Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Mark 10:28

Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.

28. and have followed thee ] adding, as St Matthew relates, “what shall we have therefore?” In reply to which our Lord uttered glorious words respecting the Twelve Thrones to be occupied by the Apostles “in the Regeneration,” or “restoration of all things” (Mat 19:28).

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Mar 10:28-31

Lo, we have left all, and followed Thee.

Sacrifice and reward

Christ had pity for this young man. He saw his soul visited by the dream of a more perfect life; then the dissolving of the dream and the return to commonplace. It were impossible not to pity his after life, for he could never be the same again. How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the Kingdom of God. The disciples felt the difficulty. Then Peter said, We have left all, etc. It was very ill done of them, we say, very selfishly thought, and no good could come of it. That is the hard way in which we speak, but we forget, when we ask this fine spirituality from men who are beginning the higher life, that we are asking more than human nature can bear. We are asking of the student the self-denial of the scholar. Christ did not ask this; He was tender to spiritual childhood. He was satisfied with the seeds of affection. He knew that if love was there it would grow, and that as their mind advanced and their love changed to higher love, the reward desired would also change.

I. The sacrifice asked for here was to give up the whole world and its goods; to give them to the poor and to follow Christ. Is no one a Christian who does not utterly make it? Christ always asked for sacrifice of life, of self, for God. That is the principle. In this case a special form of the life was asked for, and for a special reason. The sacrifice of wealth was the special form. The special reason was this. Christ was the founder of a new method of religion; He wanted missionaries to propagate it. No one could think of Paul or Xavier or Henry Martyn with great possessions, without a smile at the incongruity. Apostolic work could not be done by a man with ten thousand a year. The special form of the demand was motived by special circumstances. Such a demand was not made of all rich men; it would be contrary to the universal character of His religion, which was to enter into the life of all classes, rich and poor, as a spirit. It would shut out all rich men from Christianity; it would upturn society for no good. In fifty years all the industrious and intelligent would be rich again. It would be wrong; for wealth has its duties, its own ideal of life. The wealthy are bound to keep their wealth, and to use it, but in obedience to the spirit of sacrifice.

II. All this kind of talk comes from persons being foolish enough to bind a spiritual idea into one special form. The spirit of sacrifice may express itself in a thousand different ways, even in opposite ways in different men, It may be the giving up of wealth in one man, the taking up its duties in another. One man may sacrifice by leaving those whom he loves, another by remaining at home. Take the principle; do not limit it to one meaning. That is one characteristic of the idea of sacrifice. It cannot be specialized. In one point the special demand made on the rich man is in accord with the whole idea of sacrifice; it is in its absoluteness. It asks us to give up all our selfish life. It is an impossible demand, say these persons. It was original, and Christ knew it. It did not say, like the moral law-this, do and you shall live, and you can do it. It did say This ideal life I set before you is far beyond mere conformity with law. It is perfection. You shall not live by doing it completely, but by loving it and labouring towards it. It will transcend eternal endeavour, and thus secure eternal progress. The morality of the law is measurable, it stops at a certain point. The righteousness I put before you is immeasurable, infinite as God. It was a higher method than that of the moralist. It is only by loving and following illimitable ideas that man grows great. Their impossibility is their highest virtue, and awakens the highest virtue; they kindle unfading aspiration. It is better for man to live by than the standard of immorality. I now turn to the question of reward as illustrated by the answer of Christ. It is the custom now to say that we are to live the high life without a single hope of future reward; to hope for it is to set religion on a selfish basis. But there is no selfishness in the doctrine of rewards offered by Christ. His rewards are naturally connected with the acts, following from them and contained in them, as a flower follows from, and is contained in, the seed. The word fruits is better than the word rewards. The fruits are multiplied results. To live, hoping for the reward of a more unselfish life, and becoming more unselfish as one hopes and acts for such a life-is it not too ludicrous to call that a selfish motive? The man who gave up lands, houses, etc., received them tenfold; but not in a way which could serve his selfishness; on the contrary, in a way which increased the spirit of a larger love. It lifted above the narrow circle of an isolated family rote union with mankind. Eternal life is another reward promised by Christ. He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life. It may co-exist with what the world calls misery-with persecutions. It cannot be material ease. So far, the element of ease or happiness is excluded. Love doubles itself by loving. Truth in us increases by being true. Mercy, purity, faith, hope, bring forth themselves in multiplied abundance. The sum of them all is a life with God and in God, and that is eternal life, a state of the soul. It cannot be selfish, it puts before man as his highest aim, union with God. (S. A. Brooke, M. A.)

Love consistent with reward

And the heart, do you believe that it can reconcile itself to your cold doctrine, and always love without hoping for return? It does not calculate, doubtless, but it believes that its flights do not disappear in a void. What is more disinterested than the love of a mother? Does she love her infant in order to be recompensed? Ah! though one should come and tell her that she must die before that infant can respond to her affection and reward her by a word, will she love it less, will she use the less on its behalf all that remains to her of energy and of life? Are there not every day and in all classes those martyrs of maternal love? And yet will you accuse a mother of loving less because, looking towards the future, she dreams with tremors of joy of the day when her infants look will respond to her look, when its heart will understand her, and when she will find in it her strength and her recompense? Her recompense, I have said Well, be consistent. Call her mercenary, accuse her of devoting herself to her task through self-interest, drag her to the tribunal of the human conscience, and, if she comes away from it condemned, you shall drag there the Christian who seeks his joy and his wages in the love of God, who finds his true life there, and who thirsts for immortality, because he thirsts for an eternal love. (E. Bersier, D. D.)

Following Christ

I. What is involved in being a true follower of Christ?

1. Partaking of His spiritual nature-being born again.

2. Resting upon the infinite merit of His atonement as the only ground of acceptance with God.

3. Sitting at His feet as a humble learner.

II. What are the distinguishing characteristics of the follower of Christ?

1. Willingness.

2. Humility.

3. Constancy.

4. Intimacy. Not as Peter, who followed afar off.

5. Exclusiveness-Jesus only.

III. What are the rewards of the follower of Christ?

1. Sonship.

2. Constant access to God.

3. The presence of Christ.

4. Protection in danger.

5. Light in darkness.

6. Salvation here and glory hereafter. (Anon.)

Gods mode of recompensing self-sacrifice

The man who renounces temporal advantages for Christs sake, is rewarded in kind as follows.

1. He has communion with God and His consolations, which are better than all he has given up; as Caleacius, that Italian marquis who left all for Christ, avowed them; and as Paulinus Nolanus, when his city was taken by the barbarians, prayed thus to God, Lord, let me not be troubled at the loss of my gold and silver, for Thou art all in all to me. Communion with Jesus Christ is heaven beforehand, the anticipation of glory.

2. God often gives His suffering servants here such supplies of their outward losses, in raising them up other friends and means, as do abundantly outweigh what they have parted with. David was driven from his wife; but gained, in Jonathan, a friend whose love was beyond that of women. So though Naomi lost her husband and children, Boaz, Ruth, and Obed became to her instead of all. The apostles left their houses and household stuff to follow Christ, but then they had the houses of all godly people open to them, and free for them, and happy was that Lydia who could entertain them; so that, having nothing, they yet possessed all things. They left a few friends, but they found far more wherever they came.

3. God commonly exalts His people to the contrary good to that evil they suffer for Him; as Joseph, from being a slave became a ruler; as Christ, who was judged by men, is Judge of all. The first thing that Caius did, after he came to the empire, was to prefer Agrippa, who had been imprisoned for wishing him emperor. The king of Poland sent Zelislaus, his general, who had lost his hand in war, a golden hand instead of it. God is far more liberal to those who serve and suffer for Him. Can any son of Jesse do for us as He can? (John Trapp.)

The Lords reply to Peter shows

1. That he does not need mans work in the sense that He must pay wages for it. There is no comparison between what is given; an hundredfold will be returned.

2. That Christian work must be done in the spirit of devotion, not of calculation. Many of the first may work in a wrong spirit, and become last.

3. The reward may not come in this life; the work is spiritual, as are the wages. (T. M. Lindsay, D. D.)

Reward of self-sacrifice

Jesus, knowing out of the depth of His own experience how great is the joy of self-sacrifice, how transcendently superior to anything else, assures them that they will have their reward both here and hereafter. Here, in a vastly intensified appreciation of earthly enjoyments, finding new homes and new friends wherever they go, and seeing new beauty in the commonest things-in earth and air, and sky and sea. It was true they would meet with persecutions, but these would not mar their happiness, for by a mysterious law, understood by those alone who experienced them, they were accompanied by a joy unspeakable and full of glory. And hereafter they would receive the fullest compensation, an eternal weight of glory in the life everlasting. (H. M. Luckock, D. D.)

My Fathers will

A pious old man was one day walking to the sanctuary with a New Testament in his hand, when a friend who met him said, Good morning, neighbour. Ah! Good morning, replied he; I am reading my Fathers will as I walk along. Well, what has He left you? said his friend. Why, He has bequeathed me a hundred fold more in this life, and, in the world to come, life everlasting. It was a word in season; his Christian friend was in circumstances of affliction, but he went home comforted.

Things to come are yours

Had Queen Elizabeth foreknown, whilst she was in prison, what a glorious reign she would have for forty-four years, she would never have wished herself a milk-maid. So, did but the saints understand what great things abide them both here and hereafter, they would bear anything cheerfully. (John Trapp.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

See Poole on “Mat 19:27“, and following verses to Mat 19:30. Our Saviour having blessed the poor, especially such as had stripped themselves of all for his sake and the gospels, Peter raised up hopes to himself, who had no riches to trust in or have his heart cleave unto, and had stripped himself of all that little he had to follow Christ. Christ assures him that neither he, nor any other that had done so, should by it lose any thing; for though in this life they should have persecutions, yet they should be amply rewarded in value, if not in kind, in this world, and with infinite happiness in the next.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

Then Peter began to say unto him,…. only observing that Christ promised treasure in heaven to the young man, provided he sold all that he had, and gave it to the poor; but being, in some measure, freed from that surprise and astonishment, which had seized him, and his fellow disciples, at the representation of the difficulty of a rich man’s entering into the kingdom of God, by the last words; and taking heart from thence, began to take notice of the following case, as an instance and illustration of what Christ had said; for that same power, which had caused them to quit all their worldly substance for Christ, though it was but small, could also work a like effect upon the heart of a man ever so rich:

lo! we have left all, and have followed thee: in Matthew it is added, “what shall we have therefore?” [See comments on Mt 19:27].

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Peter began to say ( ). It was hard for Peter to hold in till now. Mt 19:27 says that “Peter answered” as if the remark was addressed to him in particular. At any rate Peter reminds Jesus of what they had left to follow him, four of them that day by the sea (Mark 1:20; Matt 4:22; Luke 5:11). It was to claim obedience to this high ideal on their part in contrast with the conduct of the rich young ruler.

Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament

1) “Then Peter began to say unto Him,” (erksato legein ho Petros auto) “Peter began to say (explain) to Him,” in context, to ask a “covetous,” selfish question, a question of ”what do I or we get out of it?” of leaving all for you.

2) ”Lo, we have left all,” (idou hemeis aphekamen panta) ”Behold, or you realize that we left all things,” all our possessions, once for all, and our Lord knew this and anticipated the question in His mind, Mat 6:33, Php_4:19.

3) ”And have followed thee.” (kai ekolouthekamen) “And we have followed you.” Our Lord had long before answered this care-problem of their minds and their lives in the sermon on the mount, Mat 5:1-12; Mat 5:16; Mat 5:25-34.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES

Mar. 10:30. The world to come.The age which is comingthe Messianic or Christian era, which was inaugurated by the descent of the Holy Spiritthe Life-giveron the Day of Pentecost. Eternal life begins now, in this present world of sense and time.

MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Mar. 10:28-31

(PARALLELS: Mat. 19:27-30; Luk. 18:28-29.)

The all-forsaking spirit and its reward.The apostles, on witnessing the incident of Mar. 10:17-27, could not fail to make a personal application of it to themselves. They remembered the timenot long beforewhen each of them had been placed in a similar predicament: their own deceitful hearts soliciting them to remain as they were; and the imperious voice of One greater than their hearts saying, Forsake all, and follow Me. And so they did. Will any say that these were poor men possessed of nothing worth mentioning, and that it required no great sacrifice to renounce a world which smiles not on such as they? Not so. A man can but give up his all. It costs a poor man as much to give up his daily labour, his mean abode, his little substance, as it does a rich man to part with his great possessions. The world is as dear and the ties of home are as strong to one as to the other.

I. The sense in which this declaration was first made.The circumstances of the calling of these disciples were not, then, so different after all from those of the young man. But the result was exactly opposite. The one went away sorrowful; the others followed, and patiently continued with Him who called them. They not only acquiesced in their forlorn and destitute condition, but actually gloried in it, when they had respect unto the recompense of the reward. It was no dissatisfaction with their present mode of life, no hankering after the ease and comfort of former days, that prompted the exclamation, Lo, we have left all, and have followed Thee! We learn from Mat. 19:27 that Peter added the question, What shall we have therefore? We cannot suppose that he was ignorant of the nature and magnitude of that compensation, in consideration of which he and all of them had made so great a sacrifice. But in an affair of such importance, where so much present benefit is surrendered, the mind naturally seeks all the satisfaction it can procure in regard to the security of the investment. As the miser is not content to know that he possesses so much gold, but opens his bags and gloats over the glittering hoard day after day, so those who have staked their all for a future and distant good may be excused a little anxiety on the score of the anticipated return.

II. The sense in which we may make the same renunciation.To follow Christ is a common expression to denote almost any relation to or reception of Him. But we cannot properly lay claim to a part of Peters profession without accepting the whole. We may forsake all and follow Christ, or we may refuse to forsake all and decline to follow Christ; but to assent to the one and reject the other is impossible and absurd. Strange that men should ever dream of such a contradiction! The mistake arises, doubtless, from confounding the mere act of forsaking all for Christ with the mind and spirit which alone gives any value to the act, and which may exist equally without the act. The act may or may not be required; but no condition of life or change of circumstances can dispense with the all-forsaking spirit. The letter of this principleWe have left all, etc.if universally acted upon, would make the world a desert, and involve laws, morals, and religion itself in one universal chaos: the spirit of it is a spirit of peace, order, harmony, supports laws, perfects morals, and is the life and soul of religion.

III. Wherein the all-forsaking spirit consists, and how it acts.

1. We may discern it in a Christians use of this worlds good. Instead of literally forsaking all for Christ, it may be his duty to hold all for Christ, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, giving not grudgingly or of necessity, but cheerfully. This spirit is entirely opposed to that cool and calculating charity which is always saying, Let the children first be fed; let us wait till the end of the year, and see what remains after all expenses are met, and all claims provided for. That is charity also: that has its praise; but not the praise of those who seek first the kingdom, etc. That would have listened complacently to the commandment, Give alms of thy goods; but would have gone away sorrowful on being told, If thou wilt be perfect, give all that thou hast. That may be called the giving-up-something spirit, not the giving-up-all. The Pharisee who gave tithes of all he possessed is an example of the one; the poor widow who cast into the treasury all that she had is the best illustration of the other.

2. Not in pecuniary sacrifices only, or even chiefly, is the all-forsaking spirit shewn. Ancient history tells of a king who enjoyed such uniform prosperity that he began to fear his good fortune might excite the envy of the gods, and end in some dreadful disaster. To prevent this he was advised to part voluntarily with the most valued possession he had, and that one the loss of which he would feel most. So he bethought himself which among all his treasures answered best to this description; and having found it (a gold ring or some such trifle), with his own hand he cast it into the sea. So the Christian manifests his readiness to give up all for Christ by giving up that which is most precious to him, whatever it be. To some persons their time is the most valuable of all their possessions; and a portion of every day, redeemed from the engrossing cares of business, and devoted to the glory of God and the improvement and benefit of the world, is the best proof of their willingness (if need be) to forsake all and follow Christ. Others, who are not selfish persons, nor wanting in sympathy with the concerns of their neighbours, are yet fond of ease and quiet, and averse to everything likely to involve them in the strife and tumult of the world. These shew a disposition to forsake all for Christ when, from love for Him and His brethren, they give up their cherished retirement, and go about doing that good which the mere liberal giver can never accomplish.

3. So far we have thought of things which must be voluntarily renounced and cast behind us. Other things there are which, while we have them, we are permitted to enjoy, but which we may at any time be called on to resign. Indeed this is the tenure on which we hold all our precious things: riches make themselves wings, and fly away; the faces of beloved friends fade as we gaze on them; life itself is but a transitory vapour. Now with respect to such things as these the all-forsaking spirit has a twofold operation: when deprived of them, it meekly resigns; while enjoying them, it prepares to resign. Both are hard, especially the latter. It is hard to give upharder still to procure and preserve that state of mind which is always ready to give up, always prepared to hear the rod and who hath appointed it. This is the disposition for all to cultivate who profess and call themselves Christians. It is not the short, sharp conflict of a day, or even the protracted battle of many days, but the continual warfare of life, which ends only with all human affections and all earthly objects. For the Pauline conception of this disposition, see 1Co. 7:29-31; and for the Johannine, 1Jn. 2:15-17.

4. We should perhaps never think of reckoning among our treasures the lusts and appetites, human passions and natural affections, which belong to us as men. Yet are there no possessions which we can so strictly call our own, or which we are so unwilling to part with, as these. Do they not reside in and proceed out of the heart? And if a mans heart is not his own, what else, whether within or without the body, can be so called? As, on the other hand, if a man is able at the word of Christ to tear out his own heart and cast it from him, will he not much more forsake all that he hath besides? This is our Lords meaning in Mat. 5:29-30. In the extirpation of every thought, desire, and affection contrary to the will of God the all-forsaking spirit has ample scope for all its energies.

IV. The reward of the all-forsaking spirit.

1. Even the temporal condition of one whose heart and affections have been trained in the self-denying school of Christ is far better than that of those who use this world to the full, who say to their soul, Luk. 12:19. What is the great secret of human happiness? Is it not to be without carefulnessto enjoy our present comforts and to have no disquieting apprehensions of ills to cometo lie down at night with peace in our heart? Now this state of mind is the assured possession of him who has forsaken all for Christ. He, and none but he, can say, I shall never be moved. The changes and chanceseven the persecutionsof the world are nothing to him. He is satisfied from himself. He brings forth his happiness from the good treasure of his heart, and therefore it never fails. He receives a hundredfold morein the testimony of his conscience, in the love of God, and in the patient waiting for Christthan if he had grasped these things which crumble at a touch, or clung to these bruised reeds, on which, etc. (2Ki. 18:21).

2. And in the world to comeeternal life. There the Christian will meet again all those good things which he has, in heart and will at least, if not in deed, forsaken here. There he will find the worldly wealth which he scattered in Christs name; the much-loved ease which, to promote Christs interests, he was content to be without; the dear earthly delights which it was lawful for him to enjoy, yet more for Christs glory that he should give up. There he rests from his labours, etc. (Rev. 14:13). There, finally, whatever he enjoys, it is with the delightful consciousness, never felt on earth, that his joy no man taketh from him, that his treasure is in heaven, and can neither fade nor fail.

The trials and reward of the missionary.God, in order to determine His people to a cordial and zealous fulfilment of His will in all things, even in those things which are most trying to faith and repulsive to flesh and blood, employs every kind of influence which is suited to His character and adapted to their nature. He employs the influence of His authority to command them, of His displeasure to warn them, of His love to constrain them, of His ability and willingness to recompense, in order to induce and to win them. And there are in all genuine disciples principles powerfully susceptible of all these influencesmeek obedience to His will, awe of His displeasure, constraint by His love, and a holy ambition to acquire the rewards of grace.

I. The call of the missionary to make the sacrifices which our Lord here specifies.

1. His call originates in the gracious purposes of God to have all the nations of the earth turned unto Himself by the power of the gospel.

2. This call flows from the commandment which the Redeemer has laid upon His Church to proceed in carrying this purpose into effect without delay (Mar. 16:15; Act. 1:8). The faithful missionary hears the commandment, and hastens to the fulfilment of it, both in his labours and his prayers.

3. The missionary hears himself specially called by God to the service of His gospel in distant lands. He sees the purpose of God, and longs to have it fulfilled; he hears the command of God, and is moved to obey it; he perceives the promises of God to this work, and desires to seek the benefit of them; he feels the love of souls, and cannot be at rest while they are perishing; he sees the sacrifices and the dangers, but is not dismayed by them; he understands the nature of the work required, and believes that he may by grace be made instrumental in fulfilling it. And what is all this but the witness in himself that he is called of God to go far hence to the Gentiles, as if he heard a voice from heaven saying to him, I have made thee a minister, etc. (Act. 26:16-18).

4. He feels called by the imploring cry of a perishing world, Come over, and help us. He is not insensible to their sorrows because they are thousands of miles distant from him, and seas roll between, and his eye has never looked upon their wretchedness.

II. The sacrifices which are required of the Christian missionary.

1. As the Church must enlighten the world by the instituted means of grace, some must go forth from it to carry these means and apply them to the heathen nations.
2. The missionary presents himself to the Church as ready to undertake all the labours, privations, and sacrifices in the work, and encounter all its difficulties and perils, if they at home will only support him with their habitual prayers, aiding and encouraging him under his trials, and ministering to his wants as far as his circumstances in providence may require.
3. Missionaries, in going forth to the heathen, must leave behind them not only their country, but relatives, and houses, and lands, and whatever nature esteems dear; and they have the feelings of nature in common with others.
4. They have unnumbered and unknown perils, privations, and sufferings to expect. They are exposed to the perils of the traveller both by sea and by land. The hazards to which they are exposed from climate are none of the least appalling to those who have the same love of life with other men. They are exposed to perils from those among whom they labourfrom the barbarity of savage tribes, and the more monstrous enmity and persecution of civilised and nominally Christian colonists. Though they should escape all these evils, they have still difficulties and vexations to encounter in their work itself which are none of the least trying to the spirits of mendifficulties from language, from the inveterate ignorance of those whom they seek to enlighten, their incurable superstitions, or their confirmed habits of vice and ungodliness; while open resistance will usually be raised up by Satan from quarters whence it was least expected and where it proves the most effectual.

