Luke 22:26-30
Luke 22:26 (KJB)
But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the
younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.
Jesus then contrasts that the way of the world is not going to be the way of the
Kingdom of God. The world’s way places the wealthy and influential at the top
but in the Kingdom of God it is just the opposite. Those who are the great in
the Kingdom of God are the ones who serve. So those in the Kingdom of God that
are great are the ones who serve. Let us make a comparison between the world and
the Kingdom of God concerning rank. The equivalent of the office of President
and CEO of Exxon/Mobil is the Christian who does the most menial task for the
Kingdom of God. (Heb 6:10 KJV) For God is not unrighteous to forget your
work and labour of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have
ministered to the saints, and do minister.
Luke 22:27 (KJB)
For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he
that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.
Jesus then returns to the world’s view of who is the greatest. He then asks a
simple question. In the world’s way of thinking, who is greater, the one who
will serve or the one who sits at meat, that is, the one being served? The way
the world sees it, they will say the one being served because it means they have
wealth and prestige to be able to afford a servant or servants. Then Jesus
contrasts Himself with the one who sits at meat and then tells His disciples
that He is one that serves not being served. True greatness is defined as being
humble and a desire to serve. Greatness is not position, power, or money. A
person can hit the lottery for $100 million dollars but does the mean they are
automatically great? The answer is no.
Luke 22:28 (KJB)
Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations.
Jesus still continues His theme of humility by telling the disciples that they
have continued with Him in His temptations or testing. For over three years they
faced all the tests that the religious leaders threw at them and they did not
fail any of them. They had tried to trap Jesus any way they could and they
failed at every attempt. They had goaded Jesus into trying to get Him to sin by
violating the Sabbath or to break some other tenet of the law of Moses and they
failed in that department too. In the future they will face their own
temptations and Jesus taught them how to overcome them.
Luke 22:29 (KJB)
And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;
Just as the Father had given Jesus a Kingdom, He will in turn, give to His
disciples a kingdom. (Rev 1:6 KJV) And hath made us kings and priests unto
God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Every believer is made a king and a king must have a kingdom. In the way that
Jesus had built His kingdom here on earth, the believer builds in the same way,
that is, through the witness of the Gospel where people are brought into the
greater kingdom of God. Every believer has a kingdom which has a sphere of
influence in preaching the Gospel and causing people to be saved by that Gospel.
We do not have a physical kingdom or else we would be in conflict with the
governments of the world. It is a spiritual kingdom.
Luke 22:30 (KJB)
That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging
the twelve tribes of Israel.
The Bible states in Revelation that those who become saved in Christ are made
kings and priests as we saw in the last verse. (Rev 1:5-6 KJV) And from
Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead,
and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us
from our sins in his own blood, {6} And hath made us kings and priests unto God
and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
(Rev 5:10 KJV) And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall
reign on the earth. When Jesus is speaking of the regeneration, He is
speaking of the time when He goes back to Heaven at His ascension and then once
the Holy Spirit fills the apostles at Pentecost, they will be to Israel as
Judges because they will be preaching the Gospel but will also be proving to
Israel and its leaders that they have sinned against God by condemning and
crucifying their prophesied Messiah. Just as the leaders of Israel judged and
condemned Jesus, they too will now be the subject of judgment. This verse could
not be speaking of the time of the new Earth and Heaven because there would be
no sin and what would be there to judge? Jesus had told them that whatever was
bound on earth would be bound in Heaven meaning authority which a judge would
have. A judge pronounces sentence and has the weight of the law behind him plus
the legislators who created that law. The apostles are going to have the weight
of Heaven behind them once their public ministry started.