in that very day, or in the best case, in the following two or three days he
was supposed to die. But, as Saint John Chrysostom notes, this meaning was still hidden to the
disciples and to all the listeners because they would be frightened and, so He had to be the first
example of actually taking the Cross and die and rise from the dead, and to promise the same
reward to those who follow Him, namely the resurrection from the dead for life everlasting 2.

2
Sfantul Ioan Gura de Aur, Comentariu la Matei, Ed. IBMBOR, Bucuresti, 1994, pp. 434