III. The motives which determine and encourage the missionary to embrace these sacrifices.

1. Love to the Redeemer, and desire that He may be glorified.
2. Admiration of the gospel as the power of God, and the wisdom of God, unto the salvation of men.
3. Compassion and love to mankind for Christs sake. He is impelled by some portion of the Spirit of Him who, moved by love for our race, left His Fathers bosom, and tabernacled for a season in our sinful and wretched world, partaking of its sorrowswhose compassion was moved to intensity when He beheld the multitudes, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd. This compassion may be felt strongly by the missionary even at home, but far more powerfully when he is set down in the midst of the objects of his sympathy and his eye has looked upon their miseries.

IV. Their reward.

1. They are chosen vessels to the most arduous and honourable part of the work of Christ on earth. To be occupied in this work is the highest glory of man, the chief happiness of the renewed mind. It assimilates to Christ, who came not to do His own will, but the will of Him that sent Him. It assimilates them to angels, who are occupied in doing His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word.

2. The honour of eminent suffering for Christ. Paul rejoiced in his sufferings for the Church (Col. 1:24), and spake of suffering for Christ as an honour peculiarly given to such of the saints as were called to it (Php. 1:29). And truly these sufferings cannot appear a small honour to any who behold in them a manifest token that they shall reign with Him (2Ti. 2:12), and know that they are working for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.Joseph Hay, M.A.

OUTLINES AND COMMENTS ON THE VERSES

Mar. 10:29. Sacrifice of all.Let no man say that this sacrifice of theirs was a trifling one. True it is they were poor men and had nothing to part with but their boats and their nets; but let us remember that the little that a poor man hath is as much to him as are riches to the wealthy. If a man be thirsty, it is as hard to persuade him to pour on the ground a single cup of water as to prevail upon another to cast away a whole barrel. It is a triumph of grace, then, when the poor forsakes his little, as well as when the rich counts his abundance as dross for Christs sake.H. Verschoyle.

For My sake.These three words make secular things sacred. You may go to your farm, or to your merchandise, you may sing songs, or paint pictures, or build houses, or make shoes, or heal bodies, and all these things become sacred if they are done for the love of Christ: For My sake.F. Harper.

Mar. 10:30. An hundredfold now.What shall we say to this bountiful promise? Shall we say it is merely a flourish of words from the lips of Eternal Truth? God forbid! These are the words of truth and soberness. Looking back on the first disciples, we see this promise fulfilled: but how?

1. Though the disciples had but little left, or afterwards received but little in the stead of what they had lost, yet had they a good title to that little, and you can without difficulty conceive a man having greater enjoyment in the possession of one acre of land on a good title than ten acres on a disputed one. The child of God holds what he possesses as a gift conferred upon him in virtue of Christs propitiatory sacrifice; the ungodly holds his possessions as things already forfeited by his sin; hence it is written, Psa. 37:16.

2. They had, besides, the capacity given them of enjoying their little, which is often denied to the most affluent. Contentment is the handmaid of real godliness; when it is joined to godliness there is great gain, because it gives a sweet relish to the most slender provision, it transforms straitness into abundance.H. Verschoyle.

The Christians gain in this world.The Christian gains back again already in this world, in the higher form of real spiritual essence, whatever in the physical and symbolical form of his life he has forfeited: houses enough, in the entertainment afforded him by his spiritual associates who receive him; brothers and sisters, in the highest sense of the term; mothers, who bless and tend the life of his soul; children, of his spirit; lands, of his activity, of his higher enjoyment of nature, of his delights; and all this ever purer, ever richer, as an unfolding of that eternal inheritance of which it is said, All things are yours, in spite of whatever persecutions of the world which dim the glory of these things.J. P. Lange, D.D.

Mar. 10:31. First and last.On occasions that call for a great prompt sacrifice in the interests of a worthy cause, or upon the altar of truth and principle, have you not seen, now and again, some very religious and virtuous people wonderfully outdone by some who had had but little credit for conscientiousness or moral seriousness, men to whom you would never have looked for anything like the magnanimous spirit and conduct that distinguish them? The very greatest are often behind others for a while, like your dull, slow schoolboy, who turns out afterwards a brilliant man, while his more brilliant schoolmate, who got all the praise and prizes, dims and fades beside him, the tortoise in the end beating the hare. The best are often the tortoise in development, just because they are the best, and have so much more in them to develop.S. A. Tipple.

ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 10

Mar. 10:28. Choosing Christ.The poet George Herbert was so highly connected, and in such favour at court, that at one time a secretaryship of state seemed to him not unattainable. But he gave up all such prospects for the work of a humble clergyman, and in looking back upon the time when he made his choice, he could say: I think myself more happy than if I had attained what then I so ambitiously thirsted for. And I can now behold the court with an impartial eye, and see plainly that it is made up of frauds and bitters and flattery, and many other such empty, imaginary, and painted pleasurespleasures which are so empty as not to satisfy when they are enjoyed. But in God and His service is a fulness of all joy and pleasure, and no satiety.

Mar. 10:29. For My sakeGeorge Mller, the founder of the Ashley Down Orphanage, once said that more than 800,000 had been given him towards the support of more than eight thousand orphansa work of which a sceptic once remarked that it came nearer proving the truth of Christianity than anything he had ever seen before. But the history of it all may be written in three wordsFor My sake. And how many hospitals too have been built because Christ healed the sick! You may grave For My sake on a good many of the foundation stones. Again, Christian people are found to live and work in the East End of LondonChristian people who have the means to live in comfort and luxury elsewhere, but who choose to live where they do in order that they may rescue the perishing and care for the dying. Why? For My sake. How is it that loving hands all over England are willing to sew and make garments in order that the gospel may reach the zenanas of India? Here again (and the list might be multiplied indefinitely) it is done For My sake. Young men of wealth or talent forsake home and friends and all in order to preach Jesus Christ in India, China, Japan, or Africa. Henry Martyn leaves his books, David Livingstone his loom, Mackay the engineering shed, Charles Studd the bar, and Stanley Smith fresh from the University crewall these and myriads more of whom the world is not worthy have gone forth for life or death, and here again the only explanation is, For My sake.

Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell

C. PETERS HASTY WORDS. 10:28-31

TEXT 10:28-31

Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or lands, for my sake, and for the gospels sake, but he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.

THOUGHT QUESTION 10:28-31

552.

Why did Peter ask this question?

553.

Show the low spiritual tone in the question asked by Peter.

554.

Did Peter feel he and the other apostles had done what Jesus asked the rich young ruler to do?

555.

Had Jesus said anything about the advantages in following Him? (Cf. His words to the rich young ruler.)

556.

Is Peter saying that he and the other apostles actually left all to follow Jesus with the thought of getting more than they left?

557.

Please notice that Jesus did not direct His answer to Peterwhat does this imply? There are to be rewardsbut for whom? How?

558.

Please be specific in your understanding of just how we can receive a hundred fold of houses, brethren, sisters, mothers, children, landswith persecutions. If you can not give a specific answer(one with personal meaning) think and pray and study until you can.

559.

Why add the warning of Mar. 10:31? What does it mean?

COMMENT 10:28-31

TIME.March, A.D. 30.
PLACE.In Pereaat the same time and place as the incident with the rich young ruler.

PARALLEL ACCOUNTS.Mat. 19:27-30; Luk. 18:28-30.

OUTLINE.1. Look at us: we have left all to follow you. Mar. 10:28. 2. No one has left all to follow me who will not be rewarded a hundred fold along with persecutions and in the age to come eternal life, Mar. 10:29-30. 3. Warningthe first may be lastThe last may be first, Mar. 10:31.

ANALYSIS

I.

LOOK AT US: WE HAVE LEFT ALL TO FOLLOW YOU, Mar. 10:28.

1.

Right after Jesus words to the disciples about riches and the kingdom Peter responds.

2.

We are examples of those who have left all to follow. (What shall we receive in return?)

II.

NO ONE HAS LEFT ALL TO FOLLOW ME WHO WILL NOT BE REWARDED A HUNDRED-FOLDALONG WITH PERSECUTIONSIN THE AGE TO COME ETERNAL LIFE, Mar. 10:29-30.

1.

Jesus replied emphaticallytruly

2.

This principle applies to allanyone who leaves all to follow Me will be rewarded a hundred-fold and at the endeternal life.

3.

Such reward will be accompanied with persecution.

III.

WARNINGTHE FIRST MAY BE LASTTHE LAST MAY BE FIRST, Mar. 10:31.

1.

Somelike you, Peterstart poorly but finish well.

2.

Somelike the rich young rulerstart well but do not finish.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

I.

LOOK AT US: WE HAVE LEFT ALL TO FOLLOW YOU.

Mar. 10:28. Peter, as usual, speaks for them all, saying, in substance, We have done what this man would not: we have accepted the kingdom on the right terms at personal sacrifice, The question, What shall we have, therefore? added in Matthew, is plainly implied here and in Luke, Here is a frank statement of self-seeking, even in self-renunciation; self-denial in the hope of direct returns. The apostles were still hoping that their special honors in the kingdom would make amends for everything. Yet in the words of Peter now there may be a tone of despair, in view of the depression of their prospects implied in the words just spoken: What shall we have, what amends, if the kingdom is to be of this exacting and unambitious kind? No concealment anywhere of the low spiritual tone of the disciples.

II.

NO ONE HAS LEFT ALL TO FOLLOW ME WHO WILL NOT BE REWARDED A HUNDRED-FOLDALONG WITH PERSECUTIONSIN THE AGE TO COME ETERNAL LIFE.

Mar. 10:29-30. How tender and wise the answer! There is no distinct rebuke, but there is a silent one in the fact that the promise is made, not to the apostles only, but to all who make such sacrifices as they speak of. Apostles have no exclusive claim, nor even an assurance of pre-eminence in this respect. The rewards of the kingdom are for all the faithful, all who, for my sake, and the gospels, have forsaken what they held dear. Note the true suggestionthat the forsaking must be for a person and for a principle. Jesus wishes not to be regarded apart from the gospel, nor can the gospel be regarded as a true object of sacrifice apart from Jesus. So in chap. Mar. 8:38. The promise seems to mean (for of course the promise of multiplication of goods cannot be taken literally) that all good that is given up for Christ shall be immeasurably more precious to the soul for the surrender. It shall be given back to the soul, if not to the hands, enhanced a hundred-fold in value. It may be given back to the handsi.e. sacrifices may be required in spirit that are not called for in the course of divine providenceand in that case the hundred-fold of new preciousness is always found, But to the soul all that is given up for Christ shall be returned, and thus graciously multiplied. (The possible thoughts of the lad who gave up his loaves and fishes, Joh. 6:9). The principle of self-sacrifice sweetens life instead of embittering it, and the experience of self-denial surprises the soul with unthought-of wealth. So much at present; and in the age that is coming, with its full spiritual rewards, eternal life, So 1Ti. 4:8.But the warning lies in the solemn reservation, preserved by Mark alone, With persecutions. No easy way leads to these honors and rewards (2Ti. 3:12; 2Co. 11:23-27; 2Co. 6:4-10). Even when outward persecution is not, still the principle is the same: it is no easy way.The hundred-fold will not prevent the persecutions; but neither will the persecutions interfere with the coming of the hundred-fold.

