Let’s turn to Mark 10:28-30. “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.” We see from this, that there are both present and future rewards for discipleship. There are things that we will receive “now in this time,” and things which we will be rewarded with in “the world to come.”
It is interesting that some critical translations do not include “or wife,” because there lacks sufficient MSS support for it. It is doubtful that the Lord would encourage one to leave his wife to serve Him. The Scriptural way is to bring your wife along with you in the service of the Lord. Paul said, “Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife?” (1 Cor. 9:5).
At any rate, these rewards are given for our encouragement. The point is abundantly obvious; the person who becomes a disciple of the Lord Jesus is the gainer! We gain now and in the world to come. However, the profit in being a disciple of the Lord Jesus will not appeal to the man of the world who calculates everything chiefly in a monetary way.
Companionship With Christ
Let’s go first to John’s gospel, chapter 12:25-26. “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be: if any man serve Me, him will My Father honour.” We have two present rewards in these verses. The first one is companionship with the Lord Jesus! Who can estimate the gain of such a privilege? To go through this life in fellowship and communion with the Lord Jesus is the greatest privilege one could have! (John 14:21) Time spent in sweet fellowship with Him is better than anything else. To have Him as our companion is a wonderful reward! The Lord said to Abram, “I am thy Shield, and thy exceeding great reward” (Gen. 15:1).
Fellowship with the Lord is better than anything this world can offer. There is an inner satisfaction and peace that nothing else can give. The Psalmist could say, “A day in Thy courts is better than a thousand” (Psa. 84:10). You say, “A thousand what?” A thousand days spent elsewhere! I wouldn’t trade places with anyone in this world, no matter who they were, if I couldn’t walk in fellowship and communion with the Lord Jesus.
A Sense of the Father’s Approval
At the end of the 26th verse it says, “Him will My Father honour.” This is another reward. The Father would grant us a sense of His approval. To have that gives us not to need or want the approval of the world. To walk through this world with a sense of the Father’s love and approval is what the Lord enjoyed in His life (John 1:14), and He wants us to know and enjoy it too (John 14:23).
As you can see, these first two rewards are present things. They answer to what the Lord said, “Whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it” (Matt. 16:25). Having communion with Lord Jesus and the approval of the Father, you truly “find” the essence of life! Paul referred to it when he exhorted Timothy to “lay hold of what is really life” (1 Tim. 6:19 – J. N. Darby Translation). People think that they are really living when they go after the things of the world, but to really live is to walk in fellowship with God. A life of fellowship and communion with divine Persons—the Father and the Son—is a wonderful privilege that surpasses everything else!
Treasure in Heaven
Now the next two rewards are future. Without turning to it, I would refer you back to the story of the rich young ruler. The Lord said to him, “And thou shalt have treasure in heaven” (Luke 18:22). By following Christ in the time of His rejection, as one of His disciples, we lay up treasure in heaven for ourselves (Matt. 6:20-21). That’s the best investment you could make! The Lord has a book of remembrance there, and He is recording everything that we do for Him (Mal. 3:16). By living as a true disciple of Christ, and serving Him as such, we are sending our treasure on before us. There will be the Lord’s approbation; “Well done, thou good and faithful servant ... enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” (Matt. 25:21). One of our treasures in that day will be to enter into His joy—to enjoy what He enjoys in our glorified state. That’s treasure in heaven! We can enter into that now, but then it will be in all its fullness, without distraction.
Kingdom Rewards
In Matthew 16:27, the Lord links discipleship with His coming and the rewards He shall give. “For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works.” This is a very broad verse that includes the giving of a reward to the believer as well as to the lost and unbelieving! His coming (the appearing) will begin the time of reward for all. The believer, we know, will receive his reward at the judgment seat, which will take place just after the Rapture. Not only will there will be the Lord’s approbation, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21), but there will also be actual rewards given in the way of places of honour in the kingdom. They will be ascribed to those who have been faithful now in this world (Matt. 24:45-47).
These things are set before for us as an encouragement to step into true discipleship, and prove its blessing. May God give us the grace to give the Lord His rightful place in our lives, and prove the blessing of it.