Jesus 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, but 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.” 

  Mark 10:29-30

Jesus tells us that when we serve Him and make Him the center of our existence, that we can expect division. Jesus also reminds us that we must prioritize Him over everything and everyone else if we are to be His disciples. But along with these realities is a passage that brings a great promise. While there is a cost to being a Christian, the reward is well worth it.

Jesus describes the people that can claim this promise as those who have given up certain elements of this life for His sake and the sake of the gospel. This is a description of dedicated, serious, and committed Christians. Too often today, it seems like we see people who would describe themselves as believers but their lifestyle doesn’t reflect one dedicated to the Lord. Instead, their claim is either rooted in religious motion, not yielding any practical change in their lives, or they find themselves in the “fire insurance” group. These would be people who rely on some decision that they have made in their past, perhaps childhood, as a means by which they will escape judgment and find themselves in heaven someday. But neither of these groups match the description that Jesus is giving for those who can claim the promise. Those who have “left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms”, these are the people who will be repaid “a hundred times as much now in the present age.”  

This promise is amazing in that it runs against some popular thinking. We often talk about the eternal life that we have in heaven and of course eternal life is far greater a reward than anything we could ever receive in this life. But eternal life is not the only reward mentioned by Christ in this passage. The reward for leaving people and possessions for the cause of Christ will be repaid by God “now in this present age.” This is remarkable. We are rewarded in this life as well as in eternity.

This takes us into the area of God’s provision. The world and its philosophy tells us to go acquire as much material wealth as we can. In addition, material wealth has become the gold standard for whether a person is declared successful or not. The wealthy are often revered in this world and little is often talked about regarding their character, moral leanings, or spiritual condition. The mere fact that they have money is often the only reason why they are elevated to the group we declare “successful.” But Jesus paints a different picture. Christians will also receive but our provision will be from the hand of God. He alone is able to bring repayment for our commitment to Him and His provision eclipses that of those who scratch and claw their way to the top. Our sacrifice in this life does not go unnoticed by the Lord and it is He that will repay those faithful to Him. 

So, yes, we have eternal life with Christ and that’s the greatest thing that anyone could ever possess. But there are also rewards in this life for our dedication and loyalty to Christ and to the gospel. Giving up relationships with others and laying down the world’s philosophy of pursuing wealth above all else in exchange for being a dedicated, serious, and loyal Christ follower is the wisest thing we could ever do.

But before closing this thought, let’s not skip over what Jesus includes in this promise. We will be rewarded in this present age and in the age to come but we are also promised persecutions. This is the part that might not sound so attractive. But we can be assured that for whoever rejects the world and pursues Christ with all of their heart, there will be rejection and persecution from this world (John 15:18-19). But remember, what we endure in this life for the cause of Christ pales in comparison to the reward that we will receive (Romans 8:18).