III.

WARNINGTHE FIRST MAY BE LASTTHE LAST MAY BE FIRST.

Mar. 10:31. A wise caution. The judgment of God is according to truth, and rank will finally be determined by true judgment and not according to present appearances. Let no man boast; even the rich young man who has gone away sorrowful may possibly yet outrank the apostles. Here, according to Matthew, our Lord adds the parable of the Laborers (Mat. 20:1-16) to illustrate the solemn warning, many that are first shall be last; and the last first, to which, at the end of the parable, he returns.The rich young man we see no more, unless under his proper name. Those who think that he may have been Lazarus suggest that his sickness, death, and resurrection, or some part of that great experience, may have been used by God, to whom all things are possible, in bringing him to the spirit of the kingdom. Whoever he may have been, we cannot suppress the hope that he who is said to have loved him did not leave him to himself. (W. N. Clarke)

FACT QUESTIONS

10:28-31

589.

Is there in the words of Peter a tone of despair? Why?

590.

Show how there is not a distinct rebuke to Peter but a very real silent one.

591.

What was said about a person and a principle?

592.

What sweetens life? What surprise is in store for the soul who exercises self-denial?

593.

Why say with persecutionsShow how this principle is reflected in other references.

594.

Read Mat. 20:1-16 and show the connection with Mar. 10:31.

595.

Why do some say the rich young man was Lazarus? or Saul of Tarsus?

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

(28-31) Then Peter began to say unto him.See Notes on Mat. 19:27-30. St. Mark omits the question which St. Matthew adds to St. Peters words, What shall we have therefore?

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

‘Peter began to say to him, “Lo, we have left all and followed you.” ’

The thought of who could be saved, and that salvation is impossible to men, must have been disturbing to these men who had followed Jesus. After all, was that not why they were following Jesus? It could only make them wonder about their own position. And Peter spoke for them all when he asked this question. Where did they stand? After all, they had done what the young man would not do. They had left all and followed Him.

The first verb is in the aorist indicating an instantaneous action, the making of the first choice, ‘left all once for all’, the second in the perfect (the probable reading) indicating something which was done and continues, ‘have followed you and still do’.

But in Mark, where the immediate reply is omitted (see Mat 19:27), Peter’s question can seem almost to be greedy, as though he was asking what rewards they would get. However, we think that because of  the nature of Jesus’ reply  rather because of Peter’s question and expectation. Peter was not asking what rewards they would get. In the light of the previous comments about riches it would hardly be in his mind as a question to put to Jesus at that time. What he was concerned about was whether, considering their position, God would work the impossible on them, giving them the eternal life that the young man had been seeking. It was a reasonable question and in the circumstances to be expected.

It was Jesus Himself Who seemingly expanded His reply by saying that not only were they sure to receive eternal life in the world to come if they truly followed Him, but also that they would receive many benefits in this life, even though not in the way that men in general sought them. There would be unexpected rewards resulting from Christian fellowship and sharing. What would be involved for them meanwhile, both positively and negatively, would be sacrifice, God’s provision, persecution and finally eternal life. We must not blame Peter because Jesus graciously offered more than he asked.

But another point should be borne in mind, and that is that according to Matthew, Jesus gave another reply first which threw a whole new light on the situation. So first let us consider what Mark did not say.

EXCURSUS. The Gospel of Matthew’s Additional Words.

Mat 19:27 adds to Peter’s words the phrase ‘what then shall we have?’ In context this has in mind salvation and entry under the Kingly Rule of God. What Peter was asking was, ‘in view of what you have said what future is there for us? Will God work that salvation in us?’ He was not necessarily thinking of riches, for what he had just seen with the rich young man, and had heard in Jesus’ reply, would surely have made him think the opposite. What he was concerned about was what was in store for them and whether they would be privileged to have eternal life.

To this question Jesus did not just say that they need not be concerned because their salvation was assured by the grace of God. Rather He sought to give them the grand vision which would help to sustain them in days to come. He replied, “Truly I tell you, that you who have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of Man will sit on the throne of His glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones judging (administering and directing and acting as guide to) the twelve tribes of Israel.” He repeated the last part of this at the Last Supper (Luk 22:30).

This reply was an absolute assurance of their salvation and of eternal life, of entering into the Kingly Rule of God, because they had truly responded to Him and followed Him (whereby Judas was excluded). But it was more than that, it was a guarantee of the future. It was a guarantee of final triumph in the face of what was to come. Man might do his worst but God would finally bring about the regeneration, and then ‘you who have followed me’ (thus finally excluding Judas, a warning to all) would be there in positions of authority fulfilling a new function as disciples and Apostles.

‘The regeneration.’ The new beginning, the renewal of things, when through His Chosen One, His Messiah, God would bring about His purposes. It would begin in Acts 2. Jesus wants them to know that it is finally assured, and that when it is so they will share prominently in it, as they did.

‘You also will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’ In other words the Israel of God (Gal 6:16; Joh 15:1-6) will finally be established, with the disciples acting as servants over it. Like the sons of the ‘anointed one’ of old they will sit on the thrones of the house of David and act as ‘judges’ in Jerusalem’ (Psa 122:5). The ‘twelve tribes’ means simply ‘all Israel’, (for there became in fact thirteen tribes). And the church could therefore be addressed as ‘the twelve tribes’ (Jas 1:1) because they were the new Israel sprouting from the old (Eph 2:11-22). Thus the promise is that the true Israel will be established and they, His disciples, will be in authority over it. Furthermore their prominent position in the new Jerusalem, the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb 12:22), would also be secure (they would receive both in this life and in the one to come – Mar 10:30). The saying should not be taken too literally. Judas for one would certainly not end up sitting on a throne, and to sit on His right hand and on His left was not His to give (Mar 10:40). Indeed Jesus closed by warning that those who were first may in the end be last. The idea was rather of their certain, significant and unique participation, if they were faithful, in the final fulfilment of God’s purposes. We may note that some saying like this was necessary in order to explain the ambitions of James and John in Mar 10:37. But note that there the ‘judging’ is expressed as being in terms of service. They were not to look forward to lording it over people. They were to look forward to humble service.

(END OF EXCURSUS).

Returning to Mark we find that his emphasis is that those who follow Jesus will not finally lose by it and will finally receive eternal life.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

The reward of the followers of Christ:

v. 28. Then Peter began to say unto Him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed Thee.

v. 29. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for My sake and the Gospel’s

v. 30. but he shall receive an hundredfold, now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions, and in the world to come eternal life.

v. 31. But many that are first shall be last; and the last, first.

The incident they had just witnessed set the disciples to thinking. And Peter, always forward, whose heart had by no means been fully weaned from the things of this world, proposed a question, probably in the name of all the disciples. With meaning emphasis and with a backward look at the rich young man that had proved himself unequal to the test, he reminds Christ of the fact that they have left all they had behind and entered into His discipleship. But with all his self-consciousness, Peter did not quite dare to finish the question. But Jesus knew and understood. It was His mercy that had called Peter and all the disciples, and they were receiving every day of their discipleship under this wonderful Master more than they had left. But Jesus gave them a further reassurance. If one leaves all that has been dear to him in this world, all his relatives, his house, and all his goods, for the sake of the Redeemer and because of the Gospel, Christ’s reward of mercy will be correspondingly great, yea, an hundredfold greater and richer than a person could expect. He that loves Christ and His service more than anything on earth, will receive a compensation far exceeding all that he can understand. Even in this world, in the riches of Christ and the Gospel and the Kingdom of Grace, relationships are established which are far closer and dearer than all blood-relationships of this world. And, in addition, there are richer goods, more wonderful, more lasting possessions that are gained here. They outlast this world. What if they are accompanied by persecutions from the children of this world! They are merely a relish, they merely enhance the value of the spiritual blessings in heavenly gifts which fall to the lot of the believers. And all these gifts merge into the still more wonderful possessions of eternal life, where the fullness of God’s riches of mercy will be showered upon those that have remained faithful to the end. This hundredfold compensation, extending into the life beyond, is so certain that its not having been received presupposes the not having forsaken. The depth, fullness, and satisfying beauty of this reward of mercy cannot be adequately described with human language. But Christ adds a word of warning against security. A mere outward membership in the Church, though it may have begun in Baptism, is no guarantee of these blessings of mercy. And even if a person for the sake of the Lord has worked, suffered, sacrificed much, he should beware lest he put his trust in these works, and hope to gain heaven on the strength of his having done more than others. He that wants to earn anything before God with his works, and finally puts his trust in his works, falls from grace and has no place in the kingdom of heaven. But all poor sinners that hope to be saved by faith only will be received by the Friend and Savior of sinners.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

Mar 10:28-31 . See on Mat 19:27-30 ; Luk 18:28-30 . Matthew is in part more complete (Mar 10:28 coming certainly under this description), in part abridging (Mar 10:29 ), but, even with this abridgment, more original. See on Mat 19:29 .

] “spe ex verbis salvatoris concepta,” Bengel.

The question in Matthew, ., is obvious of itself, even although unexpressed (not omitted by Mark in the Petrine interest, as Hilgenfeld thinks), and Jesus understood it.

Mar 10:29 f. The logical link of the two clauses is: No one has forsaken, etc., if he shall not have (at some time) received, i.e. if the latter event does not occur, the former has not taken place; the hundredfold compensation is so certain, that its non-occurrence would presuppose the not having forsaken. The association of thought in Mar 4:22 (not in Mat 26:42 ) is altogether similar. Instead of the , there is introduced in the second half of the clause ; which is: and respectively . The principle of division of Mar 10:30 is: He is (1) to receive a hundredfold now, in the period prior to the manifestation of the Messiah, namely, a hundred times as many houses, brothers, etc.; and (2) to receive in the coming period (“jam in adventu est,” Bengel), after the Parousia, the everlasting life of the Messiah’s kingdom.

The plurals , which express the number a hundred, plainly show that the promised compensation in the is not to be understood literally, but generally, of very abundant compensation . Nevertheless, the delicate feeling of Jesus has not said also. So much the more clumsy was Julian’s scoff (see Theophylact) that the Christians were, moreover, to receive a hundred wives! The promise was realized , in respect of the , by the reciprocal manifestations of love , [138] and by the wealth in spiritual possessions, 2Co 6:8-10 ; by which passage is illustrated, at the same time, in a noble example, the (comp. Mat 5:10 ff; Mat 10:23 ; Mat 13:21 ; Mat 23:34 ). The latter does not mean: after persecutions (Heinsius conjectured , as also a few min. read), but: inter persecutiones (in the midst of persecutions, where one “omnium auxilio destitui videtur,” Jansen), designating the accompanying circumstances (Bernhardy, p. 255), the shadow of which makes prominent the light of the promise.

Mar 10:31 . But many so independent is the greater or lower reception of reward in the life eternal of the earlier or later coming to me many that are first shall be last, and they that are last shall in many cases be first (see on Mat 19:30 ; Mat 20:16 ); so that the one shall be equalized with the other in respect of the measuring out of the degree of reward. A doctrine assuredly, which, after the general promise of the great recompense in Mar 10:29 f., was quite in its place to furnish a wholesome check to the ebullition of greediness for reward in the question of the disciples, Mar 10:28 (for the disciples , doubtless, belonged to the ). There is therefore the less reason to attribute, with Weiss, a different meaning to the utterance in Mark from that which it has in Matthew.

[138] Comp. Luther’s gloss: “He who believeth must suffer persecution, and stake everything upon his faith. Nevertheless he has enough; whithersoever he comes, he finds father, mother, brethren, possessions more than ever he could forsake.” See, e.g. , on , Rom 16:13 ; on , 1Co 4:14 ff.; on , all the Epistles of the New Testament and the Acts of the Apostles (also Act 2:44 ).

Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary

DISCOURSE: 1441
THE REWARD OF THOSE WHO SUFFER FOR CHRIST

Mar 10:28-30. Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the Gospels, but he shall receive an hundred-fold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come, eternal life.

THROUGH the corruption of our nature, the defects of others are apt to raise us in our own estimation, and to afford us occasion for self-applause. This ought not to be: for the faults of others should be lamented, no less than our own, because they are injurious to the souls of men: and, if we ourselves are free from those faults, we have reason to glorify God for his grace, which alone has made us to differ from others. We have in the context a lamentable instance of human weakness; a young man, of exemplary habits, who, on being required to sell all that he had, and to give it to the poor, and follow Christ, went away sorrowful; grieved to part with Christ, but preferring his wealth before him. Peter beholding this, began to reflect with complacency on the different conduct which he, and his fellow-Apostles, had pursued: they had left all for Christ: and, as our Lord had told the young man, that he, if he complied with his counsel, should have treasure in heaven, Peter asked, what recompence should be made to him and his brethren for the sacrifices which they had made in the cause of Christ; We have forsaken all, and followed thee: what shall we have therefore [Note: See Mat 19:27.]?

This inquiry is the first thing for our present consideration

[Though the Apostles were poor, their all was as much to them, as it would have been if they had been richer: nor can we doubt, but that the surrender of it was as acceptable to God, as if the sacrifice had been more costly: it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not [Note: 2Co 8:12.]. This sacrifice was required of them, and they had offered it without hesitation; they could truly say, they had left all for Christ; and they had thereby approved themselves worthy of their descent from him, who, at Gods command, had offered his only son Isaac upon the altar. Nor are we to imagine that the duty was peculiar to them: it is as much our duty, as it was theirs, to leave all for Christ. We are not indeed called, like the Apostles, to forsake our worldly callings in order to wait as stated attendants on our Lord: we are rather to abide in our callings wherein we are called: but we must be willing to sacrifice every thing for Christ, and must actually sacrifice every thing that stands in competition with him: in this respect the whole Christian world are called to the same exercise of faith and self-denial as the Apostles were; every thing sinful must be mortified; and even the most innocent and necessary things must be given up, rather than that we should be drawn by them to the commission of any one sin, or to the neglect of any one duty: we must hate father and mother, and even our own lives also, in comparison of Christ [Note: Luk 14:26.].

Under such circumstances Peters inquiry seems not unreasonable: for if we are to surrender up every thing to and for Christ, we may well ask, What shall I gain by this? or, What recompence shall I obtain? It is not to be expected that God will call us to such trials, and not remunerate us for our fidelity to him. It is true, we can never look for a reward of debt; but a reward of grace we may expect, and that too in proportion to the sacrifices we make, the sufferings we endure, and the services we perform. We are not at liberty to make bargains, as it were, with the Almighty, and to stipulate for so much wages in return for so much service: we must rather enter voluntarily into his service, and cheerfully give up all for him: but after having made the needful sacrifices, we may inquire into the promised recompence of reward. We must, like Abraham, go out from our country and our kindred, not knowing whither we go [Note: Heb 11:8.]; and must trust in God to make all necessary provision for us: and, if he had not specified any thing in his word, we should be contented to continue ignorant of the recompence that he will assign us: but, as he has been pleased to make specific promises to those who trust in him, we cannot do wrong in endeavouring to ascertain their import and extent.]

The answer of our Lord to this inquiry is the next point to be noticed by us

[St. Matthew records more of our Lords answer than either of the other Evangelists. He mentions a part which seems more immediately applicable to the Apostles themselves, who, in the regeneration that is, in the day when God will make all things new, and there shall be new heavens and a new earth, and when our Lord shall come in his glory to judge the world, shall be honoured above all other men, being, as it were, assessors with Christ in the Judgment, and having their word as the law by which the twelve tribes of Israel, and the whole world, shall be judged [Note: Mat 19:28.]. St. Mark records that only which was of general use; but still he gives all the satisfaction that the most bereaved and destitute person can desire.

There is a present recompence which all who suffer loss for Christ Ehall receive; and that too exceedingly beyond any loss they can possibly sustain. It is taken for granted that they may lose the affection of all their most endeared relatives for their attachment to the Gospel; and that they may be deprived of all that they possess in the world: but God will often send them such supplies in another way, that they shall in reality sustain no loss at all: but, if he does not recompense them in this way, he will give them contentment, which with godliness is great gain; and such an increased enjoyment of their slender pittance, as shall be far sweeter than all the delicacies upon earth. He will shed abroad his love in their hearts, and, under the loss of earthly parents, and an earthly portion, will enable them to call him, Father, and to view heaven itself as their inheritance. Let any one who has experienced these consolations, say, Whether they be not a hundred fold greater than all that they ever derived from the possession of earthly comforts even in their richest abundance?

But, besides this, there is a future recompence, even eternal life, which shall assuredly be given to all who suffer for Christ in this world: If we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him, and be glorified together, and have a weight of glory proportioned to the trials we endure, and to the graces which we exercise, in his service. But who can estimate the value of that recompence? Suffice it to say, that the veracity of God is pledged for the bestowment of it, and that the blessedness conferred shall exist, as long as God himself exists.]

Address
1.

Those who hesitate about leaving all for Christ

[Does a moments hesitation become you? Think of your Lord and Saviour: did he hesitate, when an offer was made him to redeem your souls? Did he account the conditions hard, when he had your everlasting salvation in view? No: he gladly left the bosom of his Father, and assumed our nature, and bore our curse, that he might redeem our souls from death and hell [Note: Compare Psa 40:6-8. with Php 2:6-8.]. Do you then hesitate to make any sacrifice for him? Look at Paul; was he intimidated? did he account any thing too much to do or suffer for his Lords [Note: Compare Act 20:24; Act 21:13. with Php 2:17; Php 3:7-8.]? Look at Moses: can you be called to sacrifice more than he? He esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt [Note: Heb 11:24-26.]. Think not to have an interest in Christ on any lower terms: You must, in heart and affection, forsake all, if you would be his disciples [Note: Luk 14:33.]. The Rich Youth in the Gospel would not accede to these terms: but do you commend him? Do you not look upon him with pity? Do you not think he would change his mind now, if the offer were again made him? O be wise in time! buy the truth, and sell it not: be willing to sell all that you have for that treasure which is hid in the Gospel, and for that pearl of great price [Note: Mat 13:44-46.]. If, like Amaziah, you reply, What shall I do for all the talents I shall sacrifice? I answer with the prophet, The Lord is able to give thee much more [Note: 2Ch 25:9.]. In fact, your gain will exceed all calculation. If you were a merchant, you would gladly embrace an opportunity of making ten or twenty per cent, of your money, though the return should not be absolutely certain; but here you are promised ten thousand per cent, and it is assured to you by the veracity of God himself. Only have faith in God, and all the blessings ofthe upper and nether springs, of time and of eternity, are yours.]

2.

Those who, like the Apostles, have left all for him

[Whatever your losses or sufferings may have been, I congratulate you from my heart: yea, God himself congratulates you [Note: Mat 5:10-12. 1Pe 4:12-14. Jam 1:2-4; Jam 1:12.]. And I confidently put the question to you, Has any one of you been ever disappointed of his hope? Have you ever been a loser by serving the Lord? Has he not made up to you in spiritual things, what you have sacrificed for him in worldly things? In the pursuit of earthly gratifications you have often paid too dearly for your enjoyments; but have you ever had reason to regret the price you have paid for the maintenance of a good conscience, and for the benefits of the Gospel? After having counted the cost yourself, have you a friend in the world whom you would dissuade from treading in your steps? You still experience persecutions; for they are a part of the Promise, if I may so speak: but do you find them so great a drawback upon your happiness, as you once expected? Is an opprobrious name, or the loss of worldly interests, so great a matter as you once imagined? Shew then by your steadfastness, that, in Gods favour is life; and that though you have nothing else, you really possess all things. To those who are preparing for the ministry, these thoughts are peculiarly important: for this discipline is often sent, in order to prepare you for the service of the sanctuary. You are to stand in the front of the battle: you are to be examples to the flock: and it is by such exercises that you are to be fitted for your work, and to bring down a blessing on your future labours [Note: Deu 33:9-11.]. Still it is not of you only that these sacrifices are required; nor are you alone to receive the rich compensation that will be awarded for them. This duty is the duty of all; this happiness is the happiness of all: to all therefore, without exception, I would say, Be faithful unto death, and God will give you a crown of life.]

Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)

28 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.

Ver. 28. See Trapp on “ Mat 19:27 “

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

28. ] Here is an instance of a saying of Peter’s reported, without any distinction indicating that he had a share in the report.

See note on Matt. for the promise here made to the Apostles.

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

Mar 10:28-31 . Peter’s question (Mat 19:27-30 , Luk 18:28-30 ).

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

Mar 10:28 introduces the episode without any connecting word such as in Mt. betrays self-consciousness, also the following . Yet, with all his self-consciousness, Peter, in Mk.’s account, has not courage to finish his question, stopping short with the statement of fact on which it is based = behold! we have left all and followed Thee? , aorist, refers to an act done once for all, , to an abiding condition.

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mar 10:28-31

28Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” 29Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. 31But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”

Mar 10:28 “‘we have left. . .and followed You'” This is an aorist active indicative (i.e., left once for all), followed by a perfect active indicative (i.e., continue in a state of discipleship). In one sense Peter is recounting the disciples’ decision to become Jesus’ followers. Peter may have been trying to compare their commitments with Jesus’ demand to the rich, young ruler.

