On Rewards
@jessbaileydesigns
Unsplash
I was just writing a study on Matthew 10:32-42. I came across verses 41-42, which talk about receiving rewards.
41 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. 42 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.
That raised for me the age-old question. What is the reward? Here are a few quick thoughts. Certainly not comprehensive, but hopefully helpful.
In Matthew
Matthew’s Gospel uses the word “reward” (Greek: misthos) more than any other Gospel. Here are some key passages:
1. Matthew 5:11-12
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
In the Beatitudes, reward is linked to suffering for righteousness. The reward is “in heaven”, pointing to eternal life or future glory.
2. Matthew 6:1 (see verses 2, 5 and 16 as well)
Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Hypocrites seek praise from man. Whatever the reward is, it’s the opposite of this, which makes it seem like the reward involves God’s approval and commendation.
3. Matthew 25:20-21
20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ 21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
The Parable of the Talents shows differing rewards based on faithfulness. It’s not entirely clear to what extent we’re meant to see this as a parallel to the eternal reward, but this passage could mean the rewards are proportionate to one’s faithfulness. If the reward involves commendation from God for what we’ve done, this would make sense. But another interesting nuance—the reward here seems to involve sharing in the master’s happiness. That sounds pretty good.
4. Matthew 10:41-42
Finally, and out of order, we have the passage that got me thinking in the first place. Here we read that God remembers and rewards small acts, even a small cup of water. In this case, the reward is given not just for ministry, but for supporting ministry.
In The Rest of The Bible
1. Genesis 15:1
Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.
Here, God himself is the reward for Abram.
2. 1 Corinthians 3:14-15
14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
Here, the reward is whatever survives the flames, presumably making it through to the new creation. The most obvious thing we do or “build” now that will make it through to the new creation involves sharing the gospel with people who are then subsequently saved (by grace) and make it through to the new creation.
3. Crown Passages
Then there are passages that speak of a “Crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:8), “Crown of life (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10) and “Crown of glory” (1 Peter 5:4) that awaits believers at the end of the age. So, there is a reward of a crown, and this is tied to possessing righteousness (no doubt, transferred to us from Jesus), life (eternal life with Jesus), and glory (we get to see the glory God gave Jesus before time began, as in John 17).
Summary
So, what’s the reward?
Well, it’s “in heaven”, involves commendation from God, it involves sharing in the Master’s happiness, it involves the fruit of ministry (the building that lasts) and support of ministry (the cup for the prophet), it can be God himself, and it involves the crown he gives, which is associated with ideas of righteousness, life and glory.
All of this stuff is true. But at the end of the day, we have to remember that, ultimately, and of greater importance, salvation is by grace through faith.
@edgardo1987
Unsplash
Disclaimer: I used Grammarly and ChatGPT to help catch my typos. Let me know if they missed any!
