The First Will Be Last
The First Will Be Last
`But many that are first will be last, and the last first' (Mark 10:31; Matt. 19:30; cf. Luke 13:30; Matt. 20:16).
The saying about the first being last and the last first is not peculiar to the teaching of Jesus; it is a piece of general folk wisdom, which finds memorable expression in Aesop's fable of the hare and the tortoise. But in the Gospels it is applied to the living situation during Jesus's ministry.
The saying occurs in two contexts in the Gospels. The first context (in Mark 10:31 and the parallel in Matthew 19:30) is the sequel to the incident of the rich man who could not bring himself to sell his property and give the proceeds to the poor. Jesus commented on the difficulty experienced by any rich man who tried to get into the kingdom of God, and Peter spoke up: `Well, we at least are not rich; we have given up everything to be your followers' (see pp. 180-3). To this Jesus replied that, even in this age, those who had given up anything for him would receive more than ample compensation, over and above the persecutions which would inevitably fall to the lot of his followers, while in the age to come they would receive eternal life. Then he added, `But many that are first will be last, and the last first.'
What is the point of the saying in this context? It seems to be directed to the disciples, and perhaps the point is that those who have given up most to follow Jesus must not suppose that the chief place in the kingdom of God is thereby guaranteed to them. It is possible to take pride in one's self-denial and suppose that by its means one has established a special claim on God. `No amount of exertion, not even self-denial or asceticism, can make one a disciple. Discipleship is purely a gift of God." Even those who have made great sacrifices for God are not justified in his sight for that reason; and even Peter and his companions, who gave up all to follow Jesus, may get a surprise on the day of review and reward by seeing others receiving preference over them.
In Luke 13:30 the words (but in the reverse order: `some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last') are added to Jesus's affirmation that `men will come from east and west, and from north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God' (in Matthew 8:11 this affirmation is attached to the incident of the centurion's servant). Those who come from the four points of the compass are plainly Gentiles, whereas some of Jesus's Jewish hearers, who looked forward confidently to a place in the kingdom, along with `Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets', would find themselves shut out. The free offer of the gospel might be extended 'to the Jew first' (Rom. 1:16), but if those to whom it was first extended paid no heed to it, then the Gentiles, late starters though they were, would receive its blessings first (see p. 105).
In Matthew 20:16 the parable of the labourers in the vineyard (see p. 196) is rounded off with these words: `So the last will be first, and the first last.' In the parable the last-hired workmen received the same wage at the end of the day as those who were hired at dawn. It might be said indeed that in that situation there was neither first nor last: all were treated equally. But the words had a wider fulfilment in Jesus's ministry. Those who were far ahead in understanding and practice of the law found themselves falling behind those whom they despised in receiving the good things of the kingdom of God. The son who said `I will' to his father's command but did nothing about it naturally yielded precedence to the son who, having first said `I will not', later repented and did it. Similarly, said Jesus to the chief priests and elders in Jerusalem, `the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you' (Matt. 21:28-32). This was a hard saying to those who heard it, who must indeed have regarded it as an insult - as many of their present-day counterparts equally would. But the work of Jesus brings about many reversals, and the day of judgment will be full of surprises.