Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Today in our Gospel lesson, Jesus once again says things that are confusing and difficult to understand:
“The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward” (Matt. 10:41-42, ESV).[1]
This talk of rewards is quite disconcerting, especially to Lutherans who are especially emphatic that we are saved by grace alone—apart from works of the Law. We are not saved by our good works. Good works cannot save us because they’re never good enough, nor are there enough of them, to earn God’s favor. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone—the great solas of the Reformation. Grace is a gift. You cannot earn it, win it, buy it, or steal it. You can only receive it.
So why does Jesus speak at all of reward? And what is a “prophet’s reward” anyway? Who are “these little ones,” and why does an act so simple and seemingly insignificant, such as giving someone a cup of cold water, deserve mention?
First of all, let’s understand the idea behind the term “reward” here. The Greek word (misthos) usually refers to wages—that is, the reward for your work. For example, this is the word used for the wages paid to the workers in Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matt. 20:8; cp. Jas. 5:4). Other related Greek words are the terms for “hired men,” or day laborers, and the verb for “hiring” someone for a job. The word “reward” really has to do with getting paid for your work.
So “a prophet’s reward” and “a righteous person’s reward” is what God will give them for their good works. In other words, God rewards good works. It is true that our good works are not “necessary” for salvation (Formula of Concord), but they are necessary as the fruit of faith. Good works give evidence to our faith. Martin Luther famously declared, “God does not need my good works, but my neighbor does.”
And, in fact, the Bible is quite clear that our good deeds will be rewarded on Judgment Day. Consider this verse from Revelation 14: “And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Blessed indeed,’ says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!’” (Rev. 14:13). Our deeds follow us into heaven! Our good works don’t get us into heaven, but they do get into heaven. This is why Lutheran theologians will sometimes talk about degrees of glory in heaven.[2] In the resurrection, some saints will shine brighter than others. The thief on the cross certainly died without a chance to do a lot of good works, but he died with faith in Christ, which is enough for salvation, so Jesus promised him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).
In heaven there will be different degrees of glory, but not different degrees of bliss. Without a hint of jealousy, we will all rejoice over the rich rewards given to our fellow saints. Some will shine brighter than others. Some will stand closer to the Lamb upon the throne than others who are toward the back of the room. But it won’t matter which seat you have. All that will matter is that you are there—with Jesus forever. So we must take care not that the mention of reward doesn’t turn our good works into a game of comparison with our neighbors. It’s not a contest. Heaven is a gift, not a prize. The ultimate reward for the Christian is not to shine with more glory than any other, but to behold the glory of Jesus Christ. Jesus is more than enough.
Even so, the greatest reward that a prophet or a righteous person can receive is not greater glory than others, but rather to see our efforts to share the Gospel bear fruit in the lives of other people. Where does a pastor get his joy in ministry? Not from thank you notes or Christmas bonuses, although those are much appreciated, of course. No, a pastor gets his joy in ministry when he is privileged to baptize a baby or welcome back a wayward sheep to Christ. Jesus says, “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7).
Heaven rejoices when sinners repent and are saved. Heaven’s joy is my joy too: the greatest reward in ministry is to witness the conversion of slaves to sons, sinners to saints, the dead to the living. The pastor’s desire is to win the sinner’s heart for Jesus. That is reward enough.
Yet Jesus also promises a reward to those who welcome his servants, his messengers, his prophets—his pastors. Those who receive God’s servants and support their ministry share in the reward. Our whole congregation rejoices when a sinner is saved. That’s what it means to be part of the Body of Christ: “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Cor. 12:26). So the apostle Paul thanks fellow Christians who support his ministry with their offerings and prayers: “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (Phil. 1:3-5). The Philippians supported Paul’s missionary work with their generosity, not just their prayers. In the Church there are those who preach, those who pray, and those who give—yet all will receive a prophet’s reward (Matt. 10:41).
Whoever gives a cup of cold water to a disciple of Jesus’ because he is a disciple will not lose their reward (Matt. 10:42). (Aside: Perhaps even a hot cup of coffee will do the trick as well.) All jokes aside, there is a clear verbal connection between this saying of Jesus and his parable of the Sheep and the Goats in Matthew 25: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me…. Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers [and sisters], you did to me” (Matt. 25:35, 40).
Whenever we serve fellow Christians, in general, and servants of the kingdom, in particular, we serve Christ. When we feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, and welcome the stranger, we feed Christ, we quench the thirst of Christ, and we welcome Christ. “You did it to me,” Jesus says (25:40). “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me” (10:40).
What is the reward for welcoming and receiving Christ? Salvation! How can this be? We are not saved by works. No, we are not. But receiving is a passive event, not an active one. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). We receive Christ by faith. This is the passive righteousness by which we are justified and declared right with God. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). We receive Christ when we believe his Word—when we welcome his message and messengers. Through the Word and Sacraments, Christ comes to us, and we receive him through our ear and our mouth: in water and the Word, and in bread and wine.
So what is a prophet’s reward? Jesus Christ. And what is a righteous person’s reward? That he or she is no longer a slave to sin. And why does someone receive an eternal reward just for giving a cup of cold water to one of Jesus’ messengers? Because any act of love, no matter how small, is an act in support of getting out the Good News. Those who serve the ones who serve are serving Christ and his mission. Even a cup of cold water or a word of encouragement to a pastor or fellow Christian leads to the conversion of the nations for Christ. And that is reward enough. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of T the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[1] All Scripture references, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version.
[2] See Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, vol. 3 (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953), 59.