Mar 10:29 This verse lists some of the normal aspects of Jewish society in which His followers were involved. It also clearly links their commitment to Him personally (i.e., “for My sake”) and His truths (i.e., “the gospels’ sake”).

The early church was affected by Greek asceticism, particularly celibacy. It is interesting that wives are not specifically mentioned in the lists. This may imply marriage was not something they were expected to give up. However, the inclusion of “children” may indicate that wives were included in the phrase “left house.” One’s priority commitment to Jesus must supersede even family (cf. 1Ti 5:8). This does not imply celibacy, but where one’s ultimate allegiance must lie.

Mar 10:30 Jesus describes the kingdom of God in (1) very earthly ways which parallel what the disciples “missed” in this life and (2) relation to this present world-order. Some of the hundred-fold blessings are enjoyed now by being a part of the People of God.

These normal familial terms basically assure that the family life affected by discipleship is restored through the larger familythe family of God. I do not believe that this phrase is meant to promise abundance of material goods in this life, as did Deuteronomy 27-28. If you place blessings in a reward-for-service structure, then why grace? Material blessings are not the experience of all godly believers, but the joy and abundance of the larger Christian family experiences are!

“along with persecutions” This is a shocking inclusion, unique to Mark. Christians will be persecuted in this fallen age (cf. Mat 5:10-12; Rom 8:17; 2Co 1:5; 2Co 1:7; Php 3:10; 2Ti 2:9-12; 1Pe 4:12-16). This persecution serves several godly purposes: (1) evidence that we are saved; (2) God’s means of molding us into Christlikeness; and (3) proof that the world will be judged.

“in the age to come” Interbiblical Judaism (rabbis and Dead Sea Scroll writers) saw history in two ages. The current evil age dominated by angelic and human rebellion and the age where God is going to break into history through the Messiah and set up a new age, an age of righteousness and peace. This is sometimes described in earthly abundance following Deuteronomy 27-28 (cf. Amo 9:13-15) and sometimes in a “new heaven and a new earth” (cf. Isaiah 56-66). From the NT it is obvious that the new age (i.e., the Kingdom of God) was established at the incarnation of Christ at Bethlehem, but it has not yet been fully consummated. The NT clearly reveals the two comings of the Messiah, the first as the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 and a second as King of Kings. Christians live in the “already, but not yet” of the overlapping of these two Jewish ages. As followers of Christ we are spiritually blessed in both ages (cf. Eph 2:5-6). See Special Topic: This Age and the Age to Come at Mar 13:8.

“eternal life” This is what the rich young ruler asked aboutlife with God, God’s kind of life. Mark uses the adjective (ainios) for an eternal sin in Mar 3:29 and eternal life here. This applies to the life (i.e., za) of the new age, the life of the Kingdom of God. It is present in Christ, but will be fully consummated at His return (i.e., parousia = presence).

This descriptive phrase is rather rare in the Synoptic Gospels, but so common in John. This is a key phrase throughout John’s writings (cf. Joh 3:15; Joh 4:36; Joh 5:39; Joh 6:54; Joh 6:68; Joh 10:28; Joh 12:25; Joh 17:2-3; 1Jn 1:2; 1Jn 2:25; 1Jn 3:15; 1Jn 5:11; 1Jn 5:13; 1Jn 5:20). See SPECIAL TOPIC: ETERNAL at Mar 3:29.

Mar 10:31 “first will be last” This was a startling spiritual truth (cf. Mat 19:30; Mat 20:16). True wealth and position have nothing to do with earthly standards (cf. Isa 55:8-9). This reversal of roles was contrary to the disciples’ OT works-righteousness mindset (cf. Mat 19:30; Luk 13:30). See Gordon Fee, The Disease of the Health and Wealth Gospel.

This may have been directed to Peter’s outburst of their self-sacrifices to become disciples (cf. Mar 10:28). This passage set the theological stage for Mar 10:41-45. Jesus, the eschatological King of Kings, becomes the Suffering Servant of Isa 52:13 to Isa 53:12! Believers must emulate His life/death/service (cf. 1Jn 3:16). The gospel is service, not power; love, not force!

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

began. See note on Mar 1:1.

Lo. Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

28.] Here is an instance of a saying of Peters reported, without any distinction indicating that he had a share in the report.

See note on Matt. for the promise here made to the Apostles.

Fuente: The Greek Testament

Mar 10:28. , began) as having been led to entertain hope from the words of the Saviour.

Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament

Mar 10:28-31

5. REWARD OF SELF-DENIAL

Mar 10:28-31

(Mat 19:27-30; Luk 18:28-30)

28 Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.–Matthew (Mat 19:27) adds that Peter asked, “What then shall we have?” This was an honest and fair question and something any one would wish to know under the circumstances. His question referred to the promise of Jesus, “Thou shalt have treasure in heaven.” He desired to know what should be their portion since making the sacrifices they had, and whether they could claim the promise to themselves.

29 Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that bath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or lands, for my sake, and for the gospel’s sake,–From obedience to the requirements of the gospel, and love for the service of the gospel. Christ, his truth, and his cause are one. In the days of Jesus those who followed him were obliged generally to forsake houses and home, and to attend him. In our day it is not often required that we should literally leave them, except when the life is devoted to him among the heathen, but it is always required that we love them less than we do him; that we give up that which is inconsistent with devotion to the Lord, and be ready to give up all if devotion to him demands it.

30 but he shall receive a hundredfold—“A hundredfold” means a hundred times as much. He will give what will be worth a hundred times as much in the peace, joy, and rewards of the blessings in Christ. No man’s temporal interest is injured by the love of God.

now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands,–Here the spiritual relationship is intended. (Rom 16:13; 1Co 4:14-17 2Co 6:13; Gal 4:19.) The promised return is realized usually in the enjoyments of the Christian life, which are equivalent for a hundredfold of all that is lost in serving Christ.

with persecutions;–These are not promised as a part of the reward; but amidst their trials and persecutions, they should find comfort and peace. A godly life is in opposition to ungodliness–they are at war with each other. The ungodly will assuredly persecute the godly, as they did our Lord. Persecution is one means used by Satan to draw Christians away from Christ, and permitted by God to test their loyalty to him.

and in the world to come eternal life.–Eternal life is in heaven. Hence, we must wait until we reach heaven to come in possession of it. For this reason we should not become weary in well-doing, for in due season, we shall reap if we faint not.

31 But many that are first shall be last and the last first.–They will exchange positions. These changes are brought about by rejecting and accepting the gospel. Many who are first in prospect of everlasting life shall be last, and many who are last in this respect shall be first. The rich young ruler (verses 16-20) had been among the first, but now he is among the last. Judas, who was then among the first, was later among the last, and Matthias, who was among the last, being then only an obscure disciple (Act 2:21-23), took his place. The Jews looked upon themselves as first, and nearest to the kingdom of heaven, but for their infidelity they lost out as a nation. And the Gentiles, who were looked upon by them as dogs, and farthest from heaven, shall be first, on account of their conversion and faith in Christ. The Jews were offered the gospel first and rejected it–this put the first last the Gentiles were offered it last, they accepted it–this put the last first. Another view is that many are first in their own esteem, and in the opinion of others, and forward in their claims in religion, yet at the day of judgment they will be last and least in God’s estimation and account. And many that are little in their own, and less in the esteem of others, who had a less name and vogue in the world, shall he first and highest in God’s favor. No doubt the day of judgment will frustrate a great many persons’ expectations, both as touching others, and concerning themselves. Many will miss heaven, and be lost, who looked upon themselves to be first. And many will find others in heaven, whom they least expected there. It seems clear that the meaning of the first sentence, “many that are first shall be last,” is many with splendid opportunities, failing to improve them, shall be last; and the second, “the last first,” are those with poor or meager advantages, which, by improving them, shall have a great reward.

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

CHAPTER 44

Our Saviors Amazing Doctrine

Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospels, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last first. And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him, Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.

(Mar 10:28-34)

That which our Lord Jesus Christ taught not only astonished the public, it also amazed his disciples. Truly, those things our Lord taught, his doctrine concerning his grace, his salvation, and his sin-atoning sacrifice are amazing things to consider.

A Glorious Promise

The very first thing that catches our attention as we read this brief paragraph is the fact that our Saviors response to Peter was not a word of rebuke but a glorious promise.

Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospels, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life (Mar 10:28-30).

Peters statement in verse twenty-eight was an honest, true statement. He might be blamed for the reason he made this statement. He might be blamed for the apparent expectation he had of the Lord rewarding him, as though he had earned a reward from the Lord of Glory. Matthew tells us that this statement was followed by a very foolish question. What shall we have therefore? (Mat 19:27).

Yet, when all is said and done, if our faith in Christ does not involve the kind of self-denying devotion and consecration to Christ that Peter here expresses, our faith is an empty, vain delusion. Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. True faith forsakes all and follows Christ. True faith is the unqualified, unreserved surrender of myself, my life, my all to the dominion and rule of the Lord Jesus Christ as my Lord, my Master, and my King. This is what the story of the rich young ruler in the preceding paragraph teaches. If salvation can be gained simply by believing the right things, that man would not have gone away sorrowful. Salvation involves leaving all for Christs sake and the gospels.

Our Savior graciously seized the thought suggested by Peters carnal question to assure us that having left all to follow him, his disciples have lost nothing, and gained indescribably more than any of us can ever imagine.

And Jesus answered and said, verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospels, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life (Mar 10:29-30).

Few promises can be found in the Book of God more comprehensive than this. I know of none that hold before us such great encouragements for life in this world, as well as in the world to come. Let every faithful, but faint hearted follower of Christ mark this promise, read it often, meditate upon it daily, and find in this cluster of grapes wine to make his heart merry. Let all who endure hardness and persecution for Christs sake and the gospels study this promise well and drink often from this deep well. It speaks of this life and of the life to come.

Child of God, whatever it is that following Christ costs you, you shall receive in this life one hundredfold! As Israel lacked nothing all the while they roamed about in the wilderness, as the disciples lacked nothing while they walked with the Son of God on this earth, so our Savior declares that the obedience of faith will never cause us to be in want, but shall only enrich us a hundredfold in this world.

Not only does the Son of God promise us pardon, peace, redemption, and reconciliation through his blood and his grace, he promises us that we shall have, even here upon the earth, comforts and joys more than sufficient to make up for that which we have left for him. Child of God, bear me witness. Is this not so? Have you not found in the communion of Gods saints new friends, new relationships, and new companions more loving, more faithful, more lasting, more valuable, and more numerous than you ever had before? That may seem impossible to any who do not know our God, his grace, or his people; but every believer in this world will say, Amen, to what our Lord here asserts. Our God supplies all our need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Php 4:19).

