He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
Jesus had just sent out 72 of his followers — not only his closest 12 disciples — ahead of him into towns and villages to announce his coming. In this verse, he tells them something remarkable before they go: the way someone responds to them is the same as the way they respond to Jesus himself. And rejecting Jesus is, in turn, rejecting God the Father who sent him. Jesus is establishing a chain of divine authority: his messengers carry his presence, and his presence carries the Father's. It's a statement about identity, trust, and the weight of being sent.
Lord, it's hard to believe you'd trust ordinary people like us to carry your presence into the world. Give us courage to speak and live in ways that genuinely reflect you — not with performance, but with honesty and love. When people encounter us, may they catch a glimpse of you. Amen.
What would it change if you knew that every time you shared something about God with a friend — fumbling over your words, unsure if you're saying it right — you were actually carrying Jesus himself into the room? The 72 weren't trained theologians. They were ordinary people handed a message and a direction. And Jesus said: my authority travels with you. That's both a heavy thing and a freeing one. The pressure isn't on you to perform perfectly. But it does mean something about how you show up — in the conversation, in the listening, in the care you bring. You represent something larger than yourself every time you speak honestly about your faith or simply treat someone with unusual kindness. Who in your life might be encountering Jesus through you right now — without either of you fully realizing it?
Why do you think Jesus connects listening to his messengers with listening to him — what does that reveal about how he views human beings representing divine truth?
Have you ever felt like you were carrying a message from God to someone? What was that experience like, and how did it turn out?
This verse has sometimes been misused to claim that any religious leader automatically speaks for God. How do you discern whether someone genuinely represents Jesus or is abusing that claim?
How does the idea that others may encounter Jesus through you change the way you treat people in ordinary, everyday interactions — at work, at home, in line at the store?
Is there someone in your life you've been hesitant to share your faith with? What would it look like to simply show up for them this week — not with a sermon, but with presence?
For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
John 5:22
Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.
Jeremiah 15:19
A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?
Malachi 1:6
He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
John 12:48
He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 4:8
The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
Deuteronomy 18:15
He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
Matthew 10:40
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:20
"The one who listens to you listens to Me; and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and the one who rejects Me rejects Him [My heavenly Father] who sent Me."
AMP
“The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
ESV
'The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.'
NASB
“He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
NIV
He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”
NKJV
Then he said to the disciples, “Anyone who accepts your message is also accepting me. And anyone who rejects you is rejecting me. And anyone who rejects me is rejecting God, who sent me.”
NLT
"The one who listens to you, listens to me. The one who rejects you, rejects me. And rejecting me is the same as rejecting God, who sent me."
MSG