The first will be last and the last will be first.
He leads me …
Most Christians know this verse, but what does it actually mean?
It appears first in Matthew 19:30, and then again in the next chapter - 20:16. We also find it in Mark 9:35, and 10:31, and finally in Luke 13:30. The fact that the same phrase appears twice quite close together in Matthew and Mark indicates Jesus is making an important point that we should understand.
Let us look at the context to understand better what Jesus was saying.
Jesus made the statement in Matthew 19:30 after challenging a rich young ruler to go and sell his possessions, give the money to the poor and then to follow Him. When the young man heard this he sadly went away, because he had a lot of belongings (verse 22).
Jesus’ disciples saw how this could affect them and asked the Lord what reward they would have in Heaven, since they had given up everything to follow Him (verses 27–30). Jesus promised them ‘a hundred times as much,’ plus eternal life (verse 29). Then He said, ‘But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first’ (verse 30).
Then in Matthew 20:16 Jesus repeated this truth in at the end of the parable of the labourers in the vineyard. This is a story which was designed to illustrate the last being first and the first being last.
The story tells us that workers were hired to work in a vineyard throughout the day, and when the people who were hired about five in the afternoon arrived, each of them received a full day’s wage. Then when the people who had come to the vineyard first arrived, they thought they would get more for working longer, but they received a full day’s wage just like the others who had worked a shorter time. When they got it, they complained to the landowner. ‘The people who came last have only worked for an hour,’ they complained, ‘but you have made them equal to us, and we are the ones who have borne the burden of the work as well as the scorching heat!’
The landowner responded, ‘Remember, you agreed with me on a normal day’s wage? Take it and go. I want to give this last person the same as you. Surely I have a legal right to do whatever I like with my own things? Or are you jealous because I am kind?’
Jesus was teaching that God, who sees our hearts, will reward accordingly. His teaching indicates that those who have prospered through wickedness will fail in His Kingdom, whereas the good who have suffered for the sake of God will win salvation. Note that it does not mean that all wealthy people will be last, and nor does it mean that all poor people will be first. God will reward us according to our attitudes, and how we have lived our lives according to our beliefs.
In Matthew 20, everyone gets one denarius, which was a good wage in order to live in Jesus’ day. The payment represents eternal life, and the workers represent the people of God. Some people work long and hard like Timothy did with Paul, while others only serve Him for a little while, like the thief on the cross who believed in Jesus, and the same day went to Heaven. Note that they all received salvation.[1]
There are several ways in which ‘the first will be last and the last first’ holds true. There are some who were first to follow Christ for years yet were not the first in the kingdom. For example, Judas Iscariot was one of the first disciples and was honoured to be the treasurer of the disciples group. Unfortunately for him his greed led to his death. Paul was the last of the apostles (1 Corinthians 15:8–9) yet the one who worked the hardest (2 Corinthians 11:23).
There are many who were first in status yet were not first in the kingdom. Based on the terms of the New Covenant, the Gentiles had equal access to the Kingdom of Heaven, even though they had not served God under the Old Covenant. The Jews, who had laboured long under the Old Covenant, were jealous of the Lord’s grace given to the Gentile ‘newcomers’ (Romans 11:11). There are others who were first in prestige and rank yet would never enter the kingdom. For example, Jesus told the Pharisees that the sinners they despised were being saved ahead of them when He said in Matthew 21:31–32, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you’. There will be cases like these that apply equally today.[2]
There is a good example of this teaching of Jesus in 1 Samuel 16:1-13, where Samuel, a prophet of God, is called by the Lord to go to Jesse’s house to appoint one of his sons as the new king to replace King Saul.
Samuel sees Eliab, the oldest son of Jesse, and thinks, ‘Well, he is the oldest. It must be him.’ Maybe Samuel thought that because the firstborn male offspring possesses a special status with regard to inheritance rights, it would be him. But the Lord said, ‘Do not judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’
The Bible goes on to tell us that in the same way all seven of Jesse’s sons were presented to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen any of these.’ Then Samuel asked, ‘Are these all the sons you have?’
‘There is still the youngest,’ Jesse replied. ‘But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.’
‘Send for him at once,’ Samuel said. ‘We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.’
So Jesse sent for him. And the Lord said, ‘This is the one. Anoint him.’
So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah (NLT).
People who followed the latest celebrity would have seen a shepherd boy. God saw a King.
It is one thing to say, ‘I know Christ’ but the more important question is, does Jesus know us? This is what He emphasizes several times with regard to His second coming. In Matthew 7:22 many will come to Him on that day saying, ‘Lord, Lord’, but what does Jesus say? He does not say, ‘Well done. I saw you in church every Sunday,’ or ‘You were a good Sunday school teacher,’ or ‘You worked hard for the church,’ but rather He will say, ’I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’ (Matthew 7:23). Better to have had a relationship with Jesus than to hear Him say someday, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’ (Matthew 25:41).[3]
While working diligently for the church is good, the Lord’s priority is to have a personal relationship with us. So, are we making time to talk to Him, and are we including Him in what we do each day? The answer is over to us.
Dear Reader – If you have found some value in this blog, please feel free to send a copy on to your family and friends. Kind regards, John
[1] Why Does Jesus Say the "First Will Be Last"? Dave Jenkins, BibleStudyTools.com;
[2] What did Jesus mean when He said the first will be last and the last will be first? GotQuestions.org;
https://www.gotquestions.org/first-last-last-first.html
[3] First Will Be Last Bible Verse Meaning And Study, Jack Wellman, Patheos;
