What Did Jesus Mean When He Said the First Shall Be Last?
Let’s look back to the story of Jesus’s observation and comment during giving in the temple.
1 ”Looking up, He saw the rich people putting their gifts into the treasury.
2 And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins.
3 He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in [proportionally] more than all of them;
4 for they all put in gifts from their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:1-4)
Heaven will be full of surprises, don’t you think so? God’s ways are certainly higher than man’s. God told the Prophet Samuel that He does not see as men see; in other words, His viewpoint differs from ours.
Our reference text, Matthew 19:16-30, began with the story of a rich guy who desired eternal life. Jesus told him the demands. He responded he’d always observed all these from his youth. Then Jesus told him the only thing he lacked- to sell all he had, give to the poor, and follow Him. At this, the rich fellow went away sorrowful. He walked away from Jesus’s offer (Matthew 19:22). Jesus then told his disciples that it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.
Peter must have thought about their 100% commitment to following Jesus when he said, “Behold, we have forsaken all and followed you; what shall we have therefore?” Jesus promised a hundredfold returns on all they had forsaken for His sake and also promised them eternal life. He then concludes with those powerful words that make up our topic of discussion: “Many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first.”
Living absolutely for God makes you Heaven’s favorite, as opposed to the world’s view of who is Number One.
Living Lastly: A Practical Illustration
I knew of a man, Ken, a diehard sinner who lived a battered life. He had several girlfriends and many friends who were just like him. He had something good to be said about him, however. He had a burning desire to become the youngest Vice Chancellor any university in the world has ever produced, and he was working tirelessly in this direction. Some of his friends also had lofty ambitions.
But then something happened to Ken that radically altered the course of his life —- he became born again. His life changed. He no longer lived a life of sin. Additionally, God would now use him mightily in a full-time capacity to do His work. As a result, he had to drop his ambition. (O yes, ambitions are good. But God’s Plan is far better than any ambition).
Fast forward to twenty years later, the work of God in his hands had grown so much that the ministry had spread to many nations of the world and now has a world-class university of its own. He wasn’t just a vice-chancellor; he was now a chancellor! When he yielded his life to God, he looked like a back-bencher. But now, he’s become the first, the envy of his friends.
Living lastly, therefore, is:
- Living the Kingdom life —- putting God first
- Following Jesus and not worldly possession
- Taking time to wait upon the Lord
- Waiting to take orders from the Lord
- Learning to know God's mind over issues
- Walking in love when others are bent on taking revenge
- Forsaking the world to follow Christ
- Following God's Plan for your life
- Releasing your all to God
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Amazing Rewards for Living Lastly
Sometimes, things happen in life, especially in workplaces. It can be tempting to follow colleagues who take shortcuts, especially when they seem to be the ones getting ahead. From a worldly view, they appear successful, while those who choose integrity may seem naive or left behind. They may sometimes lack the funds or connections to achieve more in business or climb higher in their career ladders because of their righteous standing. But when God comes, He comes in a momentous way; the wicked are cut off, and the righteous are promoted.
Such was the case of Haman and Mordecai. When the supernatural forces came to play through Esther’s fast, the tables turned, and the enemies of the Jews were put to shame and disgrace. Haman, who was plotting evil, was hung on the gallows he had planned to hang Mordecai on. At the same time, Mordecai was promoted, and the Jewish people received freedom. They became a living wonder.
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Key Takeaways
When you make God’s business your number one priority, even when you appear low to the world, He will lift you.
This tells us some profound lessons about being the first in God’s Kingdom by ‘living lastly’. Here are some of them:
- God's yardstick and benchmark are different from man's. Someone the world may be clapping for may be a big disappointment to Heaven. Be sure you're standing on the right path.
- God's plans are far better and bigger than ours; it's an act of wisdom to submit to His plans.
- Forsaking the world to follow Christ makes us the first in God's scheme of things.
