Hi everyone, welcome back to logical Bible study podcast. Our goal on this podcast is to help you understand the Gospel reading from today's mass, from a Catholic perspective, but really from an academic perspective as well. So we're trying to do an exegesis of verse-by-verse, exegesis of the scriptures. Currently at Mass were moving through the gospel of Mark. So today, it may see you'll hear from Mark, chapter 10, verses 28 to 31.
So I'll read out the reading from today's mass and then we'll have a go at pulling it apart a bit. At that time, Peter began to tell Jesus. What about us? We have left everything and followed you. Jesus said, I tell you, solemnly there is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, father, children, all land for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel, who will not be repaid? A hundred times over houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land Not without
persecutions. Now in this present time and in the world to come eternal life, many who are first will be last. And the last first So that's our reading today, it's an interesting 11. You may not have heard before let's start by thinking about the context. So what's happened just before this?
So Jesus has just addressed the Rich Young Ruler and he said to the Rich Young Ruler how hard it is for the for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. So that's probably what prompts Peter now to ask Jesus, what about us? What about our future? So verse 28 at that time. So just after Jesus had been speaking to the Rich Young Ruler Peter. So we're going to see Peter
here, speak up for the apostles. As he does in many other places Peter speaks with the Apostles showing that he's the leader of them. He began to tell Jesus what about us. Now in the original that phrase is not there, what about us? But it does kind of make sense of what Peter is about to say. We have left everything and followed you. So, Peter here is apparently thinking something like this. Jesus has just said that, it's very hard for men to be saved, but we, the Apostle's have left
everything to follow. Jesus. Surely we will be saved. That's probably what he's worried about. From this verse, we actually learn a couple of interesting things. We learned that the apostles were not just occasional or part-time followers of Jesus, some of his disciples probably were but it seems the apostles had a literally left their families. They've left everything their families and their jobs behind in order to follow Jesus full
time. And on top of that following Jesus means they live a pretty rough lifestyle where people constantly rejected them. So, we need to keep in mind the apostles. I did not live a glamorous life, they made great sacrifices for God. And you could say that that contrasts with the rich, man, because the rich man, apparently was not willing to make sacrifices in order to enter the kingdom, but the apostles clearly are and that is going to work in their favor as we're
about to see. Jesus said, I tell you, solemnly or truly, truly, I say to you. So here we have a promise. Jesus is about to make a promise to his apostles.
I tell you, solemnly there is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, father, children, or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel. Now, to understand this, we need to keep in mind that Jesus is thinking primarily of the first century because he knows that in the first century after he goes back to Heaven, many Christians would need to go out on missionary Journeys. So many Christians would leave their house brother, sister, father children, Etc.
So Jesus here, as he does in many places is telling his disciples that allegiance to him and the gospel. The gospel of the Kingdom takes priority over Family Ties. And that could mean in some situations leaving the family completely if required, which is pretty radical in that culture, family ties, were considered to be very important. So for Jesus to say, I come before family, in fact, you may have to leave your family entirely.
That's huge. For some Christians, that would mean leaving their old job behind to go and preach the gospel. Jesus here says, some of you will have to leave house or leave land so clearly they're going to lose money by doing this. It's referring to those who've left their lives behind to become full-time disciples. And in particular, Jesus is thinking of the Apostles though, Jesus does kind of extend it to everyone here because he does say there is no one who has left
house, okay? So it does apply to everyone who's willing to give up their life. To follow him. Now, there's an interesting implication here in the Greek so the Greek word here for leave as in no, one who leaves their house, brother, or sister, the Greek word there is a fehmi and that can also mean release in this sense of being free from attachment. So, maybe Jesus also has in mind those who are free from attachment to their house and their family.
That's an interesting implication verse 30. There is no one who has left. These things who will not be repaid. A hundred times over houses. Brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land. So Jesus, he says that all of those things will be given back to the faithful disciple. In fact, a hundred times better than what they left behind. But Jesus then adds this phrase not without persecutions. So there is no one who has left their house and their land in their family.
Who will not be repaid. A hundred times over not without persecutions, or you can just translate that with persecutions. So, this is a condition of the promise. Jesus says, yes, if you leave everything to follow me, you will be given these things
provided that you're persecuted. Jesus says that if you want the promises, the disciple has to be willing to be Acute it and we know from history that many of them were now the wording here suggests that persecutions will happen if you think about the way it's phrased. It he says, if you leave everything to follow me, you will be persecuted. It's important that Jesus adds this he wants Peter, and the other Apostles to know that the blessings aren't guaranteed.
