Rewards by Grace

Mark 10:28–31

Jesus, says stewardship theologian T. A. Kantonen (1900–1993), is pointing out in this passage and in the parallel passage in Matthew 19:28–30 that the disciples will have a reward in heaven. He tells the disciples that they will “also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Mt 19:28).

The Lord first directs the attention of the disciples away from the expectation of an immediate earthly recompense and places the thought of reward in the context of the final consummation of the kingdom. A steward of the kingdom, a partner of the Messiah, is not “[like a hired laborer waiting to be paid]” (Job 7:2). His eye is upon the glorious fulfillment of the divine purpose in which he is privileged to share. The point of this phrase of the reply may be illustrated by the replies of three men engaged in a building project to the question of what they were doing. One said, “I am laying bricks.” Another said, “I am making twenty dollars a day.” But the third replied, “I am building a church.”

Why does God sometimes address His words to Jacob and then to Israel even in the same verse of Scripture? I’m thinking about Isaiah 43:1.∼ Kathleen G.

Isa 43:1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

Dear Kathleen,

You make an excellent observation. Unlike Abraham, Sara or Joshua, who are never referred to by their original names once they are given a new one, Jacob occasionally remains Jacob even after he is renamed Israel. After the name change to Israel in Genesis 32:29, there are still many instances where Scripture talks about Jacob. In the instance to which you refer, both names appear in one verse.

In a nutshell and as a starting point, Jacob refers more to the individual family man while Israel refers more to his position as the head of a nation. Jacob has a dual nature as the patriarch who is both the father of the twelve tribes and the gateway to the ‘children of Israel’ as they morph into a nation. Though it is sometimes easier to spot than others, generally when he is called Jacob, it is in his private capacity as a father. However, when he is called Israel it is when he is acting as a towering figure whose life and all its details will impact the destiny of all who cleave to the God of Abraham for all times.