Truth and Confusion

Truth and Confusion
Luke 22:25-30

25 And [de] he said [epo] unto them [autos] , The kings [basileus] of the Gentiles [ethnos] exercise lordship over [kurieuo] them [autos] ; and [kai] they that exercise authority upon [exousiazo] them [autos] are called [kaleo] benefactors [euergetes] .
26 But [de] ye [humeis] shall not [ou] be so [houto] : but [alla] he that is greatest [meizon] among [en] you [humin] , let him be [ginomai] as [hos] the younger [neos] ; and [kai] he that is chief [hegeomai] , as [hos] he that doth serve [diakoneo] .
27 For [gar] whether [tis] is greater [meizon] , he that sitteth at meat [anakeimai] , or [e] he that serveth [diakoneo] ? is not [ouchi] he that sitteth at meat [anakeimai] ? but [de] I [ego] am [eimi] among [en] [mesos] you [humon] as [hos] he that serveth [diakoneo] .
28 [de] Ye [humeis] are [este] they which have continued [diameno] with [meta] me [emou] in [en] my [mou] temptations [peirasmos] .
29 And I [kago] appoint [diatithemai] unto you [humin] a kingdom [basileia] , as [kathos] my [mou] Father [pater] hath appointed [diatithemai] unto me [moi] ;
30 That [hina] ye may eat [esthio] and [kai] drink [pino] at [epi] my [mou] table [trapeza] in [en] my [mou] kingdom [basileia] , and [kai] sit [kathizo] on [epi] thrones [thronos] judging [krino] the twelve [dodeka] tribes [phule] of Israel [Israel] . KJV-Interlinear

25 And He said to them, 'The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called 'Benefactors.' 26 'But not so with you, but let him who is the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as the servant. 27 'For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table, or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves. 28 'And you are those who have stood by Me in My trials; 29 and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you 30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. NASB

Jesus counters the arguments of the apostles with a contrast in the benefits of two spheres of existence. We all know of the reference to Jews and Gentiles. And actually I'll add a third term - Israelite. Israel was the new name given to Jacob. He fathered the twelve sons which would eventually turn into the twelve tribes of the nation known as Israel.

The term 'Jew' was ascribed to those residents of the region that came to be known as Judea. This was generally created during the centuries prior to the first advent and subsequent to the Babylonian and Persian captivities. As people began to return from their exile and back to the former national lands of Israel, the region became known as Judea. This was also the general territory which was assigned to the tribe of Judah.

The citizens there drifted away from Gods word and, over time, added volume after volume of spiritual regulatory requirements to the lives of those who came to be known as Jews, or residents of Judea. Judaism was the faith that evolved from this system of regulations, departing from the original intent of the scriptures written by the prophets.

Ok. Gentiles were outsiders. Israelites were the chosen peoples of God. Israel was the collective term used to identify the nation of God. Jew was the term which is used to identify those who presumed themselves to be a part of the nation of Israel, but were not, and also they did not identify with the gentiles category. So the Jew is now a term used to identify a person who belongs to neither those blessed of God, nor to those who are outside of Gods nation. In other words they belong to a state of limbo.

Bear with me for a moment. I am only going to present an illustration. I am not redefining the cultural backgrounds of folks. And yes, this does apply to our present passage.

Now back to our initial statement in the first paragraph. Jesus is presenting two contrasting alternatives in life. You can either be like the gentiles and follow their pattern of sought after glory, or you can follow the direction of Christ and without any pursuit on your part, achieve an even greater glory through your spiritual life.

I've described three types of people above. Now for my illustration. We have gentiles which we will use to identify unbelievers. We have Jews which we will uses to identify believers who are negative toward God and doctrine. And we will use the term of Israelite to identify those believers who are positive toward God and are advancing in their spiritual life.

