He Described Reward With 'Already' Not 'Later'
When Jesus condemned public piety, he declared the reward was not withheld — it was already received.
In Matthew 6, Jesus repeats an identical rhetorical structure three times — once for almsgiving, once for prayer, once for fasting. In each case, he says of those who perform the act publicly: 'they have their reward' (Matthew 6:2, 6:5, 6:16). The Greek verb is apechō — a commercial term meaning 'to have in full,' used on receipts to indicate a debt completely settled. Jesus does not say 'they will not receive a reward' or 'their reward is lost.' He says they have already received it in full. The transaction is complete. This framing is structurally surprising: it means the public pietist is not cheated out of something future — they have already been paid, in the currency of human recognition, and the account is closed. The rhetorical force is not threat but audit. Each of the three instances uses the same perfect-tense construction, giving the repetition a formulaic weight: the same verdict, delivered three times, with no variation in the verdict itself, only in the behavior being examined. This makes the threefold repetition not an escalation but a ledger — three closed accounts. What is unusual is that Jesus does not describe the outcome as loss or punishment. He describes it as completion. The wrong reward was chosen, and it has been fully delivered.
Red Letter Sources
Matthew 6:2Matthew 6:5Matthew 6:16
Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Evidence Notes
All three instances use the same Greek verb apechō in the same formulation: 'they have their reward.' The repetition is exact and structurally parallel across almsgiving (6:2), prayer (6:5), and fasting (6:16). The term apechō appears on ancient Greek papyrus receipts as a technical commercial acknowledgment of payment received in full.
Greek Note
ἀπέχουσιν τὸν μισθὸν αὐτῶν — 'they have in full their reward.' Apechō (ἀπέχω) is a compound of apo (from) and echō (to have), used in papyri as a receipt formula. It does not mean 'they will not get a reward'; it means the reward has been fully disbursed. The tense is present indicative, not future.