In addition to all this our Savior promises all who follow him eternal life in the world to come. The Lord will give grace and glory! He gives grace here and he will give glory hereafter. As soon as we put off these earthly tabernacles, we will enter into the glorious rest of the sons of God (2Co 5:1-9). In the last day, in the resurrection morning, we shall be given honor, joy, and glory surpassing our highest, most reverent expectation (1Co 2:9). Our light affliction here shall redound to our Saviors greater honor and our greater joy in eternity (2Co 4:17-18). We shall dwell forever with the Son of God in a world where sin and sorrow, sickness and death, Satan and temptations, parting and weeping shall be no more! Child of God, take heart. Time is short. Our sorrows shall soon be no more. Our end is sure. Weeping may endure for the night; but joy will come in the morning!

A Solemn Warning

But many that are first shall be last; and the last first (Mar 10:31). Here is a solemn warning. Our Master saw the self-conceit which defiled his disciples, and frankly warned them all to be watchful over their souls. If this warning was needed by Peter, James, and John, how much more it is needed by you and me. Let us take heed to these words and learn what they mean.

Without question, this warning was applicable to the twelve Apostles to whom it was first given. There was one standing among them who was more highly esteemed and trusted than all the others, who was a devil and would soon be in hell. His name was Judas. He was the first, in his own eyes and in the eyes of the twelve; but now he is the last.

There was another who was not among them. In fact, he was just a young man, a young Pharisee, being trained at the feet of Gamaliel, a zealous religionists, learning to hate Christ, his gospel, and his people. Any who knew him would say, This young man is the last man who would be numbered among the disciples of Christ; but God had purposed otherwise. The young Pharisees name was Saul of Tarsus. Soon, he would be elevated to the most prominent position in the kingdom of God.

This warning explains the entire history of the Church of God in this world. There was a time when Asia Minor, Greece, and Northern Africa were flourishing with the light of the gospel; but now their light has been tuned into darkness. Today, in this land, which was once darkness, God has established the light of his grace again. Let us take heed lest we as a people are again engrossed in utter darkness.

This warning is a warning which ought to sound as an alarm in the ears of us all. How many there are known to us all who seemed to run well for a season. They stood out in the crowd. They seemed to be head and shoulders above the rest of us. They were so zealous, so committed, so knowledgeable, so confident, so sure about everything. They were the first. But now where are they? They are gone. They are the last. The love of the world got one. The deceitfulness of riches got another. A bad marriage got another. A flattering woman took another. False doctrine destroyed another.

Let us pray for grace to run our race to the end. It is not enough to begin well. We must persevere. We must continue in the faith. We must end well. God give us grace to begin with Christ, stay with Christ, and end with Christ!

A Faithful Surety

In Mar 10:32-34 we see that our Lord Jesus Christ is indeed a faithful Surety. Calmly and deliberately, our Savior told his disciples why he was going to Jerusalem and all that he must there suffer and do as our great Surety, Substitute, and Savior.

And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him, Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.

The Son of God went up to Jerusalem willingly, purposefully, and deliberately to die there as our covenant Surety.

The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed (Isa 50:5-7).

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father (Joh 10:16-18).

He went to Jerusalem to suffer and die at the hands of wicked men on the cursed tree by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. The Lord of glory went to Calvary to make satisfaction to the law and justice of God for the sins of his people, that he might put away our sins and save us by the sacrifice of himself.

On the third day, after his death as our Substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ publicly declared that he had fully satisfied the justice of God and put away all the sins of his people, which were made his and imputed to him, by rising from the dead. And he who has satisfied the whole of Gods law and justice for his people will, without fail save those people for whom he has made satisfaction. He who was able to satisfy the law and justice of God and rise from the dead is able to save to the uttermost every sinner who comes to God by him. If the Lord Jesus Christ so willingly suffered all the hell of Gods wrath for us, it is but a most reasonable thing that we should devote ourselves to him. May God the Holy Spirit give us grace to do so.

Fuente: Discovering Christ In Selected Books of the Bible

Then Peter

Cf. See note 2, Mat 19:27-30

(See Scofield “Mat 19:28”)

Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes

Lo: Mar 1:16-20, Mat 19:27-30, Luk 14:33, Luk 18:28-30, Phi 3:7-9

Reciprocal: Gen 22:3 – General Ecc 3:6 – time to get Mat 4:20 – General Mat 13:46 – went Mar 1:18 – forsook

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Chapter 28.

The Hundredfold

“Then Peter began to say unto Him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed Thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My sake, and the gospel’s, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.”-Mar 10:28-31.

The Impulsive Peter.

All the Evangelists notice that it was Peter who said this. It was just the kind of remark you would expect Peter to make. There were things Peter said which, on calmer reflection, he would have wished unsaid. But this habit nevertheless constitutes part of the charm of his character. His hot-headedness and impulsiveness make him the most open and transparent and human of the Twelve.

His Inquiry.

His question here arose directly out of the incident of the rich young ruler. He had heard our Lord demand of that young man that he should sell his possessions, and follow Him. He had seen the young ruler go away sorrowful. He had heard the Lord’s startling comment that it was easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. And though for a moment, like the rest of the disciples, staggered by that austere saying, he quickly recovered his spirits, and with a great deal of self-satisfaction let his mind dwell on the difference between the conduct of the rich young ruler and that of himself and his fellow disciples. “We,” he thought to himself, “have done the very thing which the Master asked the rich young ruler to do. We have done that hard thing; we have left all, and followed Jesus. Surely sacrifice so great and so difficult will win a rich reward?” The thought had no sooner formed itself in Peter’s mind than, with characteristic impulsiveness, he was giving it expression. “Lo,” he said to Jesus, “we (with an emphasis on the we: we, in contrast to the rich young ruler who refused to make the sacrifice), we have left all, and have followed Thee” (Mar 10:28). And Peter did not stop there, according to Matthew’s account, for he went on to ask, “What then shall we have?” (Mat 19:27).

Peter’s Sacrifice

It is very easy to criticise this question of Peter. For, when Peter asked, “What then shall we have?” he spoke in the very tone and temper of the hired servant. There is a touch of the sordid and the mercenary about it. “No longer do I call you servants,” said Jesus on one occasion; “but I have called you friends” (Joh 15:15). But Peter here does not speak as a “friend”; he speaks as one who only works for wages, a “hired servant,” and as one eminently pleased with himself. But when critics go on to object that Peter’s all did not amount to much, that in his case there was no such sacrifice as was demanded in the case of the young ruler, they take a very different view of the case from that which Christ took. I do not find Christ ridiculing or disparaging the sacrifice the disciples had made, as scarcely worth mention. Christ never measured anything by mere bulk; He measures by the love and sacrifice involved. And so He joyfully acknowledged that these men had sacrificed their all, and, with a “verily” that was full of tender assurance, He promised them a reward that outran their wildest dreams.

The Master’s Response.

To the Twelve themselves, according to Matthew’s account, He promised that they should sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Peter, for the sacrifice of his boat and his nets, Matthew, for the surrender of his tollbooth, was each to receive a throne. And it was no delusive promise. The throne Christ gave was not perhaps the kind of throne the disciples expected. They wore none of the trappings of royalty, but no king that ever sat upon a throne wielded such sovereign authority as do these twelve humble men, who first heard Christ’s call and followed Him. But Mark passes the special reward of the apostles’ sacrifice by without notice, in order to lay stress on the reward Christ promises to every one who makes sacrifices for His sake. “Verily I say unto you,” said our Lord, “There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or lands, for My sake, and for the gospel’s sake, but he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life” (Mar 10:29-30).

The Divine Generosity.

In this overwhelming promise you will notice the Divine generosity of the reward. That is the way in which the Lord blesses-a hundredfold. This is the way in which He compensates for sacrifice-a hundredfold. The very magnificence of the reward has, as Dr. Bruce says, a sobering effect upon the mind. It tends to humble. For nobody, no matter what sacrifices he has made, or what devotion he has shown, can pretend that he has earned the “hundredfold.” All talk of merit is out of the question here. When we have done our best-if we are honest with ourselves-we have to confess we have been unprofitable servants. The reward is so obviously out of proportion, as to make us realize it is not of debt, but of the Lord’s mercy and grace. We do not earn these blessings; the free gift of God is eternal life.

The Doctrine of Rewards.

There are those in these days who say that in the Christian life we ought not to think of reward at all. Christianity, we are told, ought to be disinterested, and the man who is always thinking of the reward at the end is really turning his religion into a kind of glorified selfishness. Now there is an element of truth in this objection. If people were Christian simply for the sake of the reward, and not for love, they would not in any true sense be Christians at all. I sometimes wonder whether Peter was a real Christian, when he asked, “What then shall we get?” I am quite sure he was a real Christian when he said, “Lord, Thou knowest all things, Thou knowest that I love Thee.” Our Lord Himself repudiated what I may call mercenary discipleship, when He charged the crowds with following Him only because they ate of the loaves, and were filled. A Christian is a man who follows Christ and obeys Christ and gives Himself to Christ for love’s sake. But Christ never calls a man to an unreasonable service. The life Christ calls a man to, is the best life and the highest life, the rich life. And that is what the Christian doctrine of rewards amounts to; it is the assertion of the supreme reasonableness of the Christian life.

The Reality of the Reward.

But now as to the reality of this reward. It is an overwhelming promise-is it a true one? This promise of a hundredfold now and eternal life hereafter, is it a mocking mirage, or is it a reality? Let us examine the promise for a moment. It falls into two parts. It promises reward now, and in the world to come. Now as to the promise of eternal life in the world to come, we have to take that on trust. We believe, we gladly believe, that for Christ’s friends death does not bring life to an end. But life enters upon a new stage. It becomes larger, deeper, richer, fuller. It becomes life in the very presence of God, a life of perfect bliss. But that, as I say, we take on trust. As far as that portion of the promise is concerned, we walk by faith, not by sight.

The Promise of the Life that now is.

But in so far as the Lord’s promise deals with this present world and this present life, we can bring it to the test of facts and experience. What then of the hundredfold which they who make sacrifices for Christ are to receive in this time? Does that get fulfilled? In answering this question we must beware of a bald literalism. A bald and naked literalism will make nonsense of this gracious word. Of course, Christ does not mean that for every house we give up we shall get a hundred houses given back to us. The promise essentially means this-that discipleship means the immense and untold enrichment of life even now. Is that true? Absolutely and utterly true. It is true even of material things. Religion tends to prosperity. Godliness has the promise of the life which now is. But it is not on that low and rather sordid plane that I would argue the truth of this promise. The hundredfold comes to the disciple in other and better ways. “A hundredfold in this time.” Is it true? Yes, says Dr. Bruce, if you take the long view; and he bids us notice how, through the sacrifices of Christian people, the little one has become a thousand, and the small one a strong nation, and the prophetic picture of an ever-widening Christian dominion has been to a large extent realised. But essentially the promise is true, not simply of the centuries and the generations; it is true of the individual. The Christian life means untold enlargement and enrichment. “All things are yours,” cries Paul; “whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours, and ye are Christ’s” (1Co 3:22-23). “I have all things, and abound,” wrote the same great hearted Apostle (Php 4:18). He had stripped himself bare for Christ; he had stripped himself of home and friends and reputation and prospects; but Paul did not walk through life like a beggar, he walked through it with the proud step and light heart of one who had inexhaustible and unsearchable riches. “I have all things, and abound.”

