Peter
began to tell him, “Behold, we have left all, and have followed you.”
Mark 10:28
Mark 10 [27.] Jesus, looking at them, said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God.”
Mark 10 [28.] Peter began to tell him, “Behold, we have left all, and have followed you.”
Mark 10 [29.] Jesus said, “Most certainly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or land, for my sake, and for the sake of the Good News, but he will receive one hundred times more now in this time, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land, with persecutions; and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last; and the last first.”
Meaning:
The rich man had refused Jesus’ call to sell his possessions and follow him, and Jesus had warned how hard it is for the rich to enter God’s Kingdom, adding that “all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27). Peter, as so often, speaks for the twelve. He points out the contrast between the rich man and the disciples. What the man would not do, they had done. They had left everything to follow Jesus. Behind his words lies an unspoken question, which Matthew records openly: what will we receive?
- “Peter began to tell him”
Peter is the natural spokesman of the twelve in Mark’s Gospel. He was the first to be called (Mark 1:16-17), the one who confessed Jesus as the Christ and then rebuked him for speaking of the cross (Mark 8:30-33), and the one who spoke up on the mountain of transfiguration (Mark 9:2-4). His words are impulsive and honest. Here they mix genuine devotion with a touch of self-congratulation.
- “We have left all”
Peter was not exaggerating. When Jesus called him and Andrew by the Sea of Galilee, “Immediately they left their nets, and followed him” (Mark 1:18). James and John left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and Levi left his tax office (Mark 2:13-14). They gave up their livelihoods, the security of a settled home and the normal hopes of family life. Peter still had a house in Capernaum (Mark 1:29), but it was no longer the centre of his life. In contrast to the rich man, the disciples had done what Jesus asked. Their sacrifice was real.
- “And have followed you”
Leaving was only half of it; the other half was following. The disciples had attached themselves to Jesus, walking with him from village to village, learning from his words and sharing his poverty. Jesus had taught that “Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34). Following Jesus is more than giving things up; it is a relationship with him. On another occasion Peter put it beautifully: “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).
- A hidden question
Peter’s statement invites a reply. After all the talk of how hard it is to enter the Kingdom, he wanted to know where the disciples stood. Jesus did not rebuke him. Instead he gave a generous promise: no one who leaves home and family for his sake and the gospel’s will fail to receive a hundred times more, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come (Mark 10:29-30). Then he added a warning: “many who are first will be last; and the last first” (Mark 10:31). Peter himself would later learn how weak his own commitment could be, when he denied Jesus three times (Mark 14:70-72), and how great God’s grace is to restore.
The Significance of Mark 10:28
- Following Jesus has a cost
The disciples’ example shows that faith is more than agreement; it is a life redirected. Believers today may not leave fishing boats, but they are called to put Jesus above possessions, career and comfort.
- What we leave is never wasted
Jesus’ answer shows that God is no one’s debtor. Like the man who found treasure in a field and “in his joy” sold all he had to buy it (Matthew 13:44), the disciples gave up much but gained far more.
Cross-References:
Mark 1:18: "Immediately they left their nets, and followed him." The moment Peter and Andrew left all to follow Jesus.
Matthew 13:44: "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field." Leaving all for the Kingdom with joy.
Hebrews 11:26: "accounting the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he looked to the reward." Moses gave up the riches of Egypt by faith.
Philippians 3:7: "However, I consider those things that were gain to me as a loss for Christ." Paul’s own example of leaving all for Christ.
Conclusion: Peter reminded Jesus that, unlike the rich man, the disciples had left everything to follow him. His words were true and their sacrifice was real, though they carried an unspoken question about the reward. Jesus answered with a generous promise of blessing now and eternal life to come, and with a warning that the first will be last. The verse invites every believer to examine what they have left for Christ and to trust that nothing given up for him is ever lost.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible