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Luke 22: 24-30 Here’s a link to the passage if you don’t have your Bible nearby: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2022%3A24-30&version=NLT
Luke tells us that the conversation devolved into bickering. I don’t want to admit it, but I think I can see how it happened. My own heart has enough self-interest that I could conceivably hear all of these devastating predictions and, within minutes, be defending my own importance. I can see how, in the stunned silence that followed Jesus’ revelation, the disciples would have begun to look quizzically and then accusingly at one another.
And then someone might feel the need to say, “Well don’t look at me. I’d never do that.”
Someone else might respond, “Oh, but you think I would?”
“Listen, I do all the heavy lifting around here. I wouldn’t turn on Jesus.”
“So I guess you’re Jesus’ right hand man now?”
“Well maybe I should be…”
We know this isn’t the first time the subject has come up with this group of men. They’d sparred before over who would be most important in the coming kingdom.
In this fleeting account we have all the proof we will ever need that Jesus was like no other human who has ever lived, because instead of shrieking in fury, as I would have done, he creates one more teachable moment.
Then and now, people in positions of power tend to enjoy their privilege, to expect special treatment, to be served. It’s just the way it is. Except that’s not the way Jesus does it, and it’s not the way of his kingdom. If we think about it, this is far from new. Even if Jesus hadn’t explicitly said it several times, which he did, it’s the way he lived. When everyone was hungry after a long day of teaching, instead of sending his minions to make dinner, Jesus fed them. When after a long night of healing, Jesus snuck away to be alone with his father only to be found by another needy crowd, he reached out his hands to heal them. When he selected his “entourage” he didn’t select the best and the brightest. He chose regular guys who had very little to offer. He allowed himself to be interrupted by children, lepers and diseased women. If we take a moment to compare Jesus’ leadership philosophy to that of our politicians, celebrities and business giants, well, it’s pretty much upside down. That’s what the kingdom of God is like. Greatness, authority and position are simply platforms for blessing and serving others.
Jesus had captured the imagination of the people. He only had to say the word and they would have started a revolution in his name. The masses adored him. He could have used that to gain wealth and privilege. He didn’t because that’s not what leadership is. That’s not the purpose of ruling. Jesus was, objectively, the greatest person who ever lived. If he asked his followers to carry him from town to town, peeling grapes and singing worshipful songs to him he would have been well within his rights. But he spent his life serving others.
He tells his disciples that they will, in fact, rule with him in his kingdom. They have been his friends and helpers and he loved and appreciated them. He would honour that by honouring them in the kingdom. But the honour they will receive is the honour of leading the way he leads.
I like to think about the kingdom of Heaven, about living in a place where there is no war, no disease, where people respect and care for one another. I’m not sure I have given much thought to the authority structure of Heaven. But here Jesus pulls back a curtain and gives us a tiny glimpse. There will be people who are given special responsibility. It seems like Jesus’ disciples are among them. When Jesus says that they will judge the twelve tribes of Israel, he is almost certainly talking about judging in the sense of being a leader. In Israel, before they had kings, God raised up individuals (often very broken messed up people) who would lead Isreal on his behalf. They were called judges. Their role wasn’t delivering verdicts, it was leading Israel when other nations were persecuting them. In Heaven there will be people who have authority over other people. Here’s the thing. There will be no power struggle, because true leadership is something admirable and beautiful and even self-sacrificial. It’s easy and even fulfilling to follow people like that. Do you want to be a leader? That’s a noble pursuit. Don’t do it unless you are willing to allow Heaven to define how you will interact with those you lead. Leadership that doesn’t follow a heavenly job description is just what we see all around us: people “lording” their authority over one another.
