Sacrifices: Mark 10:28-31
We may leave everything, but we’ve lost nothing. I don’t get that mindset right all the time. I have moments where I look longingly at what others have. But those moments of weakness are fleeting. At my core, I am genuinely grateful for the spiritual community around me and the way God has shaped my life. Turning our back on the things of the world doesn’t lead to a life of empty mortification.
Peter boldly proclaims they have left everything to follow Jesus. This could be Peter’s pride showing through. After all, this section in Mark has come from the argument the disciples had regarding the greatest disciple.
Peter’s statement might not be coming from pride, though. He could be acknowledging they have given up much and recognizing how God has used that to change them. Any disciple knows the feeling that comes from realizing the small daily changes do turn into habits.
Jesus’ reinforces Peter. They have made sacrifices. Jesus talks about two types of consequences with respect to discipleship: sacrifices and benefits. Following God may cause us to leave home, leave familiar places, leave friends, and other things that the world claims important. We will encounter persecution. People may not realize why we make our choices. We’ll live in a world that doesn’t mirror our thought process and our compassion for others. We may get taken advantage of.
There are also benefits. As we grow closer to Christ, new brothers and sisters draw close to us. These people are not united to us by blood, but rather by the Holy Spirit. We find commonality with them through our pursuit in God’s ways. While we live in a world that may not understand our choices, we also forge a community that does understand us. This new community of brothers and sisters is there to support us and encourage us and root for us and forgive us when we make mistakes.
Furthermore, these benefits are here and now. We often think about life as making sacrifices now for the sake of eternal life. While true, it doesn’t have to be that way. We make sacrifices now and reap rewards now. My spiritual community is a blessing to me right now and will continue to be a blessing into the eternal.
Finally, Jesus brings this lesson full circle for His disciples. The first shall be last and the last shall be first. Becoming a disciple of Jesus is not about being the greatest but about being God’s servant. This is a powerful dynamic. Instead of competing in a world and living a keeping-up-with-the-Jones’ lifestyle, we can belong to a community finding satisfaction in what we do for each other and how we lift up one another. Instead of impressing others with our status and possessions, we have a community to encourage us in our pursuit of servant leadership. We may leave everything, but we’ve lost nothing.
