Gospel in Art: If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water...

Glass cantharus (drinking cup), Roman, Early Imperial, Claudian or Flavian, 40-80 AD, © The Metropolitan Museum, New York

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 2 July 2023
Matthew 10:37-42

Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: 'Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.

'Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me; and those who welcome me welcome the one who sent me.

'Anyone who welcomes a prophet will have a prophet's reward; and anyone who welcomes a holy man will have a holy man's reward.

'If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.'

Reflection on the glass cup

Jesus tells us in today's reading, 'If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.' Jesus talks in paradoxes today: that we find ourselves by giving ourselves away.

In the gospel reading Jesus speaks of the value of giving a cup of cold water to one of his disciples. Giving a cup of cold water to someone who needs it is not going to make headlines. Most likely, only the giver and the receiver will be aware of it. Yet, Jesus holds up this small act of kindness as having tremendous value. Even the simplest acts in which we lose ourselves for others have eternal significance.

The cobalt blue glass cup we are looking at was made in Rome circa 40-80 AD. This is an early type of glass which would have graced the table of a wealthy Roman family. Because of the fragility of the glass few good examples have survived, and most examples of cups which existed around the time of Jesus were of bronze, silver or other metals.

In fact it is during the 1st century AD that a major new technique in glass production had been introduced: glassblowing. Before that, various more time-consuming techniques were used, by such means as using a mould made of stone or clay or casting glass. Now glassblowing, as used in our cobalt blue glass cup, allowed glass workers to produce vessels with considerably thinner walls, decreasing the amount of glass needed for each vessel and thus reducing production costs. Glass blowing was also considerably quicker than other techniques, and vessels required considerably less finishing, representing a further saving in time, raw material and equipment.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-10-37-42-2023/