Jesus and the Cup of Cold Water


“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” (Matthew 10:40-42)

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says: “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.”

These are remarkable words. Jesus literally identifies himself with his disciples. To welcome one of Christ’s followers is to welcome Almighty God himself. They remind us that God is not distant from human suffering but is present among those who bear witness to his kingdom.

Jesus speaks these words as he sends his disciples into a world that will not always welcome them. Some will reject them, denigrate them, and even persecute them. Yet Jesus assures that those who receive them are receiving Christ himself.

This is a profound affirmation of dignity. In Palestine where many feel ignored by the international community, forgotten by powerful nations, or reduced to mere statistics, Jesus declares that those who belong to him are never invisible. Christ so identifies with his followers that by welcoming them we are literally welcoming him. 

This truth has both a comfort and a challenge.

Throughout the Gospel, Jesus identifies himself with those whom society overlooks. He was born under foreign military occupation. His family became refugees hiding in Egypt. He grew up among ordinary people far from the centres of power.

When Jesus says, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me,” he reveals a God who is found not primarily in palaces or military headquarters but in villages and towns struggling to exist; among families mourning loved ones; among those working for peace and justice; among those refusing to surrender their humanity, emigrate or deny their faith. The Gospel challenges the world to recognize Christ in those it is tempted to ignore, and Jesus uses the imagery of a cup of cold water to rebuke those indifferent to or responsible for human suffering.

“Whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones… will certainly not lose their reward.”

Giving someone a cup of cold water is a simple act but it can save a life. It does not solve every problem. It does not end wars or dismantle systems of injustice. Yet Jesus elevates such acts because they express and reveal the heart of God.

Palestinian society has long been known for hospitality. Even in difficult economic circumstances, guests are welcomed, meals are shared, and neighbours support one another. Jesus teaches that these ordinary acts of kindness are sacred. They are signs that God’s kingdom is already breaking into the world.

When resources are scarce, generosity becomes even more significant. 

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Challenging Christian Zionism

This webinar addresses how the US administration is embracing Christian Zionism and “end time” theology to justify unconditional support for Israel and unprovoked  war against Iran.

View my presentation on YouTube.

You can download an outline of my presentation here

See here for other translations and additional resources

The Deceptive Power of Dispensationalism and Christian Nationalism

The continuation of war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza and the West Bank, now spreading to Lebanon, Pete Hegseth’s transformation of Pentagon into a Holy War Department, and the White House becoming a war cheering prayer house – all of those are necessitating a thorough conversation on the issues of Christian Zionism, dispensationalism, Christian nationalism, antisemitism and bad theologies that inspire the escalation of growing chaos and confusion in the US and the Middle East.

For that purpose we have updated several recent interviews with Rev Dr Stephen Sizer and created four 30-minute features. In the part one we are setting a stage for better understanding of Christian Zionism today by asking questions such as: How did we get here? Is the modern-day State of Israel a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy?

Rev Stephen Sizer said: “Ironically, it was Christians who sponsored and facilitated Zionism. Christian Zionism is simply Christian support for Zionism, but it preceded Jewish Zionism by at least 50 years. And today, nine out of 10 Zionists in the world are Christians. So Zionism is predominantly a Christian heresy. It’s a bit like saying, I’m a Christian racist. You can be a Christian or a racist, but you can’t be both. You can be a Christian or a Zionist, but you can’t be a Christian Zionist because Zionism is synonymous with supremacism, racism, apartheid. And that’s only been achieved through the use of military force, by ethnic cleansing, by expelling people off their land, demolishing their homes, forcing them to live as a subjugated people in an apartheid state. That’s what Israel is today. So, it’s anathema from my perspective that Christians would even dream of supporting such a monstrous creation.”

Further information on the historical roots and theological basis and political agenda of Christian Zionism

How to deconstruct Christian Zionism simply and biblically

Three Faiths. One Stage. Countless Insights

“Three Faiths. One Stage. Countless Insights.” A once in a lifetime interfaith panel discussion and Q&A on Palestine. Chelmsford Multifaith Panel

Here is a summary of my presentation:

How do colonial narratives weaponize religion as a pretext for waging war and genocide?

Colonial narratives, especially European, have often used religion as moral cover to justify conquest, exploitation, and even genocide as righteous, necessary, or divinely sanctioned. This “weaponization” works through a few recurring patterns – and I am going to focus in particular on the way Christian Zionists have weaponised religion as a pretext for waging war and genocide.

1. Moral Legitimization of Violence

Colonizers invariably present war as a ‘holy duty’ rather than a political or economic project. By claiming divine approval, violence becomes framed as obedience to God rather than human greed or emnity.

At the first of what have become monthly Christian worship services at the US Department of Defence, the personal pastor of the US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, delivered a sermon at the Pentagon. Citing the words of Jesus from Matthew 10, Potteiger told the gathered leaders of the US military: “If our Lord is sovereign even over the sparrow’s fallings, you can be assured that he is sovereign over everything else that falls in this world, including Tomahawk and Minuteman missiles …“Jesus has the final say over all of it.”

