Kingdoms in Collision: True Greatness and Two Swords Text: Luke 22:24-38
Introduction: The Upside-Down Kingdom
We come this morning to a passage that is dense with kingdom theology. And because our generation has a thoroughly diseased understanding of kingdoms, authority, and greatness, we are prone to misread it entirely. We live in an age that despises authority, unless it is the kind of authority that promises to coddle us and call us victims. We live in a democratic age, which means we live in an age of envy, where every man wants to pull down the one who is greater than he is, and then wonders why he lives among ruins.
The disciples, in our text, are very much men of their age, and consequently, men of our age. On the very night of the new covenant's institution, with the bread and wine still settling in their stomachs, and with the Lord's announcement of His betrayal hanging in the air, what do they do? They get into a squabble about which one of them is the greatest. It is a pathetic display, a moment of profound spiritual tone-deafness. And yet, it is a mercy that it is recorded for us, because it is us. We are all jockeying for position, all wanting the corner office, all wanting our name on the plaque.
But Jesus does not rebuke them with a sentimental platitude. He does not tell them that ambition is wicked. He does not do what our modern therapeutic pastors would do, which is to tell them to get in touch with their feelings of inadequacy. No, Jesus confronts their carnal ambition head-on by redefining the very nature of greatness. He tells them that in His kingdom, the way up is down. He flips the world's org chart on its head. He tells them that true authority bleeds. And then, in a series of jarring transitions that only make sense within this kingdom framework, He promises them thrones, warns Peter of his imminent and catastrophic failure, and then commands them to arm themselves. This is not a random collection of sayings. This is a compact and potent lesson on the nature of the kingdom of God as it is about to be inaugurated through the collision of two very different kinds of power: the world's power, which takes, and Christ's power, which gives.
The Text
And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ But not so with you; rather the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines? But I am among you as the one who serves.
“Now you are those who have stood by Me in My trials, and I grant you a kingdom, just as My Father granted one to Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat. But I have prayed earnestly for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, once you have returned, strengthen your brothers.” But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”
And He said to them, “When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Not a thing.” And He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword should sell his garment and buy one. For I tell you that this which is written must be completed in Me, ‘AND HE WAS NUMBERED WITH TRANSGRESSORS’; for that which refers to Me has its completion.” And they said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”
(Luke 22:24-38 LSB)
The World's Greatness vs. The Kingdom's (vv. 24-27)
We begin with the disciples' shameful argument.
"And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest." (Luke 22:24)
This is not their first time having this debate. It is a recurring decimal. They are thinking in terms of earthly power structures. Who gets to be Prime Minister? Who is Secretary of State? They see the kingdom coming, but they see it through worldly, political lenses. They are carnal, and their ambition is carnal. They want the glory without the cross.
Jesus answers by drawing a sharp, black-and-white contrast.
"The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ But not so with you..." (Luke 22:25-26a)
The rulers of the Gentiles, the pagans, operate by domination. They "lord it over" their subjects. And notice the cynical public relations spin: they call themselves 'Benefactors.' This is the language of tyrants. They crush the people with taxes and regulations, and then erect statues to themselves, paid for with the people's money, declaring how benevolent they are. This is every statist politician who promises you security in exchange for your liberty. It is a satanic bargain.
Jesus says, "But not so with you." This is a fundamental, non-negotiable distinction. The church is not to be a baptized version of the world's power games. When it becomes so, it is an abomination. Rather, greatness is inverted: "...the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant." (v. 26b). In that culture, the youngest had no status. The servant had no rights. Jesus is saying that the man who wants to be a true leader must gladly take the lowest place. He must assume sacrificial responsibility.
This is not the sin of "servant leadership" as it is commonly taught in our effeminate age. That modern heresy teaches a man to lead by serving, which in practice means he puts his finger in the air to see which way the wind is blowing in his own house and then calls that "consensus." That is cowardice disguised as piety. Jesus is not talking about abdicating leadership; He is defining what true leadership is. A true leader serves by leading. He serves his people by taking the bullet, by standing in the breach, by making the hard decisions, by providing, and by protecting. He does not serve by taking polls.
Jesus then points to Himself as the ultimate paradigm.
"For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines? But I am among you as the one who serves." (Luke 22:27)
By all worldly metrics, the one reclining at the banquet is the greatest. He is the guest of honor. But Jesus, the Lord of glory, the King of the universe, is present with them as a waiter, a busboy. He has already wrapped the towel around His waist and washed their filthy feet. He is about to go to the cross to serve them the ultimate meal of His own body and blood. This is the heart of true authority. It is not about being served, but about giving oneself away.
Thrones, Trials, and Treachery (vv. 28-34)
Now, in a stunning turn, Jesus goes from commanding service to promising thrones.
"Now you are those who have stood by Me in My trials, and I grant you a kingdom, just as My Father granted one to Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (Luke 22:28-30)
This is not a contradiction. It is the logic of the upside-down kingdom. Because they have (imperfectly) followed Him in His humiliation, they will share in His glorification. He doesn't tell them their ambition for greatness is wrong; He tells them their definition of greatness is wrong and their path to it is wrong. The path to the throne is the path of the cross. He is about to be enthroned through crucifixion, and they will receive their authority by the same principle. He grants them a kingdom. This is covenantal language. He is the king, and He is making them His royal court. They will feast at His table, a picture of intimate fellowship and honor, and they will sit on thrones, exercising real authority. Their judgment of the twelve tribes of Israel is a sign of the new covenant replacing the old. The authority of the old order is passing away, and the government of the church is being established in its place.
But right after this glorious promise, Jesus turns to the man who was likely the most vocal in the earlier dispute, Simon Peter.
"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat. But I have prayed earnestly for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, once you have returned, strengthen your brothers." (Luke 22:31-32)
The transition is jarring, but necessary. The road to the throne goes right through the devil's sieve. Satan, the great accuser, has demanded permission to test them, to shake them violently to see if their faith is genuine. The "you" in "sift all of you" is plural. Satan wants to destroy the entire apostolic band. But then Jesus narrows His focus: "But I have prayed for you,", and here, "you" is singular, "that your faith may not fail."
This is a glorious look into the intercessory work of Christ. Satan demands, but Jesus prays. And the prayer of Jesus always prevails. Notice what He prays for: not that Peter will not stumble, but that his faith will not utterly fail. Jesus knows Peter is about to fall, and fall hard. He predicts it. But He has already secured his restoration. Peter will be shaken, but he will not be destroyed. His failure will become the foundation of his future ministry. "Once you have returned, strengthen your brothers." The man who knows the bitterness of his own failure and the sweetness of Christ's restoring grace is the man qualified to lead. The man who has been to the bottom is the one who can help others up.
Peter, of course, full of bluster and self-confidence, doesn't get it.
"But he said to Him, 'Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!'" (Luke 22:33)
This is the voice of fleshly bravado. This is the man who thinks he can take the throne without the trial. He is sincere, but he is sincerely ignorant of the weakness of his own heart. Jesus must crush this self-reliance with a brutal prophecy.
"I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me." (Luke 22:34)
The one who just claimed he was ready for martyrdom will, in a few short hours, fall apart before a servant girl. This is what un-tested, self-confident faith is worth. Nothing. Peter had to be brought to the end of himself before he could be of any real use to the kingdom.
Money Belts, Swords, and the Transgressor (vv. 35-38)
The final section seems to come out of left field, but it is directly connected to the new reality of the kingdom.
"And He said to them, 'When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, did you lack anything?' They said, 'Not a thing.'" (Luke 22:35)
Jesus reminds them of their earlier mission trips. He had sent them out with nothing, dependent on the hospitality of others, and they had been miraculously provided for. That was the time of the King's personal presence with them. He was their provision and their protection.
But now, everything is about to change.
"But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword should sell his garment and buy one." (Luke 22:36)
The age of miraculous, direct provision is shifting. The King is ascending to His throne, and the kingdom will now advance through ordinary means. They are to be prudent (money belt, bag) and they are to be prepared for hostility (a sword). This is not a metaphor. Pacifist attempts to spiritualize this sword are acts of exegetical desperation. They had two literal swords, and Jesus did not rebuke them for having them. He is commanding them to be prepared for self-defense in a world that will hate them precisely because it hated Him.
And He gives the theological reason for this shift, and it is crucial.
"For I tell you that this which is written must be completed in Me, ‘AND HE WAS NUMBERED WITH TRANSGRESSORS’; for that which refers to Me has its completion." (Luke 22:37)
Why must they now carry swords? Because their King is about to be officially and legally classified as an outlaw, a criminal, a transgressor. And because the world will deem the master a criminal, it will deem his servants criminals also. They will be fair game. The legal protections they might have once enjoyed are gone. When the state becomes criminal, the individual's duty of self-defense becomes paramount. Jesus is not telling them to start a rebellion. He is telling them to carry the ordinary means of personal protection because they are about to become marked men in a hostile world. His status as a transgressor is the legal basis for their carrying of swords.
The disciples, still thinking in carnal terms, misunderstand.
"And they said, 'Lord, look, here are two swords.' And He said to them, 'It is enough.'" (Luke 22:38)
They think He is talking about fighting the Romans that night. "We've got two swords, Lord! Is that enough for the revolution?" Jesus' reply, "It is enough," is not a statement of military sufficiency. It is a dismissal. It means, "Enough of this talk. You don't understand." Two swords were not enough to fight a legion, but they were enough to fulfill the prophecy. They were enough to make them look like a band of armed insurrectionists, thus numbering Him with the transgressors. The disciples' misunderstanding served God's sovereign purpose.
Conclusion: The Sifted Servant King
What, then, do we take from this dense and challenging passage? We must see that the entire Christian life is contained here in seed form. We are all ambitious for glory, and God does not condemn that ambition; He redirects it. He tells us that the path to a throne is paved with towels of service. True authority is not found in demanding your rights, but in laying them down for the good of others.
We must also understand that this path of service goes directly through affliction. Satan will demand to sift us. Trials will come. Our self-confidence will be shattered, as Peter's was. And this is a great mercy. God loves us too much to leave us in our prideful self-reliance. He will shake us until we rely on nothing but the finished work of Christ and the power of His Spirit. Your greatest failures, when repented of, become your greatest qualifications for ministry.
And finally, we must be wise about the world we live in. We are servants of a King who was numbered with the transgressors. We should not be surprised when the world treats us accordingly. We are to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. We are to be prudent, prepared, and ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us. But we are not to be naive. The kingdom of God advances in a hostile world, not through carnal revolution, but through the faithful, courageous, and sometimes armed, testimony of its citizens. The ultimate victory is already won. The King is on His throne. Therefore, we can serve, we can suffer, and we can stand, knowing that the kingdom He has granted us cannot be shaken.