Then Peter spoke up. “Look here,” he said, “we’ve left everything behind and followed you. What can we expect?” [Matthew 19:27 (NTFE)]
When a rich man asked Jesus what he needed to do to have eternal life, the Lord told him to sell everything and give it to the poor. More willing to part with eternal life than his riches, the disappointed man departed. When Jesus explained, ”It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God,” the disciples were astonished. Jewish tradition held that riches were a sign of God’s blessings and favor while poverty and sickness were God’s curse. If a rich man couldn’t get into the kingdom, they wondered who could.
Making it clear that eternal life is dependent on God rather than deeds, Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Rather than focusing on the grace of God, however, Peter focused on the idea of giving up everything to gain a place in the kingdom. Believing that Jesus’ followers already had sacrificed everything to follow Him, Peter wanted to know their reward. While his question seems impudent, the disciples still didn’t comprehend that the coming kingdom was not an earthly one. Rather than admonishing Peter for his question, Jesus reassured him that any sacrifice would be worth it in both this life and the next!
While we often speak of Jesus’ sacrifice when He paid the price for our salvation, let’s consider the sacrifices His disciples and followers made for Him. They left their livelihoods. Peter and Andrew were fishermen as were James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Luke refers to them as “partners” and Mark tells us that Zebedee also employed others on his boat or boats. These men weren’t uneducated unskilled day laborers—they were business men who regularly interacted with purveyors, government officials, and customers. While not rolling in money, they probably lived quite comfortably before leaving to follow Jesus.
Because tax collectors kept a portion of whatever they collected, Matthew left a lucrative career to follow the Lord and he probably used any accumulated wealth to help fund Jesus’ ministry. While we don’t know Judas’ profession, since he was chosen as the group’s treasurer, we can surmise that he, like Matthew, was both educated and had financial expertise. The rest of the disciples probably were fishermen or tradesmen who left their boats, tools, or shops to follow the Lord.
Jesus’s disciples left behind more than their livelihoods. In the three years of His public ministry, Jesus walked about 3,125 miles through Galilee and Judea. His disciples and followers left their families and homes to walk those miles with Him. We know both Matthew and Peter had houses and the others certainly lived somewhere. Peter was married and the Apostle Paul refers to other apostles being married. Women also followed Jesus and Salome, Joanna, Susanna, and Mary Magdalene financially supported His ministry. To follow an itinerant rabbi, Salome left Zebedee back in Galilee and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward, left a life of wealth and privilege.
Jesus’ followers gave up status in their community and may have been rejected by family, shunned by friends, and expelled from their synagogues. Having left occupations, homes, spouses, family, friends, and a comfortable bed upon which to sleep, Jesus’ followers spent their own money to support His ministry. If poverty, rather than blessings, was the likely result of their sacrifice, it’s no wonder Peter wanted to know how that benefitted them. Little did Peter know at the time that he and most of the disciples would sacrifice their lives, as well. Were their sacrifices made in vain?
Devotions of the Heart 