Which disciple responded to Jesus’ words about the impossibility of men being saved apart from God?  See Mat 19:27.  How did Peter contrast himself and the other disciples with the rich young ruler?  See Mar 10:28, Luk 18:28; cf. Mat 4:18-22, Luk 5:11.  What question did he then ask?  Consider Peter’s question: they had left all a considerable time ago to follow Jesus, and only now after hearing Jesus offer the rich man treasure in heaven thought to ask what their reward might be.  For what reason then had they been following Jesus, and how is that different from most people’s motivation today?  Cf. Joh 6:66-69, and contrast 2Th 2:10.  What does their motivation to follow Jesus apart from the promise of a reward indicate about their inherent trust in His goodness?  Is it necessarily wrong to follow God in hope of a future reward, as Jesus sought to entice the rich young ruler?  Cf. Heb 11:24-26.  Should we suppose that that reward is to be understood in terms of the things men treasure upon earth?  Cf. Heb 12:2.  Because the disciples had “left everything”, does that mean that they had necessarily sold all their possessions and owned nothing, or that they had forsaken their own pursuits and submitted the course of their lives to Jesus in order that they might serve and follow Him?  See Mar 1:29 (cf. Mar 1:16-20) and Joh 21:3.  In light of what Jesus had just said that it is impossible even for a virtuous rich man who seeks to do good with his wealth to enter the kingdom of heaven apart from God, what might Peter have been thinking that prompted his question?  Think: if it is with such great difficulty even to enter into God’s kingdom, what sort of a reward might the disciples realistically expect?  Should they expect treasures in heaven since they had no riches like those possessed by the young ruler to forsake even if they wanted to?  In His response, did Jesus promise them treasure in heaven as He did the young ruler?

What reward does Jesus promise the disciples in Mat 19:28?  Cf. Luk 22:28-30.  What words in these verses indicate the significance of a throne?  See 1Ki 1:35, Psa 47:8, Lam 5:19.  What is the relationship between God’s throne and heaven, and what does this help us understand Matthew means by the kingdom of heaven?  See Psa 103:19, Isa 66:1, Mat 5:34, 6:10, 23:22, cf. Isa 14:13-14.  Is the reward of a throne to reign and judge with the authority of the kingdom of heaven offered just to the twelve?  Cf. 2Ti 2:12, Rev 3:21, 20:4.  Over what in particular will the thrones of the twelve be over?  See Mat 19:28.  Over what will the thrones of other saints be over?  1Co 6:2-3, Rev 2:26-27.  What does this intimate about the role of Christ’s saints in His kingdom exercising jurisprudence over their kindred and those with whom they are familiar, rewarding those who were friendly to their cause, while righteously judging and condemning those who so judged and condemned them?  See Mat 10:42, Luk 6:36-38.