Luke 22:21-30
But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. The Son of Man indeed goes, as it has been determined, but woe to that man through whom he is betrayed!”
They began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing. There arose also a contention among them, which of them was considered to be greatest. He said to them, “The kings of the nations lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ But not so with you. But one who is the greater among you, let him become as the younger, and one who is governing, as one who serves. For who is greater, one who sits at the table, or one who serves? Isn’t it he who sits at the table? But I am in the midst of you as one who serves. But you are those who have continued with me in my trials. I confer on you a kingdom, even as my Father conferred on me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom. You will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Notice that even though God has allowed a person to become a betrayer, that person was still responsible for his own choices. This is a little picture into the reality of predestination. Just because God planed out all of our ways, we still have choices when we view our lives from our own perspectives. From God’s perspective, our lives were planned out, but from ours, they are an open set of choices. God cannot be at fault for what we know we have chosen. That doesn’t mean that God didn’t plan it that way. He knew what we were going to do before He created anything otherwise He wouldn’t have been all-knowing. By His act of creating in full knowledge, He chose it to happen. This is confusing to us, but it is not our place to question God. He is God and we are not and He has a righteous plan that He knows and we will find out. In the end the righteousness, mercy and love of God will be obvious in spite of our poor understanding today.
The disciples, when they heard that one of them would betray Him, started arguing about who was the best. Isn’t that just like us? What we really should do is confess our sins and ask God for strength, not try to show ourselves to be the best. This is a sign that we think we make our own righteousness.
Jesus makes it clear that rather than trying to be the best, the best are the ones who make themselves servants like He was. Then He tells them that they will be sitting on thrones someday for being with Him to the end because they suffered with Him!
That is how it is for us as Christians. If we suffer for God we will get a reward too.
Bible Prophesy: Sometimes, when we look at Bible prophesy, we must take what God says by faith. He doesn’t reveal all of the details. Notice here that Jesus said some pretty confusing things to someone who doesn’t have a historic perspective. First, He says that one would betray Him, then He says that they will be on thrones and rule the 12 tribes of Israel. We know that Judas was the one that wasn’t to be on one of those thrones and that God had planned to replace Him. There are prophesies in the Bible that haven’t happened yet that are like this and we must take what we don’t understand by faith. Jesus was accurate in saying that those who didn’t leave Him would have a throne. I believe that Judas knew exactly what Jesus was saying!