Mk 10:28-31
28Peter began to say to [Jesus], “We have given up everything and followed you.” 29Jesus 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 30who 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. 31But many that are first will be last, and [the] last will be first.”
A HUNDRED TIMES: In time, the covenant relationship between Yahweh and Israel began to be interpreted as a juridical matter. Wealth and material goods were considered as God’s favor earned through compliance with the Law (Jb 1:10; Ps 128:1-2; Is 3:10). Jesus’ remark about wealth—that it is hard for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! (Mk 10:23)—then comes as a shock to the disciples. Peter, who acts as the spokesperson of the disciples, articulates the problem that bothers them: “We have given up everything and followed you.” In Matthew (19:27), he adds: “What will there be for us?”
Jesus assures his disciples that no one who follows him will ever lose what is really important, either in this life or in the life to come. God will reward each one… a hundred times! The expression “a hundred times” or “hundredfold” is used in the Bible to indicate a rich harvest, a blessing from God (Gn 26:12; Mk 4:8; 4:20; Lk 8:8). The same expression is used to convey God’s full blessing on the people (2 Sm 24:3; 1 Chr 21:3).
The message of Jesus is obvious: God knows how to take care of his own. He cannot be outdone in generosity! On our part, we must be sure that our motives are right: “For my (Jesus’) sake and for the sake of the gospel” (v 29).