Luke 22:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom,

NIV: And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me,

NASB: and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you

CSB: I bestow on you a kingdom, just as my Father bestowed one on me,

NLT: And just as my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right

KJV: And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;

NKJV: And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me,

As Jesus speaks, He knows Judas has met with Jerusalem's religious leaders. They discussed how to lead guards and servants to the Mount of Olives to arrest Jesus and put Him on trial. He knows the other disciples will fall asleep instead of praying to remain strong in temptation. He knows that the disciples will flee when He is arrested and that, while He is being interrogated and beaten, Peter will deny Him.

Even now, the disciples are arguing over who will be the greatest in His kingdom. Jesus has explained that His kingdom is not about status but serving. Despite this, Jesus gives them a hope to hold onto: they will be leaders in His kingdom.

First, they have a role in God's kingdom now. This is God's influence over the world: the manifestation of His glory and sovereignty. The disciples display this authority by staying with Jesus during His trials (Luke 22:28). This seems to mean Jesus' earthly life and the temptations which came with it (Hebrews 2:18; 4:15). After the ascension, they will have the authority to spread the good news in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). They will be the leaders of the church, representing Jesus' rule and blessing to the world.

But the structure of the kingdom of God is not as simple and its fulfillment not as quick as they think.

1. God the Father chose God the Son to save the world and rule before the world was created (1 Peter 1:19–21).

2. God the Father sent God the Son as a sacrifice for our sins (John 3:16).
3. God the Son chooses to lay down His life (John 10:18).
4. God the Father will give God the Son dominion over the world (Daniel 7:13–14; 1 Corinthians 15:27).
5. God the Son will vanquish His enemies and return the kingdom to God the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24–26).
6. God the Father has prepared roles for the disciples (Matthew 20:23).
7. God the Father gives Jesus the authority to assign those roles.

Those roles will include honor and responsibility. The disciples will sit at Jesus' table and judge over Israel (Luke 22:30). When will that happen? That's up to God the Father (Acts 1:6–7). First, they have a job to do: spreading the gospel and building the church (Acts 1:8).

Luke 22:24–30 is the heart of Luke 22. The disciples have a choice: will they grasp for worldly power like the Gentiles or will they strive to be servant-leaders like their Messiah? New covenant leadership in God's kingdom is service. The disciples' self-involvement fits perfectly between Jesus' warnings of Judas's betrayal (Luke 22:21–23) and Peter's denials (Luke 22:31–34). Some scholars suggest this exchange provides a springboard for Jesus to wash the disciples' feet in a demonstration of servant leadership (John 13:1–17). This passage contains information unique to this gospel.

Luke 22 is a long chapter which records events leading to Jesus' political trials and crucifixion. He has successfully taught crowds at the temple and proved His authority over the religious leaders (Luke 19:47—20). Meanwhile the leaders have spent the week planning to arrest Jesus and have Him killed (Luke 19:47–48). This chapter records the Last Supper, the arrest on the Mount of Olives, and the trials before the Jewish religious leaders. Matthew 26, Mark 14, and John 18 cover much of the same information.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.