Hi Friend,

Have you ever discovered something new that had been right in front of your eyes for years? Something so plain you wonder “why” you ever missed it in the first place.

That happened to me once when I was reading Matthew 19:28. A young man wanted to follow Jesus but was not willing to give up his enormous wealth. The story does not have a happy conclusion.  The young man left and there is no record that he ever returned.

The disciples must have been moved by the circumstance because a serious discussion followed.

Typical of Peter, his bluntness caused him to say, “We have left everything to follow you! What reward will be given to us?”

Jesus isn’t offended. In fact, he seems understanding and equally candid in his response.  “What I’m about to tell you is true,” Jesus said to them. “When all things are made new, the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne. Then you who have followed me will also sit on 12 thrones. You will judge the 12 tribes of Israel. Everyone who has left houses or families or fields because of me will receive 100 times as much. They will also receive eternal life.” (Matthew 19:27-29)

Even though this was a familiar scripture to me it always had an ethereal air.  In other words, I didn’t read it for what it obviously said.  Jesus was making a promise to his closest friends.  Here was the WORD giving his word which could not be false. The integrity of God was at stake.

The disciples had given up everything to follow him.  Their friends, careers, position in the community and maybe even family.  The question was legitimate.  “What reward will be given us?”

Jesus doesn’t mince words.  “You…will…sit on 12 thrones. You will judge the 12 tribes of Israel.”

What this meant to a Jew in the 1st Century—and Peter was a Jew—is almost incomprehensible to 21st Century Christians.  The Jews were unique among all men because they looked for the Messiah to come to the earth!  They expected him to restore power to Israel.

Jesus doesn’t chastise them for expecting rewards that go to the political party that wins the election. Far from it, he tells them that their expectations were real.  He is the Messiah.  He will sit on a throne to rule.  The disciples will share in his power.  They will also rule.

Not only that, Jesus promised physical blessings!  He specifically mentions houses and fields.  He promises physical wealth in the Kingdom of God. Such promises are too specific to be otherworldly.

Neither do they match the image of the Kingdom of Heaven often described by radio evangelists.

On the Day of Pentecost in 30 A.D., as the disciples watched Jesus taken up into heaven, angels appeared beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking at the sky? Jesus has been taken away from you into heaven. But he will come back in the same way you saw him go.”  (Acts 1:11)

He will return to earth with a Kingdom. The subjects will be live human beings with jobs and families. There will be schools, libraries, churches, restaurants and sports centers.  This brings a literal meaning to the prophecy of Isaiah that “the government will be upon his shoulders.” Jesus and his followers will rule that world.

The closest connection contemporary Americans might make to Peter’s thought process is a political election.  America is in the midst of an important political process. The men we choose to govern will hold office for two, or maybe six years. It’s a strange irony that we praise men as being worthy of possessing power, yet the best system the world has known limits these celebrities to a few years in office so that citizens may be protected from their abuses.

Only one man is worthy to establish a government that will rule for eternity. In a few days Christians around the world will begin celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles, an observance to recognize the King of Kings who will return to rein over the earth!

Until next time,

Jim O’Brien