‘Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no man who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or lands, for my sake and the sake of the Good News, but he will receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecution, and in the world to come eternal life.” '
Jesus here covered two aspects of things, this world and the next. The thought was not that like Job all their goods and family would literally be restored. What was promised was that there would be satisfactory alternatives. We should compare Mark 3:34 which explains it. As some travelled the world in His name they would share many houses which they could for a time call home, they would find many brothers and sisters and mothers (but not ‘many fathers' - they had one Father, even God), and they would often benefit from land as necessary in His service. But the solemn note was then added, ‘with persecution'. Life was not promised to be rosy, only fulfilling. And finally the greatest promise of all, ‘in the world to come eternal life'. This does not have in mind any kingdom age. It looks to the everlasting glory with God in eternity.
Notice the ‘ors' and ‘ands' in the verses. What is lost is limited, what is received is all inclusive.
The implications of this verse are enormous humanly speaking. Let us consider them.
1). It implies that those who serve Jesus Christ may have to leave all they love and treasure in order to serve Him and spread the Good News of the Kingly Rule of God (Mark 1:15). He demands everything from His people. The sacrifice might be great. They might be called to leave their families to the care of the wider family, either physical or spiritual. They might be called to leave wealth and relationships, such as they had, behind. They might be called to give up all that men treasure, for Him. The willingness for this is what Christ expects of all who follow Him. And even those not called to go are required to live sacrificially in the same way (Matthew 6:19-21; Luke 12:33; Luke 16:9).
2). It promises that God will give them spiritual compensation in spiritual brothers, sisters and mothers, and that they will not lack what is necessary, including ‘lands' which represents resources. To men in those days land was necessary. A man survived from his land. To be landless was to be helpless. It was vitally important to provide for himself and his family.
3). It warns that all will not necessarily be rosy. They will possibly face persecution and trouble, tribulation through the activity of men. They must look forward to a war not a bonanza.
4). They would do it for His sake and for the sake of the spreading of the good news of the Kingly Rule of God. Both go together. The one expresses their loyalty and the other their aim. He was here to establish the Kingly Rule of God and they must do the same. But the message must not take precedence over the personal response. They should always keep in mind that it was for His sake that they went. Jesus always stressed the importance of personal response to Him, and thereby demonstrated His unique position and status. To the Jew, who saw all things in terms of the theocracy, there was only One Who would have had the right to make such claims. So by His words, omitting mention of God, Jesus was revealing that He was Himself the true and only Son of God and could thus be allowed to take the place in men's hearts that God should occupy.
5). They would inherit eternal life. Jesus finally answers Peter's question. Eternal life, salvation, enjoying the eternal Kingly Rule of God, would be theirs. That life to come after the resurrection, that life of fullness in the presence of God, was the final certainty that He guaranteed to those who truly followed Him. So to truly know Him was to have life.