There are phrases and ideas that have worked their way into common discourse. "A bird in the hand" or "when in Rome" are two that come to mind. But as I read through the book of Mark a few nights ago, I came across another common phrase: "The last shall be first, and the first shall be last."
This phrase appears not only in Mark 10:31 (where it is actually phrased "But many who are first will be last, and the last first") but also in Matthew's complementary account of Jesus' encounter with the rich, young man. In both cases, Christ's teaching and his main point are the same. But what exactly does this phrase mean, and when people use it, do they really mean what it says?
Too often, I hear this phrase used as an implicit reminder of a reward for those who are nice to other people. Let that pregnant lady on the elevator and catch the next one...the last shall be first. Give some money to a homeless man you pass by on your morning commute...the last shall be first. For many, this phrase is really just a moralistic proverb, a reminder of why you should do good things. Sadly, for Christians it is often the same. But that isn't what Jesus is saying at all.
As is always the case with Scripture, reading the context helps understand the meaning. Here's the passage in its entirety:
17And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" 20And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth." 21And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
This phrase appears not only in Mark 10:31 (where it is actually phrased "But many who are first will be last, and the last first") but also in Matthew's complementary account of Jesus' encounter with the rich, young man. In both cases, Christ's teaching and his main point are the same. But what exactly does this phrase mean, and when people use it, do they really mean what it says?
Too often, I hear this phrase used as an implicit reminder of a reward for those who are nice to other people. Let that pregnant lady on the elevator and catch the next one...the last shall be first. Give some money to a homeless man you pass by on your morning commute...the last shall be first. For many, this phrase is really just a moralistic proverb, a reminder of why you should do good things. Sadly, for Christians it is often the same. But that isn't what Jesus is saying at all.
As is always the case with Scripture, reading the context helps understand the meaning. Here's the passage in its entirety:
17And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" 20And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth." 21And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
23And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" 24And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." 26And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?" 27Jesus looked at them and said, "With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God." 28Peter began to say to him, "See, we have left everything and followed you." 29Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31But many who are first will be last, and the last first."
Mark 10:17-31 (ESV)
Christ clearly ties being one of the last-made-first not with some kind of moral do-goodness, but with the consequences of a life devoted to following him. If that seems like a subtle distinction, think about it again. Common usage would suggest that the one that does the most sacrificial "good things" somehow gains placement "first" in virtue of their "last" nice-guy standing. But Christ clearly points out just a few verses earlier that this is the complete opposite of his meaning. Consider his conversation with the rich, young man; the man said that he had kept all the commandments, but Christ asks him for more. The mere keeping of the law, the doing of good things, is not enough to save him. He must be willing to sacrifice the thing that is most dear to him in order to follow Christ.
Mark 10:17-31 (ESV)
Christ clearly ties being one of the last-made-first not with some kind of moral do-goodness, but with the consequences of a life devoted to following him. If that seems like a subtle distinction, think about it again. Common usage would suggest that the one that does the most sacrificial "good things" somehow gains placement "first" in virtue of their "last" nice-guy standing. But Christ clearly points out just a few verses earlier that this is the complete opposite of his meaning. Consider his conversation with the rich, young man; the man said that he had kept all the commandments, but Christ asks him for more. The mere keeping of the law, the doing of good things, is not enough to save him. He must be willing to sacrifice the thing that is most dear to him in order to follow Christ.
The reality of this passage is not that money is the obstacle to following Christ. For this man, it was. The reality is that being "last" means loss, sacrifice and persecution because of faithfulness "for [Christ's] sake and for the gospel." You can do all the good things that you like; you can give and help and sacrifice until you are blue in the face, but if it is only for your sake and not for the sake of the Gospel, then it means nothing. Truly being one last-made-first means being one that will give up anything for the call and furthering of the Gospel, and being one who will follow Christ above all else. To simply do good deeds for the sake of being last (made first) is as void as the rich, young man's willingness to keep the commands but hold on to his wealth.
So the phrase isn't really about doing good deeds at all- it's about the reality that those who truly follow Christ will have to give up and suffer for it, but that the lastness of this suffering translates into the firstness of communion with believers here on earth and ultimately, communion with God forever. It's not what you do, it's who you're doing it for.
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