"Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last first."
Today's lesson is short on words, but long on the meaning and the intent within those few words.
Jesus first promised that anyone who would devote his/her life to the ministry of His gospel would be rewarded hundreds of times over to include all manner of worldly possessions as well an assurance of eternal life upon His return.
Jesus then went on to say, "But many that are first shall be last; and the last first."
This foretold that there would be a great shift among Jesus' disciples and that some who, at that time, appeared to be the most avid would eventually prove themselves to be devoted the least, and that some who seemed the most disinterested, at the time, would eventually set the example for the rest.
This prophesy would be fulfilled when there was great dissension within the Church between some of the older Jews and the Gentile disciples who had been taught and converted by Peter and Paul.
Paul, the Apostle who had not at that time even been selected by Jesus, would undergo a great spiritual transformation turning from persecuting the early Christians to eventually becoming the most devout and vocal leader of the Church.~
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