-With Persecution.

“With persecutions,” the Lord adds. And we are not to read this phrase as if it were the bitter put in to counterbalance the sweet. The Lord means us to reckon persecutions as another item added to the inventory of the disciple’s blessings. The hundredfold is realised, not in spite of persecutions, but to a larger extent because of them. The phrase carries us back to that other striking and memorable word, “Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven” (Mat 5:11-12). “But,” He added, “many that are first shall be last, and the last first.” A man’s place in the Divine order of precedence is not settled by length of service or conspicuous service. These twelve were the first in time, and the most conspicuous in position. It did not follow that they were to be the first in heaven. Judas by transgression fell, and went to his own place-the first became last. The persecuting and blaspheming Saul, though born out of due time, came not a whit behind the very chiefest of the Apostles-the last became first. In the external world every man finds his proper niche; every man is appraised at his true value. For God judges not by the outward appearance; He judges by the heart. Not by our conspicuous station, or by our Church standing, but by the amount of genuine love and sacrifice there is in our discipleship. “Many that are first shall be last”; it is a word of solemn warning. It is well we should examine our hearts, and ask ourselves where, judged by that test, shall we stand-amongst the first or amongst the last?

Fuente: The Gospel According to St. Mark: A Devotional Commentary

8

Have left all meant they had literally left their homes in order to travel with Jesus in his journeys through the country.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

THE first thing which demands our attention in these verses, is the glorious promise which they contain. The Lord Jesus says to His apostles, “Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the Gospel’s, but he shall receive an hundred-fold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.”

There are few wider promises than this in the word of God. There is none certainly in the New Testament which holds out such encouragement for the life that now is. Let every one that is fearful and faint-hearted in Christ’s service look at this promise. Let all who are enduring hardness and tribulation for Christ’s sake, study this promise well, and drink out of it comfort.

To all who make sacrifices on account of the Gospel, Jesus promises “an hundred-fold now in this time.” They shall have not only pardon and glory in the world to come. They shall have even here upon earth, hopes, and joys, and sensible comforts sufficient to make up for all that they lose. They shall find in the communion of saints, new friends, new relations, new companions, more loving, faithful, and valuable than any they had before their conversion. Their introduction into the family of God shall be an abundant recompense for exclusion from the society of this world. This may sound startling and incredible to many ears. But thousands have found by experience that it is true.

To all who make sacrifices on account of the Gospel, Jesus promises “eternal life in the world to come.” As soon as they put off their earthly tabernacle, they shall enter upon a glorious existence, and in the morning of the resurrection shall receive such honor and joy as pass man’s understanding. Their light afflictions for a few years shall end in an everlasting reward. Their fights and sorrows while in the body, shall be exchanged for perfect rest and a conqueror’s crown. They shall dwell in a world where there is no death, no sin, no devil, no cares, no weeping, no parting, for the former things will have passed away. God has said it, and it shall all be found true.

Where is the saint who will dare to say in the face of these glorious promises, that there is no encouragement to serve Christ? Where is the man or woman whose hands are beginning to hang down, and whose knees are beginning to faint in the Christian race? Let all such ponder this passage, and take fresh courage. The time is short. The end is sure. Heaviness may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Let us wait patiently on the Lord.

The second thing, which demands our attention in these verses, is the solemn warning which they contain. The Lord Jesus saw the secret self-conceit of His apostles. He gives them a word in season to check their high thoughts. “Many that are first shall be last, and the last first.”

How true were these words, when applied to the twelve apostles! There stood among those who heard our Lord speak, a man who at one time seemed likely to be one of the foremost of the twelve. He was one who appeared more careful and trustworthy than any. He had the charge of the bag, and kept what was put in it. And yet that man fell away and came to a disgraceful end. His name was Judas Iscariot. Again, there did not stand among our Lord’s hearers that day one who at a later period did more for Christ than any of the twelve. At the time when our Lord spoke he was a young Pharisee, brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, and zealous for nothing so much as the law. And yet that young man in the end was converted to the faith of Christ, was not behind the chiefest apostles, and labored more abundantly than all. His name was Saul. Well might our Lord say, “the first shall be last; and the last first.”

How true were these words, when we apply them to the history of Christian churches! There was a time when Asia Minor, and Greece, and Northern Africa, were full of professing Christians, while England and America were heathen lands. Sixteen hundred years have made a mighty change. The churches of Africa and Asia have fallen into complete decay. The English and American churches are laboring to spread the Gospel over the world. Well might our Lord say, “the first shall be last, and the last first.”

How true these words appear to believers, when they look back over their own lives, and remember all they have seen from the time of their own conversion! How many began to serve Christ at the same time with themselves and seemed to run well for a season. But where are they now? The world has got hold of one. False doctrine has beguiled another. A mistake in marriage has spoiled a third. Few indeed are the believers who cannot call to mind many such cases. Few have failed to discover, by sorrowful experience, that “the last are often first, and the first last.”

Let us learn to pray for humility, when we read texts like this. It is not enough to begin well. We must persevere, and go on, and continue in well-doing. We must not be content with the fair blossoms of a few religious convictions, and joys, and sorrows, and hopes, and fears. We must bear the good fruit of settled habits of repentance, faith, and holiness. Happy is he who counts the cost, and resolves, having once begun to walk in the narrow way, by God’s grace never to turn aside.

The last thing that demands our attention in this passage, is our Lord’s clear foreknowledge of His own sufferings and death. Calmly and deliberately He tells His disciples of His coming passion at Jerusalem. One after another He describes all the leading circumstances which would attend His death. Nothing is reserved. Nothing is kept back.

Let us mark this well. There was nothing involuntary and unforeseen in our Lord’s death. It was the result of his own free, determinate, and deliberate choice. From the beginning of His earthly ministry He saw the cross before Him, and went to it a willing sufferer. He knew that His death was the needful payment that must be made to reconcile God and man. That payment He had covenanted and engaged to make at the price of His own blood. And so when the appointed time came, like a faithful surety, He kept His word, and died for our sins on Calvary.

Let us ever bless God that the Gospel sets before us such a Savior, so faithful to the terms of the covenant-so ready to suffer-so willing to be reckoned sin, and a curse in our stead. Let us not doubt that He who fulfilled his engagement to suffer, will also fulfill His engagement to save all who come to Him. Let us not only accept Him gladly as our Redeemer and Advocate, but gladly give ourselves, and all we have, to His service. Surely, if Jesus cheerfully died for us, it is a small thing to require Christians to live for Him.

Fuente: Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels

Mar 10:28. Peter began to say. Probably under the influence of the astonishment just mentioned. On the promise to the Apostles, see Mat 19:28. Marks account presents a few peculiar features.

Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament

The apostles having heard our Saviour’s command to sell all and give to the poor, St. Peter, in the name of the rest, tells Christ, that they had left all to follow him.

Where note, How St. Peter magnifies that little which he had left for Christ, and ushers it in with a note of admiration: Lo! we have left all.

Learn hence, That though it be very little that we suffer for Christ, and have to forsake upon his account, yet are we apt to magnify and extol it, as if it were some great matter: Behold, we have left all and followed thee.

Observe next, Our Lord’s kind and gracious answer: that those that leave all to follow him shall be no losers by him. We may be losers for Christ, we shall never be losers by him; for whatever we part with in this world for the sake of Christ, houses or lands, brethren or sisters, we shall receive an hundred-fold now in this life. But how so? Non formaliter, sed eminenter; non in specie, sed in valore: “Not in kind, but in equivalency:” not an hundred brethren, sisters, or lands, in kind, but he shall enjoy that in God, which all creatures would be to him if they were multiplied an hundred times; and the gifts and graces, the comforts and consolations, of the Holy Spirit shall be an hundred times better portion than anything we can part with for the sake of Christ. For the sense of those words, The first shall be last, &c. see the note on Mar 9:35.

Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament

Mar 10:28-31. Peter began to say, Lo, we have left all Though the young man would not. Jesus said, There is no man that hath left house, &c. This is explained Mat 19:27-29. Our Lord is not here speaking of such as have actually separated themselves from the persons, and parted with the possessions, here mentioned; for if that had been his meaning, he would not have said that wives and children were to be forsaken, having himself, on a former occasion, expressly prohibited divorce, on any account, except fornication. But he is speaking of those who, for his sake and the gospels, have renounced the pleasures and satisfactions which relations and possessions usually afford. But he shall receive a hundred-fold now in this time, houses, &c. Not in the same kind; for it will generally be with persecutions: but in value: a hundred-fold more happiness than any or all of these did or could afford. But let it be observed, None is entitled to this happiness, but he that will accept of it with persecutions. They who have forsaken all for my sake, shall be no losers in the issue; because God, who designs to admit them into heaven, will give them the comforts necessary to support them in their journey thither, and will raise them up friends, who shall be as serviceable to them as their nearest kindred, whom they have forsaken. By the special benignity of his Providence, they shall have every thing valuable that relations or possessions could administer to them. And, besides, shall have persecutions, whose heat will nourish virtues in them of such excellent efficacy, as to yield them, even in this present world, joys a hundred times better than all earthly pleasures; so that they shall be fed by the bread of sorrows. But, above all, in the world to come they shall have everlasting life. Their afflictions contributing to the growth of their graces, which are the wings of the soul, they shall in due time be raised on them even up to heaven, leaving all sorrows behind them, and shall fly swiftly into the bosom of God, the fountain of life and joy, where they shall have full amends made them for all the evils they had undergone on account of Christ and his gospel. Macknight. But many that are first, &c. See on Mat 19:30.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

28 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.

Peter seems to protest against the thought of rich folk having a hard time entering into the kingdom – if they have a hard time then how much harder will it be for the disciples that have left all that they had to follow the Lord. We gave up being rich to follow and you are now telling us that it will be even harder for us to enter the kingdom than a rich person?

Very perceptive had he perceived the intent of the Lord’s comments which he did not. Peter thought he had the Lord’s meaning but not just quite. He assumed incorrectly and Christ moves on to correct his thinking.

Fuente: Mr. D’s Notes on Selected New Testament Books by Stanley Derickson

10:28 {5} Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.

(5) To neglect everything in comparison with Christ is a sure way unto eternal life, so that we do not fall away along the path.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

Peter, speaking for the other disciples, was still thinking in physical rather than spiritual terms. He turned the conversation back to the subject of giving up all to follow Jesus (Mar 10:22). The rich young ruler had refused to forsake all and follow Jesus, but the disciples had done just that. "We" is emphatic in the Greek text. Mark did not record the rest of Peter’s statement: "What then will there be for us?" (Mat 19:27). Mark did not need to. The implication is clear enough from Peter’s statement without his question.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)