In one of the more famous stories in the Gospels, a rich young man approaches Jesus inquiring how he may have eternal life. As the conversation continues, this man assumes he’s kept all the commandments, but Jesus pinpoints his idolatry of wealth. Jesus instructs him, “Sell what you possess…and come, follow me,” and in response, the rich young man “went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (Matthew 19:16-22).
And this then leads Jesus into a short speech about how difficult it is for those with wealth to enter the kingdom of God. Specifically, he says how it is impossible for those who have wealth to enter God’s kingdom. Yet, thankfully, Jesus also says that with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:23-27).
Most Christians are familiar with these parts of Scripture—with the rich young ruler and Jesus’s statement on the difficulty of salvation, especially for those with wealth. What we may be less familiar with is Peter’s shocking response as the story continues.
It’s classic, good ol’ Peter—the Peter who wanted to build tents during the Transfiguration (Mark 9:5-6); the Peter who confessed Jesus as the Christ but then rebuked Jesus when he said he’d die (Mark 8:29-32). This same Peter, right after witnessing this conversation with the young ruler about wealth and Jesus’s statements about money and possessions, blurts out,
“See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” (Matthew 19:27)
It sure doesn’t seem like the right time to ask this, Peter! Imagining the scene, we almost certainly would expect Jesus to rebuke Peter here. Think of the context of what just happened: The rich young ruler was focused on his wealth and possessions, and Jesus showed him that this possession-focus was hindering his entrance into eternal life; and Jesus just made it clear that wealth is an impossible obstacle (yet thankfully one God can overcome) to eternal life. Yet it is at this exact point that Peter—again, this is classic Peter—decides to ask what sort of possessions they’ll get for following Jesus!
“What then will we have?” It’s a softball toss, waiting for Jesus’s home-run rebuke.
Yet Jesus doesn’t rebuke Peter. Not at all. In a shocking turn, Jesus not only answers Peter’s question, but affirms his impulse. He doesn’t respond to Peter with any sort of apprehension, instead he surprisingly approves of Peter’s desire for reward—even possessional reward.
To Peter’s “what then will we have?”, Jesus responds,
“Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (Matthew 19:28-30)
Is this the Jesus you and I are familiar with? If we’re more influenced by asceticism (severe self-denial) or platonism (believing the physical is less important than the spiritual) rather than biblical Christianity, a response like this from Jesus may appear foreign.
Why doesn’t Jesus respond saying that Peter shouldn’t be asking such a question?
Why doesn’t Jesus say that Peter shouldn’t be concerned with such matters, but rather should focus on picking up his cross and following him?
The answer to both question is: Because Christianity isn’t ultimately about self-denial. Jesus knows that following him, even with much self-denial, isn’t ultimately a sacrifice.
Notice at least three specific areas of reward Jesus emphasizes in his response to Peter. First, Jesus says to Peter that as he will sit on a throne, so will his people. We will be royalty (and think about everything that might entail). Second, Jesus says that his people will be given power and authority, even to judge. Third, Jesus says that his people, although they might not receive it now, one day (“in the new world”) will get a majestic amount of stuff. For Jesus’s sake, we might now need to leave “houses or brothers or sisters of father or mother or children or lands,” but we will “receive a hundredfold” of these same things.
In other words, following Jesus surely isn’t merely or mainly self-denial. Of course, Jesus is clear elsewhere, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). We must put Christ and his gospel above our own ambitions, our treasures, our plans, while especially denying our sins. He is better than anything the world can offer. “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forget his soul?” As “When I Survey the Wonderful Cross” eloquently puts it:
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all
There is a self-denial now—a real, war-against-the-passions-of-our-flesh self-denial (1 Peter 2:11). But, as Peter rightly started to see, our following Jesus isn’t mainly about this. Rather, it’s about possessing all which we were created by God to possess (including, above all, God himself), all because we’re in Christ.
In Christ, we not only get eternal life, we will inherit the entire world (Matthew 5:5). In Christ, we will not only have spiritual joy, but we will cherish all the goodness and glory of God that is found in stuff scattered throughout all the nations (Revelation 21:24). In Christ, we get a hundredfold of wealth and possessions. Why? Because Christ is the Lord and heir of all, and we’re following him. More so, we’re united to him (1 Corinthians 3:21-23; Hebrews 1:2; Ephesians 3:6).
This is why Peter’s question doesn’t take Jesus by surprise. Such an impulse isn’t foreign to Jesus. It’s spot on. Made in the image of the Creator God himself, we were made to inherit the earth.
Now to be clear, if we cling to these things and care little about Jesus, we essentially become a future-oriented rich young ruler: We’ll want the stuff, but not the Savior; we don’t actually want to follow him. Moreover, if we think, like many prosperity gospel preachers on televisions, that this is coming to us now (“your best life now”), we totally neglect Jesus’s first few words of his response to Peter: “Truly, I say to you, in the new world…” (Matthew 19:28). So, we must keep Jesus central, and we cannot think that these future possessions are ours in this life.
But we as Christ’s followers also must not become ultimate self-deniers. We should strive to be more like Peter here. On one hand, we show the world that what we have in Jesus is a present far bigger than anything the world can offer, but on the other hand, we also celebrate that we—broken sinners that we are—by God’s grace in Christ will inherit the world. We not only have everlasting life in Christ’s presence, but, as he is the Creator of every good thing (remember the numerous “good” declarations of Genesis 1), we will also receive a hundredfold of everything good we ever would want here.
“What then will we have?” In Christ and because of Christ, an infinite abundance. “Further up and further in!”—forevermore.
