Rewards of Following Christ
March 4, 2025 - Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Mark 10:28-31
After the shocking revelation that wealth cannot buy entry into God’s kingdom, Peter speaks up: “We have given up everything and followed you” (Mark 10:28). In contrast to the rich man who walked away grieving, the disciples left their work and possessions to follow Christ. Mark does not record the rest of Peter’s statement, but Matthew adds his question: “What then will we have?” (Matt 19:27). A natural question—what are the rewards of discipleship?
To all who answer His call, Jesus makes an astonishing promise: “Whatever they left behind will be given to them a hundredfold in this age—houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and lands—along with persecutions. And in the age to come, eternal life” (Mark 10:30). The very thing the rich man sought—eternal life—is now promised to those who follow Christ.
I can testify that even in the 21st century, these words hold true. Leaving behind my home, family, and country, I have found in every place a warm welcome, brothers and sisters in Christ, and places to stay. The Church truly becomes a new family. Jesus specifically mentions houses, family, and land—but He does not include spouses. Even in discipleship, one is not called to abandon a husband or wife.
Only Mark includes the phrase "but with persecutions." While Matthew and Luke omit it (Matt 19:23-30; Luke 18:24-30), Mark’s Gospel was shaped by the suffering of the early Church. According to ancient tradition, Mark recorded Peter’s preaching in Rome during the fierce persecution of Emperor Nero (64-68 AD). The very disciple who spoke up in today’s passage—Peter—would not live to see the completion of Mark’s Gospel. Before it was finished, both Peter and Paul, along with many other believers, were put to death, "delivered to the wild beasts" (Mark 1:13). Their suffering, however, became their path to the ultimate reward—eternal inheritance (Heb 9:15).
The early Christians endured much for the sake of Christ. The Letter to Diognetus, an ancient Christian text from the 2nd century, offers a glimpse into how the world viewed believers: "They love all and are persecuted by all. Those who hate them cannot even give a reason for their hatred." This remains true today. In the 21st century, Christians are still the most persecuted religious group in the world.
Today's Gospel ends with a paradox: “Many who are first will be last, and the last will be first” (Mark 10:31). The Gospel of Christ upends worldly priorities. What the world values, God often disregards; what the world overlooks, God exalts. As St. Paul reminded the Corinthians: “God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no one may boast before Him” (1 Cor 1:28).
The promise of Christ is not just about the future but a transformed way of living now—one that may include trials, yet is always marked by God’s abundant grace and the gift of eternal life with Him.