The Inheritance

Excerpt from What Was in It for Jesus

My parents have passed, and my wife, Karen’s parents have passed. We were our parents’ heirs. We received an inheritance that was shared with our siblings. The inheritance consisted of money and stuff. The money was shared equally, and stuff was divided up based on what individuals wanted. Some of the stuff was sold, and the money was distributed equally. We were blessed because all of the heirs were cooperative and no one was contrary. I am sure you have heard horror stories of heirs contesting the division of the inheritance.

That is the way inheritance is supposed to work. You can see that each heir received value from their part of the inheritance. Each heir has a feeling of being valued by being a recipient of the money and stuff. The stuff is in a special category of value. There is an emotional component. That special value is linked with the fact that it was the property of someone we loved and who loved us. Often, there may be special memories linked with the stuff.

 My wife has some jewelry that was her mother’s. Like many men, my tools are important to me, and I have some tools that belonged to my dad and some tools that belonged to my father-in-law. It doesn’t matter to me that they are duplicates of tools that I already have. Those tools are special because of who they belonged to. I carry a pocket knife that belonged to my father-in-law. Parts of it have fallen off, but it is still functional. I have other pocket knives, but that is the one I carry because it is special. In summary, an inheritance has both material value and emotional relationship value.

With that background, let us look at the verse from Ephesians 1.

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance (Ephesians 1:18).

As the inheritance of Jesus, believers have value to Him. Notice that His inheritance is described as rich and glorious. These words quantify and qualify the value with words that are superlatives. The inheritance that my wife and I received from our parents was nice, and it was valuable, and some of the stuff was special, but I would never describe it as rich and glorious, and this is no disrespect to our parents. Our parents would never have described the inheritance they left as rich and glorious. We would not describe the inheritance that we will leave to our heirs as rich and glorious.

I conclude that the inheritance that Jesus receives in his believers is of very high and unique quality. This requires some looking into further. But before we do, let’s look further into the inheritance transaction. To receive an inheritance, a person has to be a designated heir. Was Jesus an heir?

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory (Romans 8:17).

This verse clearly states that Jesus was an heir. It also identifies believers as God’s children. Here I begin to scratch my head. In my wife’s family and my family, the children were the heirs. However, our parents passed away before we received the inheritance. God the Father did not die. This raises a further question. Who had to die for believers to become Christ’s inheritance? If Jesus is the heir, why is He the one who died? Of course, He rose from the dead and is now alive forevermore.

More considerations. Clearly, in Scripture, we see the Father-Son relationship between God the Father and God the Son. In John 3:16, the Father gave the Son so that those who believe will not perish. Those who believed and do not perish are Jesus’ inheritance. The Son was obedient to the Father. Look carefully at these verses in which Jesus is describing His relationship with the Father and the Father’s relationship with believers.

The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him (John 8:29).

For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So, whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say (John 12:49-50).

I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them (John 17:6-10).

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world (John 17:20-24).

We can see that Jesus is saying that believers were given to Him by the Father. Jesus wants believers to see the glory He has received from the Father. Jesus has also given believers the glory He received from the Father. Jesus says He has received glory through believers. There is a lot of glories mentioned. Remember, believers are a glorious inheritance for Jesus.

Absolutely Necessary and Beyond

For there to be an inheritance, there has to be an heir. To be an heir, there has to be an inheritance. Heir and inheritance are a set. You cannot have one without the other. It just would not make sense. As an heir, Jesus had an inheritance, and that inheritance is me and all other believers. Full understanding is “beyond” mankind’s understanding and is part of the deep things of God. We do not have to completely understand it. Our task is to believe it. The “beyond” indicates that there is a “more than”.

By the way, believers also have an inheritance, but that is another story for another time.

always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light (Colossians 1:12 NLT).

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5).

Also, Jesus as heir and believers as an inheritance have a personal relationship component. Jesus’ inheritance is His holy people, not money and stuff.  It is people, His people. In our earthly experience, there almost always is a personal relationship between the heir and the person who was given the inheritance.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™