Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 19:27

"Then answered Peter and said unto him, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee; what then shall we have?" — Matthew 19:27 (ASV)

Here is another claimant for a prominent position. Peter answered, adding, as he seemed to think, a question necessary for the full discussion of the subject. Peter speaks for his brothers, “Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed you.” We have done what the rich young man refused to do: “What shall we have therefore?”

He spoke as the representative of a number who had become poor for the kingdom’s sake. Surely these must have a large reward. Little as these first believers had to leave, it was their all, and they had forsaken it to follow Jesus. Peter would eagerly hear what their reward would be.

What Peter said was true, but it was not wisely spoken. It has a selfish, grasping look, and it is worded so starkly that it ought not to have been expressed in that manner by a servant to his Lord. After all, what do any of us have to lose for Jesus compared with what we gain by Him? “What shall we have?” is a question which we need not raise, for we ought instead to think of what we have already received from our Lord’s hands. He Himself is reward enough for the soul that has Him.