"Behold, We Have Forsaken All"

"And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And He saith unto them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him. And going on from thence, He saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed Him" (Matthew 4:18-22).

Peter and Andrew did not stop to ask how about wages, housing, and so on. James and John did not ask what would become of their father. They simply followed, and left it all to their Leader.

Let us look at another event earlier in Jesus' ministry. After Jesus had finished His conversation with the rich young ruler and given admonition about riches, Peter asked, "Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?" (Matthew 19:27, emphasis added).

"And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My Name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life" (vv. 28-29). While Jesus' answer mentioned things material, we know that we must forsake even more. Like the rest of the disciples, Peter was slow to learn that he truly would have to forsake "all."

" Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:33, emphasis added).

 

"All that he hath" includes an unforgiving spirit—"Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven" (Matthew 18:21-22).

 

"All that he hath" includes selfishness—"From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto Thee. But He turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men" (Matthew 16:21-23).

 

"All that he hath" includes self-confidence and boasting—"Peter answered and said unto him, Though all [men] shall be offended because of thee, [yet] will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples. … Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before [them] all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. And when he was gone out into the porch, another [maid] saw him, and said unto them that were there, This [fellow] was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came unto [him] they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also [art] one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. Then began he to curse and to swear, [saying,] I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly" ((Matthew 26:33-35, 69-75).

 

"All that he hath" includes slothfulness and indifference—"And He cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak" (vv. 40-41).

"All that he hath" includes rashness and insubordination—"Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?"

(John 18:10-11).

 

"All that he hath" includes worrying about what others are supposed to do—"Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what [shall] this man [do?] Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what [is that] to thee? follow thou Me" (John 21:20-22).

As we can see from Peter's life, Jesus wants us to be willing to give up not only positions, possessions, and people for His sake, but also undesirable traits of personality. It may seem like a divesting of individuality to some. Yet, would a man with a cleft lip refuse to have it fixed if he could because it was part of who he was? That would be utter foolishness to go around with such a deformity if there was the possibility of eliminating it. To refuse to surrender characteristics that make our lives and the lives of those around us unhappy is even worse because, unlike a cleft lip, it will have a poisonous influence upon everyone now and it will ruin our chances of going to heaven as well. Why don't we do as Peter did and forsake "all" for the Master?

Blessings,

Jean