Whoever receives a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.
In this saying Jesus reveals the spiritual value of receiving those who convey God’s message—prophets or righteous people—showing that to receive persons sent by God means also to receive their ministry and mission. To receive someone “as a prophet” or “as a righteous person” emphasizes not personal liking, but a conscious attitude toward God’s work through that person. Therefore, the one who receives becomes a participant in the fruit of that ministry and is counted worthy of the same reward, not according to the measure of the work, but according to the posture of the heart. This saying confirms that, in the kingdom of God, support for God’s work offered in faith has real and eternal value.