Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 227, Matthew 19:27-28 — The Disciples’ Reward Matthew 19:27-28 (NASB1995) “Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” 28 And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Discussion Yesterday, we concluded the passage about the rich young ruler and read Jesus’ first gospel proclamation. Jesus just spoke of the impossibility for a rich person to inherit eternal, which leads to the disciples’ questioning who can even find salvation. They ask because ancient Jews associated wealth with blessings from God. In their minds, if it is easier for a camel to fit into the eye of a needle than a rich person to enter heaven, then who can enter heaven? Jesus explains it is indeed impossible for man to obtain eternal life on their own. It is solely a supernatural work of God, as only through the grace of God can one recognize their need for God. The rich young ruler sought eternal life but rejected the call to lose everything for Christ. He failed to recognize his need for God, making it impossible for him to inherit eternal life. The disciples did not understand what Jesus meant yet, but we understand now that it is possible through His sacrificial death on the cross for man’s sin. Only God can atone for and forgive sin. Today, we read about the disciples’ eternal rewards for following Jesus. Matthew writes, “Then Peter said to Him, ‘Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?’” Jesus boldly declared that wealthy people will find difficulty entering the kingdom of heaven and said that it is impossible to do so without God. These bold, convicting words likely led to Peter’s question. He asks because the twelve have genuinely left everything behind to follow Jesus, which is the complete opposite of how the rich young ruler responded to Jesus’ call to follow Him. The young ruler refused to give up his earthly possessions and wealth to follow Christ. It is as if Peter asks, “What happens to those of us who do decide to leave everything behind to follow You?” Peter has clearly been listening to Jesus’ many teachings about giving up wealth and sacrificing temporal treasures for eternal ones (Matt. 6:19-21; 10:40-42). Even though none of them were wealthy, the twelve had all uprooted their entire lives to follow the Messiah (Matt. 4:18-22). Jesus spoke often about desiring eternal treasures and said that those who forgo earthly treasures will inherit eternal ones. Thus, Peter’s question is fair, as he likely sees himself and the other disciples as having successfully met the challenge presented to the rich young ruler.[1] Jesus responds, saying, “28 Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” This is an incredible statement and likely far beyond what Peter could have ever imagined. At the second coming, when Jesus returns to reign in Jerusalem, Peter and the other disciples will sit alongside Him and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. Now, there is some uncertainty about what Jesus means by ‘judge’ in this verse. The Greek word used for judge here is krinontes, which means ‘passing judgment’ or ‘ruling.’[2] It is also uncertain if this is an eternal responsibility for the twelve or just a limited ‘rule’ during Jesus’ millennial reign. There are other uncertainties about who is among the twelve tribes in this future kingdom as well. Are Gentiles included or only ancient Jews? This causes further uncertainty because Jews and Gentiles are one in Christ. We also do not have further biblical clarity regarding other ambiguities, like Judas’ involvement in this current discussion. Does Matthias fill his role even though he was not present for this conversation? Regardless, Jesus has just declared that the twelve will have significant leadership roles in eternity because they have followed Him. They will judge the twelve tribes of Israel and sit upon twelve thrones alongside Christ. Notably, Revelation 21:12-14 mentions the twelve and New Jerusalem, saying, “It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” We will conclude this passage tomorrow as Jesus continues His response to Peter’s question. Application I rarely think about eternity, or the rewards God says we will receive. Like Peter, I see many folks talk about what they want when they get to heaven. It is difficult for me to fathom this because all I can think about is throwing any crown I receive down at Jesus’ feet and humbly worshipping Him when we stand face to face one day. It is just so hard to imagine a heaven that puts my wants above simply being with God. Perhaps this is something I need to pray and meditate on more, but I have found such peace in my walk with Christ that I could have nothing and still have everything in knowing Him. What else is there to seek than the reality that we get to be in the creator's presence and commune with Him forever? Can you believe we receive that reward, even those we were once dead in our sin and deserving of eternal punishment? How unfathomable is God’s grace?! Regarding this passage, I find the logistics of the disciples’ rule interesting. How will this look for us? Jesus says there is no hierarchy in heaven as we will further explore tomorrow. Yet, we will have the twelve judging the twelve tribes of Israel and there are twenty-four elders by the throne of God as well. These are ambiguities I want to study further, but there is likely no answer on this side of eternity. Regardless, it is sweet to see Peter and the other disciples affirmed by Jesus here, as they really give us a humble look at what it takes to count the cost to follow the Messiah. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 19:29-30. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Doug O’Donnell, “New International Greek Testament Commentary.” [2] Douglas R. A. Hare, “Interpretation Commentary.”
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