Peter began to say to Jesus,
'We have given up everything and followed you."
Peter was implying that he and the other disciples had in fact done that to which Jesus invited the rich young ruler, but which that man found himself unable to do, that being, "Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me" (see Mark 10:21). But although they had done so, the disciples current experience was focused primarily on what they had left behind, which seemed like a lot. Peter had heard that this letting go and following Jesus was a condition of inheriting eternal life. But to him and the other disciples at present it felt more like a drain on their life than a source of it. He looked to Jesus questioningly, as if to implicitly ask, 'But will it really be worth it?'
Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you,
there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel
Jesus did not sugarcoat the sacrifices it was necessary for the disciples to make, including being ostracized and separated from others for his sake and the sake of the Gospel. This was inherently a cost of following him since he who was the light of the world and truth itself would be a source of division to those who preferred darkness and lies. Following Jesus meant sharing in his own rejection by those whom he loved and came to save. We imagine ourselves to live in a society where many diverse viewpoints are allowed and yet sharing Jesus Gospel of peace at the dinner table can often be a quick way to ensure we aren't invited back. Jesus was realistic about the sacrifices entailed in following him so that his disciples could set their minds in advance that such sacrifices were in fact worth the cost.
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:
houses and brothers and sisters
and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.
Even in this present age we are invited to receive and hundred times more than anything we might lose, through the spiritual auspices of the Church. In her we have more and better houses in which to gather than anything one could find on Zillow, and a new family united at a deeper level than shared blood and common ancestry. When we are willing to let go of worldly things Jesus is able to fill us instead with lasting spiritual goods. When we finally forego the well of water that leaves us thirsting we can begin to taste the living water that can quench our thirst for all eternity (see John 4:7-15). In this context even persecutions become a gift given to us that we can offer back to Jesus. When Jesus is first in our lives these persecutions lose their power over us, and no longer threaten our commitment to his Gospel. In experiencing this new life with a new Mother and new brothers and sisters joined together as members of a new and living temple we begin to experience even here and now the eternal life for which we hope in the age to come. And this seems to have been Jesus goal in responding to Peter's unspoken question: to help him to overcome the disconnect between what he was feeling about life in this world and the promise of the world to come.
But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.
Many will be like the rich man and go away sad because they prefer to cling to earthly things, which, though not bad in themselves, become problematic when they keep us from following Jesus in freedom of heart. Yet there are those who will learn to see things as Jesus sees them and will allow themselves to be last in the eyes of the present age in order to root themselves in the greater, though often still hidden, good of eternal life.
For the LORD is one who always repays,
and he will give back to you sevenfold.
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