‘And he said unto them, “Truly I say to you, There is no man who has left house, or wife, or brethren, or parents, or children, for the Kingly Rule of God's sake, who will not receive a great deal more in this time, and in the world to come eternal life.”
Then Jesus assured them all that no one who had genuinely, for the sake of the Kingly Rule of God as revealed in Him, left behind what was their own, would lose out by it. They would receive much more than they had lost, both in this world and the next. And this included house, wife, family, children, or anything else. Thus the ruler, having gone away, had had the worst of the bargain. Luke is the only one who includes ‘wife' in his list. As ever he is mindful to give due importance to women.
Some react at the thought of leaving wife. But he is not talking about an ‘official separation'. He is pointing out that no relationship must prevent men from doing the will of God. Many men leave their wives for long periods for the purpose of building up wealth, with the wife's full approval. Others take them with them. The same was to apply under the Kingly Rule of God. They were certainly not to desert wife or children, but would trust them into the hands of God and their relations. For was His promise not that He would ensure that they would be fully provided for?
It should be noted that this is not a promise of the certainty of worldly prosperity. It is in the end the promise of ‘something better', and is giving the certainty that no man who truly serves God will end up disappointed. If he lose his old family, he will have a new family. If he lose his wealth he will receive what is of more value. And so on. God is no man's debtor. But above all he would have life.
The disciples, contented, might well now have felt that they could fall back into the old routine, following the Master, and enjoying their privileges as His servants. But Jesus, aware of what lay ahead, knew that they now had to be brought to the realisation that like the rich ruler they too would soon be called on to make a choice. For like him their world would soon be brought crashing down, even though the challenge would be a different one. And their response then would determine their future. It is this that Jesus now tries to deal with.