Chapter 220 of 404

Judging the Twelve Tribes (Matt 19:28//Lk 22:30)

To the twelve who forsook their livelihoods to follow Jesus’ call Jesus promises that they will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt 19:28//Lk 22:30).¹⁵³ Some scholars suggest that this Q promise must be authentic, preceding the betrayal by Judas.¹⁵⁴ The “Twelve” continued even after Judas’ betrayal (1 Cor 15:5), but one would expect any later prediction pretending to be prophecy and addressed to the Twelve to stress the condition of perseverance, given the church’s knowledge of Judas’s failure.¹⁵⁵ Further, though later Christians might conceivably have invented a tradition about their apostles reigning, they surely would not have limited their rule to Israel.¹⁵⁶ Given Mark’s skepticism about the first disciples (perhaps about disciples in general), it is not difficult to see why he would have omitted this promise, even if this is the point at which it appeared in the tradition. Stylistic evidence also favors an early tradition.¹⁵⁷

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