The "Reward" of Heaven

"Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for this is how they persecuted the prophets who came before you."

The word that is translated here as "reward" is misthos, which primarily means wages paid for work. It is the same word used in translating "wages of sin." And again, remember that the term used for "heaven" doesn't mean just the afterlife. It means the heaven, that is, the entire universe, the domain of God. So the phrase describes not a reward or prize but our just compensation from God both in this life and the next, in this world and heaven.

Christ is saying that living correctly is work. It is hard work that we get paid for in the big scheme of things. By mentioning the prophets, Christ is putting this work into historical perspective. The prophets may have been hounded and driven away, but they are now remembered and honored, not only by God, but in this world as well.

In other words, this world does recognize virtue, eventually. Over the long-term, virtue wins. This is true whether we think of the long-term as the course of a life or from life to afterlife.