Matthew 10:40 – 42

40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.

41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.

42 And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

Jesus mentions several times in the Gospel letters He and God the Father are united in belief and in solidarity with the Gospel of the plan of salvation. This verse shows the support and of the apostles who have been chosen to spread the Gospel. Anyone who accepts the teaching of the Gospel, accepts Jesus as the Son of God and thus accepts the will of God the Father.

Under the New Covenant the apostles were classified as prophets, to receive him in the name of the prophet means to accept him as a prophet or apostle of Jesus, the Lord, the Christ, the Messiah.

A prophet's reward is any such benefit as an apostle can bestow on one who accepts him as a prophet of Jesus. We know the apostles could heal, raise the dead, cast out demons, and after the day of Pentecost they could lay hands on believers and bestow the “gifts of the Holy Spirit” to the believers.

A righteous man's reward is what ever that person can spiritually bestow on a believer of Christ, to edify, to have care and concern for a brother in Christ, to pray for someone, to help them along the path of Salvation.

These “little ones” are the same believers referred to in the earlier paragraphs of this chapter. Kindness shown to any new believer or anyone in Jesus name is the same as doing a kindness to Jesus, it is the same lesson as Jesus taught in (Matthew 25:40)

This passage teaches us whoever accepts an apostle as a preacher of the gospel(true doctrine, not false doctrine), accepts Jesus and His Father as their Savior and God.