Just because they say their followers of Jesus, the blessings aren't guaranteed unless they're willing to give everything up and to endure persecution for his sake. And Jesus now adds this interesting phrase now in this present time. So Jesus says that those promises is just been talking about to have mother sister and land given back to you. Jesus says you'll get that in
this life in this present time. So in what sense do the apostles and The Disciples of Jesus receive a hundredfold houses brothers and sisters? We know from history that most of the disciples were poor when they left everything to follow Jesus. And to preach the gospel, they didn't get these things. They don't literally get new houses. New biological Brothers, Etc.
So what does it mean? When Jesus says, you will get these things in your present life, most likely Jesus, here is referring to the church that's going to be their new family. Those who give up everything for Jesus will not be left. Lonely and isolated, they're going to experience the warmth and Hospitality in which fellow Believers and even unbelievers will welcome them into their homes and we see that in the book of Acts and in some of Paul's letters as well.
Those who Oh, Jesus full-time. Do kind of receive a new family and that's what Jesus is talking about here. Apparently, interestingly notice who's not in this list. Jesus says, you'll be given back houses. Brothers sisters, mothers children and land father is not on that list, which is interesting. So here as, in other places, Jesus, never promises that you'll be given a new father. The idea is that God himself is already, the father of the family of Jesus.
God himself is the father and There is no other father in that family. It's really interesting when you noticed that and then Jesus says, you'll be given these things in the present time and in the world to come or you can translate that in the age to come. That's a Jewish way of describing the final manifestation of the kingdom of God. And as Christians, that's pretty much equivalent to what we would call the new heavens and the new Earth.
So, Jesus says these promises will be given to you also in the new heavens and the new Earth in the future in the resurrection. In the time of Jesus, the Jews believe that God had divided the world into two great ages, sometimes called the old age in the New Age. So when Jesus, he is says here as in other places in the age to come, he's thinking of this Jewish way of thinking about one day, when the kingdom of God comes in its fullness, it will be the age to come.
Now Matthews version of this same story. It actually reads slightly differently, it says when the Regeneration happens or in the new world. So all of these are Decent translations of this idea that Jesus is trying to get across of the new age that age to come.
The kingdom of God, there's all sorts of different words that are used for it and in the Book of Revelation it's called the new heavens and the new Earth. But before that the Jews had lots of different ideas and titles for this coming age. And Jesus says, in the age to come, you'll be given eternal life. That's a phrase.
He uses your eternal life. Jesus promises that the faith will persecute a disciple will Receive eternal life and will enter the final kingdom of God provided that they stay faithful. This is Jesus teaching all throughout the gospel. This is an example of how it is possible for people to be saved with God's grace. Remember earlier, when the Rich Young Ruler came to Jesus. And says, what do I have to do to inherit eternal life?
Well, now, Jesus, finally, kind of answers that he says, if you follow me and you're persecuted for my sake in the kingdom of God, you will receive eternal life. So it clarifies. The question of who, then Can be saved. It's those who give up everything and follow Jesus, in this context. Matthews version at this point adds that the apostles, there's another promise given to the apostles.
Here, the apostles will be set on 12 Thrones to judge the 12 tribes of Israel. That's actually what Jesus says to them here. He gives them that promise, but Mark doesn't include that possibly because he knows that hit many of his readers won't be as familiar with this kind of Jewish language of twelve Thrones and twelve tribes. Verse 31, Jesus has this enigmatic phrase, many who are first will be last, and the last first.
Now, Jesus uses this phrase, a lot in his ministry, but it seems to mean different things in different contexts. Here it means that many people who have high on it in this life will not have in the next life and those who are persecuted and have low status in this life, will be the most elevated in the next life. That's sort of what Jesus means here. In terms of those who Who have rough lives following him in a persecuted. They will be the ones that are given a high place in the next
life. Whereas those perhaps like the Pharisees and the other leaders of the world in Jesus time, they will not be elevated in the next life. Let's now turn to the catechism. There's one really interesting reference here. Paragraph 1618, which is about virginity for the sake of the Kingdom. Christ is the center of all Christian Life. The bond with him, takes precedence over all other bonds familial or social from the very beginning of the church.
There, have been men and women who have renounced the great good of marriage to follow the lamb, wherever he goes to be intent on the things of the Lord, to seek to, please him, and to go out to meet the bridegroom. Right, groom, who is coming. And the paragraph goes on from there. So here, the catechism talks about virginity, for the sake of the kingdom.
And one of the links that makes here is that even in the gospels, and even in the first century, Christians were willing to leave their homes to follow Jesus. Now, in the list, we have here in Mark chapter 10, Jesus, doesn't mention leaving your husband or wife, but he does mention leaving children. So, it's implied, that many of the disciples would have had to have had to leave their husband or wife in certain circumstances.
So in this sense, there are good example of spiritual version virgins for the sake of the Kingdom. I hope you've learned something new today. If you've got any questions about what you've heard or you want to dispute something that's been said, or you just want to learn more about certain things. That I've said, then I love to
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Thanks, and we'll continue in Mark in the coming days.