Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.”
Peter speaks up the moment the rich man has walked away, sad, unable to part with his possessions. His words sound like loyalty, and they were true. But the Lord's reply reaches far past the twelve disciples. It touches anyone who gives up anything for Him.
A claim made at a solemn moment
Peter's answer to that moment says something about the human heart.
William KellyWhat hearts we have! The ruler's case was solemn. The Lord's sentence that followed was more solemn still, and it fell on the amazed ears of the disciples. Yet it drew out a self-satisfied question from a man who seemed to be someone — yes, a pillar among those nearest to Jesus!
Peter's claim was true, and the Lord answers it.
What Peter's "all" amounted to
So how much was that "all" worth? Peter had been a fisherman, and the honest answer is small.
Hamilton SmithWhat, indeed, had he left, but a few old nets that needed mending! Let us beware of boasting in what we have given up for Christ. It has been well said, "The start of the race does not decide the contest. The end of it must be the great point. In that race there are many changes, and with them not a few slips, falls and reverses." The real question is not what we have left in the past. What are we doing today?
There is another side. Whatever the disciples handed over, Christ had repaid them long before they asked.
W. W. FeredayWhat was the "all" that Peter and his friends had forsaken? Just fishing boats and tackle, and a few family comforts. And what had they gained even in the present life? The knowledge of God as revealed in the Son, and the daily companionship of the Son of the Father's love.
The motive that makes leaving worth anything
The Lord's answer names one reason for leaving: "for my sake and the gospel's." Everything turns on that motive.
William KellyNote this well. The Lord speaks only of leaving natural ties for His own sake. Mark's account alone adds "and the gospel's," and it fits perfectly here. Peter, too, speaks of leaving all and following Him. To leave for the reward would be worthless, and, what is more, it never lasts. Christ is the only effective attraction, the motive that governs a renewed heart. There is pasture for the sheep, there is the flock also; but the sheep follow Christ, for they know His voice. Rewards will follow by and by, but saints do not follow the rewards, they follow the Lord.
What the follower receives
Christ's answer is generous. What we lose in one circle, we gain in a larger one.
Hamilton SmithIf we leave the circle of our natural relatives who do not believe, we find ourselves in the far larger circle of the family of God. This may result in a measure of persecution from the world circle that we have left, but it is the pathway into life.
The wording of the promise repays close reading. The Lord lists what we give up with "or," and what we receive with "and."
C. E. StuartNotice the separating word "or" in verse 29, and the joining word "and" in verse 30. One might be called to surrender "houses, or brothers, or sisters," and so on. Such a person shall receive a hundredfold, and the promise widens that to "houses, and brothers, and sisters," and so on. These two little words, "or" and "and," add weight to the gracious declaration.
Blessing that arrives with trouble attached
The hundredfold is not a quiet life. The promise and the persecution arrive together. And it is not a promise of riches.
J. N. DarbyThey would enjoy far more than the wretched things of this life — but with persecutions. So they have the promise of the life that now is, as well as of the life to come. It may not be a promise of riches. It is the true enjoyment of everything in the world according to God's will, and as gifts from God. But they will have to deal with the opposition of a world that does not know God.
Summary
- Leaving is real. Peter had truly left all and followed Christ. The claim itself was not false.
- Leaving is small. What Peter gave up was a few worn nets; boasting about what we surrendered mistakes a small thing for a great one.
- Leaving needs a motive. "For my sake and the gospel's" is the only reason that counts. Giving things up to collect a reward is worthless, and it never lasts.
- Leaving is repaid. You may give up houses or brothers or lands. You receive houses and brothers and lands. You trade a small natural circle for the far larger family of God.
- Leaving costs. The hundredfold arrives "with persecutions," and the promise covers this life and the life to come.