The gentiles and the Jews (unbelievers and negative believers) look to the world to secure their honor and grandeur. They strive to rule or be ruled. They set up standards by which others are to follow and they recognize various levels of inequality among themselves. They seek to be honored and they seek the recognition of that honor among men, when in fact their real intentions are the satisfaction of their selfish lusts for power, wealth, privilege and such. They like to be called rulers, kings, nobles and the like.

They like the attention they receive from the masses giving them the title 'benefactor' or someone who has the interests of the masses at heart. The truth is that most who seek power or position have only their own selfish interests at heart and will use the masses to gain what they want, then sacrifice the masses when it becomes more expedient for their own selfish agenda. Thus they are called liars, hypocrites, etc.

Their pursuits are for things that have a limited life. Anything in this world that comes into existence will soon vanish in time. Nothing in this world will extend into eternity.

In contrast, Jesus presents a more worthy pursuit. The desires of the spirit verses the desires of the sin nature. Believers who are positive are not of the category above described. They do not seek power or greatness in a selfish manner. Recall that the apostles were arguing over which among them was to be the greater in heaven. Jesus is telling them, 'Do not be like the gentiles. Their pursuit is futile and will end up in loss forever.'

Now instead, we should follow the example from Christ, and pursue Bible doctrine wherein the production is divine good, rather than human good. Positive believers do not seek to be first, but seek to serve others in the spiritual sense. Advancing believers seek to bring others to God through Christ. Believers seek to bring others to spiritual maturity through Bible doctrine. Bringing others to God and doctrine is a win/win situation. In contrast those who reject God can only get ahead at the expense of others.

In so doing, positive believers stand by Christ in His sufferings. He went to the Cross so that we would have an opportunity to be saved first, and second, to be able to advance in our spiritual lives. By doing so, we validate His work. Likewise, we also seal those who reject God, in their judgment.

By acknowledging God, through Christ, and advancing in our spiritual life, we give evidence to the truths of life, to the truths of Gods wisdom, and at the same time those who reject truth are condemned by virtue of the existence of mature believers.

Unbelievers and negative believers pursue honors of this world, honors which have in effect no value whatsoever.

Positive believers pursue no such honors, and as a result God gives honors and blessings that far exceed anything of this world. A king might rules a generation of one nation, but a mature believer will be placed in a position of greater honor over a hundred generations, forever. This contrast only signifies that Gods honors are infinitely greater than the honors of the world.

The king of this earth might eat at the table paid for with the taxes of its citizens, and he along with his subjects will die and be no more, but the mature believer will sit at the table of God. Again, an infinitely greater position of honor which the world cannot match.

The king might rule over and institute judgment over his citizens, a judgment which will be filled with political bias and expediency, but the mature believer will sit in places of honor forever, places that God will promote them to and they will rule with total fairness.

For this is the meaning of rulership over the twelve tribes as their judge. In one respect the Jewish race will be indifferent toward Christ for all of their generations up and until the very last generation which will live in the Tribulation. It is that last generation which will finally become positive toward and turn to Jesus Christ. We have studied this in other passages.

The generations of the twelve tribes (the genetic Jewish peoples) will be judged in accordance with Gods policy toward all people on earth - Bible doctrine. That is one concept of judging the twelve tribes. Gentiles likewise will receive their judgment. Note that mankind does not judge. God alone judges, but as stated before, by the evidence of our achieving spiritual maturity in this devils world, the apostles (and we too) will stand as examples of Gods truth and thus the judgment and doom of those who are negative, is sealed.

Positive believers are promoted to the honors infinitely higher than any honor this world has to offer. The world has no throne equal to that of heaven. The world has a limited number of thrones of which are difficult to obtain and even hold. God gives to all who advance in their spiritual lives, thrones of honor to have and to hold forever.

The positive believer has no earthly motives which exclude God, but recognize that anything received is courtesy of and from the source of Gods grace. God is first to the positive believer, thus service to ones fellow man with respect to the making available of and the promotion of Bible teaching serves to bring blessing to everyone.

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