Claiming to be a Christian, Hegseth has persisted in framing the war in Iran… as divinely sanctioned, repeatedly invoking “God’s almighty providence” and expressing certainty that God is on the side of the US military.[1]

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Easter Sunday: Christ is Risen! (John 20)

When you think of ‘membership’ what comes to mind? It probably depends on how exclusive or expensive the membership is, or how badly we want it. There are arts societies, sport associations, health clubs, university alumni and professional bodies. The list of ‘memberships’ is endless, and your wallet is probably full of plastic to prove it. Some memberships are open to anyone who can pay the fee while others are exclusive and by ‘invitation only’. For many people, their membership provides a rich social life in which friendships and common interests can be pursued and shared. What may surprise you, however, is to discover that ‘membership’ is a Christian word. It appears in the Bible to describe how we become members of God’s family.  The apostle Paul writes, 

“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (Romans 12:4-5)

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Why Good Friday? Because Jesus is our Passover Lamb

The Book of Isaiah, written around 700 years before the coming of Jesus Christ, is quoted more times in the New Testament than any other book of the Hebrew Scriptures. Why is that? 754 of Isaiah’s 1292 verses are predicting the future. That means 59% of Isaiah is prophecy.  Isaiah contains 11 direct prophecies concerning Jesus and it is cited or alluded to in at least 50 NT passages. Why? Why? Lets find out. With the eyes of faith we see Isaiah 53 so explicitly refers to the Lord Jesus it doesn’t need much by way of explanation. Indeed it became so obvious that Isaiah was referring to Jesus after he was crucified and rose again from the dead, that, as the Church separated from the Synagogue, Isaiah 53 was no longer read as part of the Jewish lectionary.  There are five paragraphs, each of three verses, and it begins in chapter 52:13. 

1. The Predicted Saviour: The Servant’s Role (52:13-15)
2. The Rejected Saviour: The Servant’s Life (53:1-3)
3. The Representative Saviour: The Servant’s Suffering (53:4-6)
4. The Crucified Saviour: The Servant’s Death (53:7-9)
5. The Glorious Saviour: The Servant’s Resurrection (53:10-12)

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Challenging the Heresy of Christian Zionism

This webinar will address how the US administration is embracing Christian Zionism and “end time” theology to justify unconditional support for Israel and unprovoked war against Iran.

Some Americans have referred to what it is doing in Iran as the US’s “Holy War”. Mike Huckebee, the US’s Ambassador to Israel, remarked in February that it would be fine if Israel took control of land that would include a huge swathe of the Middle East.

Such positions come from an interpretation of Bible verses identified as Christian Zionism. This theological and political belief system says that the modern State of Israel’s existence is a fulfilment of biblical prophecy and a necessary sign to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It combines strong support for Israel, particularly regarding control over Jerusalem and the West Bank, with an end-times world view.

During this hour-long webinar, Stephen Sizer will provide a summary about Christian Zionist beliefs. He will be followed by Michael Spath who will unpack how Christian Zionist theology as influenced US foreign policy and how US churches are responding to it.

Register for this webinar here

Peace and where to find it

Well here we are again. Another year gone. It hardly seems possible does it? Have you noticed how the pace of life seems to accelerate as we grow older? True, people seem to live life at a much faster pace these days more than ever before.

And it is infectious isn’t it? Think about it; how did Kwik-Fit get to be the world’s leading tyre, exhaust and brake specialist?  By promising to fit quickly.  How did Proctor and Gamble become the number one seller of shampoo? One reason – by putting shampoo and conditioner in the same bottle.  Remember all those years when you had to shampoo and then rinse, then condition and rinse. Now it’s just all in one bottle. “Wash and go” is their slogan. Number one.

And if you are old enough to remember, it was 1974 when a new kind of restaurant became very popular in the UK. For the first time in human history a restaurant sold food not on the basis of its quality, nor even on the basis even of its price, but on the speed of service. And we coined a phrase for those kinds of restaurants. We called them “fast food.” Fast food. Not good food, not even cheap food.  Just fast.  But even with fast food restaurants, you still had to park the car and get out and walk all the way inside and order the food and sit down and eat it. And all of that took time. So we invented drive-through lanes, so that families could eat in cars as God intended us to. And the beautiful thing about this is that if you haven’t got time to stop at a fast food restaurant, the children can just scrounge around in the cracks underneath the seats for cold potato chips and lost gummy bears. Continue reading →

An Unexpected Journey this Christmas

“Far over the misty mountains cold.
To dungeons deep and caverns old.
We must ere break of day.
To seek the pale enchanted gold.”

Is that a line from

A. Nativity 2?
B. James Bond?
C. Life of Pi?

The correct answer is
D. The Hobbit.

J.R.R. Tolkein’s fantasy takes place in “Middle-earth.” Middle Earth is not some never-never land. It is simply an adaptation of the Old English Middle–erthe from Middan-geard which is the name inhabited lands “between the seas.” Which means, in some profound sense Tolkien’s intended his fantasy world to be a mirror, or reflection of our own. So what has a fairy story about elves and dwarves got to do with Christmas? Lets try and find an answer through three riddles.

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