“As you go, proclaim the good news: ‘the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.”
- Matthew 10:7-8
When you do a good deed, you have certain expectations of the recipient of your kindness. If you mow an elderly neighbor’s lawn, you expect that she will check to see if you’d like a glass of water at some point. If you give a friend a birthday present, you expect that he will reciprocate when your birthday rolls around. If you drop off a box of clothes at Goodwill or the Salvation Army, you expect a receipt so you can write it off when you do your taxes.
None of these expectations are out of line and none of them make your good deeds any less generous. They simply expose these acts of charity as being conditional—I do this for you, and in return you do this for me. Even if the return for your kindness is nothing more than a thank you, you want some kind of response from the person you have helped, some kind of confirmation that your work has been noticed and appreciated.
But when it comes to spreading the Gospel, things are supposed to work differently. When Jesus sent out the twelve disciples to proclaim the good news that the kingdom of God was near, empowering them with the Holy Spirit, he did so with a reminder: “you received without payment; give without payment.” On this mission, they were expected to give freely and without regard for what they would receive in return.
We are quick to acknowledge the unconditional nature of God’s love. He sent Christ to die for us while we were still sinners, and the salvation the cross provides is unearned and undeserved. The Holy Spirit that guides, comforts, and encourages us today was given by God just as freely. These are theological truths we embrace, and they show the love and grace of God to be unrestricted and unconditional—He loves us regardless of our response to Him.
What we are slower to remember is that life in the Spirit means loving others with that same kind of grace. It means that acts of compassion are not done with any expectation that you will receive something in return—not money, not applause, not even appreciation. We love not because it makes us look good or feel better about ourselves, but because Christ first loved us. You received without payment; give without payment.
As you think about how you share God’s love, think also about what motivates you to do so. When your kindness goes unanswered, are you resentful of the response or are you driven by grace to love even more? May your compassion be based not on the shifting sand of human reaction, but on the solid rock of God’s grace.
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