“Lose It All, Gain It All” (2 panels)
A reflection on Mark 10:28-31
Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
©️2021 by Gloria M. Chang
Peter began to say to him, “We have given up everything and followed you.” Jesus 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 who 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. But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
Mark 10:28-31
All These Things Shall Be Added Unto You
When the rich young man departed, the disciples were left wondering what they had gained by renouncing earthly goods to follow their master. Jesus assured them that nothing was lost in the light of eternity. In fact, the entire list of goods “given up” reappears in the hundredfold list of blessings received, with the addition of “persecutions” and ultimately, “eternal life.”
Christ himself is the inheritance of the blessed, and all things are contained in Christ. Union with God, the infinite and eternal good, encompasses all finite goods. Complete identification with Christ includes the cross (“persecutions”) but, in the end, resurrection and eternal life.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God,
Matthew 6:33 (KJV)
and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you.
Lose it all, gain it all,
With persecutions
And an eternal windfall!
Glad I saw the slide arrow for next picture! “God will grant an “eternal windfall” for the little I lose here for God’s sake. How about the “many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.” Another paradox!
Thank you… there’s certainly a lot to contemplate!