And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Jesus is speaking to his twelve disciples — the small core group of men who had left their careers and families to follow him. Peter had just asked the uncomfortable question: "We've given up everything for you. What do we get?" Jesus' answer is both cosmic and personal. "The renewal of all things" translates a Greek word — palingenesia — meaning total rebirth, a complete regeneration of creation. "Son of Man" is a title Jesus used for himself, drawn from the book of Daniel, referring to a heavenly figure given authority over all nations. Jesus is telling his disciples that this coming renewal isn't something they'll merely witness — they'll have actual thrones and real roles within it.
God, some days following you feels costly and the future feels far away. Remind me that you are making all things new — and that my small acts of faithfulness are not wasted but woven into something I can't yet fully see. Give me eyes for the renewal ahead. Amen.
Peter's question was embarrassingly honest, and it's one most of us have thought but been too polite to say out loud: "We gave things up for this. Does it matter?" Jesus doesn't shame him for asking. Instead, he pulls back the curtain on a future so large it's almost impossible to hold. Not heaven as a quiet retirement — but thrones, restoration, a world remade from the ground up. The Greek word palingenesia is also used for the regeneration of nature after winter. Everything dormant, everything lost, awakened again. You may be somewhere right now where the cost of following Jesus feels very real and the reward feels very abstract — the relationship that frayed because of your values, the opportunity you passed up, the exhaustion of trying to live differently when nobody seems to notice. Jesus doesn't tell Peter to stop thinking about the cost. He says: the renewal of all things is coming, and you will be part of it. Not a spectator. Part of it. That's a promise worth holding onto at 11pm on a Wednesday when sacrifice feels pointless.
What does Jesus mean by "the renewal of all things"? Does this suggest God's ultimate plan is escape from the world, or restoration of it — and why does that distinction matter?
Have you ever felt like following Jesus cost you something significant — a relationship, an opportunity, a version of your life you imagined? How have you processed that cost?
Peter's question — "What's in it for us?" — sounds self-interested. But is it wrong to be motivated by future reward? Where is the line between healthy hope and selfish calculation?
How does believing in the "renewal of all things" — including broken people — change how you treat the difficult or damaged people in your life?
What is one thing you've been holding back from God because the cost feels too high? What would it look like to release it this week, with this promise in view?
And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
Daniel 12:3
And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.
Matthew 20:21
And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
Revelation 4:4
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Matthew 25:31
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Revelation 20:4
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Revelation 3:21
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried , he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
James 1:12
Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
Jeremiah 13:23
Jesus said to them, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, in the renewal [that is, the Messianic restoration and regeneration of all things] when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you [who have followed Me, becoming My disciples] will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
AMP
Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
ESV
And Jesus said to them, 'Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
NASB
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
NIV
So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
NKJV
Jesus replied, “I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
NLT
Jesus replied, "Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel.
MSG