Luke 18:29

Luke 18:29, in plain English

Jesus begins His answer with a promise: anyone who has left behind their home, their spouse, their family, or their children for the sake of God's kingdom...

Why it's here

Jesus doesn't minimize what following Him costs. He names every precious thing you might have to let go of — and He's about to tell you what you get in return.

Who's speaking

Jesus responds to Peter's concern with the beginning of a breathtaking promise.

Where it sits in the story

Jesus lists everything you might sacrifice to follow Him — home, family, the people you love most. He's not pretending discipleship is free. But He's about to reveal that the return is beyond imagination.

The scholarly reading

Jesus introduces a solemn promise with 'Truly I tell you' and begins listing the categories of sacrifice — home, spouse, siblings, parents, children — made for the sake of the kingdom of God (heneken tēs basileias tou theou).

Language and setting

The comprehensive list covers all primary social bonds in ancient Mediterranean culture. Luke's inclusion of 'wife' is unique among the Synoptics and reflects the totality of potential sacrifice.

Voice

Jesus responds to Peter with a formal promise, enumerating the types of sacrifices kingdom disciples may make.

Significance

Jesus takes Peter's question seriously and begins His answer with a sweeping list of everything someone might leave behind for God's kingdom — every relationship, every security, every comfort.

27But Jesus said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

28“Look,” said Peter, “we have left all we had to follow You.”

29“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God

30will fail to receive many times more in this age—and in the age to come, eternal life.”

31Then Jesus took the Twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything the prophets have written about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.

Read all of Luke 18 — A stubborn widow, a humble tax collector, and a rich ruler who can't let go. Jesus shows that the kingdom belongs to those who won't give up and won't pretend.