“So the last will be first, and the first will be last” (Matthew 20:16).
In his parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-31), Jesus tells of the son who went off and squandered his inheritance, which had been asked for and given him quite early by his father. Before long, the son realizes his error and rather nervously returns home to his father.
The son prepares and practices his repentance speech to his father but instead finds what he never expected. The father had been watching and waiting for this moment and greets the son who had been lost with open, loving arms and a celebration worthy of a conquering hero.
We all know the story well and often recite it as evidence of the Father’s unconditional love for all of us. However, the person in the story often overlooked is the older brother. We know his angry response, refusing to join the celebration of his brother’s return — to which the father replied:
“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found’” (v. 31-32).
“He was lost and is found.”
It is often speculated that the older brother represented the Jewish community, which had labored for generations under the terms of the Old Covenant and was jealous of the grace extended to the Gentiles, who had direct, immediate access to the kingdom of heaven, even though they had never served God under the Old Covenant.
It is important to note that Jesus told this parable on the heels of two other, similar though lesser known, parables, the Parables of the Lost Sheep and of the Lost Coin.
These stories both highlight the celebration of the lost being found yet make no mention of those who had never been lost, to begin with.
The Last Shall Be First
The actual phrase “…the last shall be first and the first shall be last…” can be found in four major passages: Matthew 19:30; 20:16; Mark 10:31, and Luke 13:30.
The first and quite revealing use of the phrase came in an actual event — after Jesus’ encounter with a young man, commonly called the “rich young ruler.” (Often, the header “The Rich and the Kingdom of God” can be found in many Bibles.)
The story can be found in the gospels of both Mark and Matthew. In the Book of Matthew, a man approached Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” (v. 16).
Jesus quoted to him a few of the commandments, “You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself”(vv. 18–19).
The young man replied he had kept all of those commandments since birth — and asked what he was still lacking.
Jesus’ answer brought great sorrow to the rich young man. Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me”(v. 21).
Jesus’ message was not that we are required to give everything away, live a life of poverty, to go to heaven. Jesus recognized that the young man’s wealth was the most important thing in his life.
And thus, Jesus told his disciples about how hard it is for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of heaven because treasures on earth so often supersede their faith.
At the time of Christ, there was a strong belief among the Jews that the righteous were rewarded — often with prosperity. It was difficult for the disciples to fathom the lesson. In fact, they were quite astonished, “Who then can be saved?”(v. 25) they asked.
Jesus’ reply foretold of what was to come, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”(v. 26). And then Peter, ever the outspoken one, blurts out the question that is perhaps on the minds of all of the disciples:
Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”(v. 27)
After describing what was to be in store for the apostles, Jesus went on to describe what awaited everyone else who followed him (Matthew 19:29-30).
Jesus knew what was strongest in the heart of the rich young ruler — what it was that prevented him from following Jesus.
But Jesus let it be known — indeed, if anyone makes him first in their hearts, first in their lives, above all other things, they will find unfathomable rewards in this life and in heaven.
The Workers in the Vineyard
Then on the heels of the encounter with the rich young ruler, Jesus told a parable of workers in a vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16).
Early one morning, a landowner went out to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius (a standard Roman silver coin) and sent them out.
He went out again at nine in the morning, then again at noon, and again at three in the afternoon. Then, finally, he went out at five in the afternoon and found others:
He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’(vv. 6-7).
Then came evening and the end of the workday.
When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, “‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first’” (Matthew 20:8-16).
Like the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son, the workers who had been hired in the morning were quite furious at being paid the same wage for a full day’s work as those who had only worked a part of the day.
And yet…Jesus made it quite clear that — it is the Lord’s prerogative to offer grace to whom he chose to offer grace. To be generous to whomever he chose to be generous.
The thief on the cross did nothing to earn his salvation — except honor and gave his heart to Jesus (Luke 23:42-23).
Like those who had been hired late in the day yet received the same reward, so too did the thief on the cross.
A Day to Come
There is a day in our future when we will see for ourselves what is meant by “the first shall be last, and the first shall be last.” The day of judgment is not simply a written phrase coming from the imagination of biblical scholars.
It is not some vague, abstract day meant to scare or worry us. That is, not if we are in Christ. If you are not — then indeed, you should worry.
There are 27 books in the New Testament — only the short epistles of Philemon and 3 John fail to make mention of the day we will face eternal judgment. Of course, the details are not revealed, therefore, not known. But we do know that day is coming. Of that, we can be certain.
When that day arrives, when we stand before God — earthly wealth and accomplishments will not matter. “Success,” as defined in this world, will be irrelevant.
Physical beauty will not be a factor, nor will what others have thought of us. Fame will be ignored. We might be standing next to a famous movie star or some historical ruler of infamy. It won’t matter.
All eyes, all minds, all thoughts, everything, will be on Christ. And those who chose to ignore him or reject him — or those who said they believed but did not take his teachings to heart — may well have cause to fear the day.
Then, at that moment, we will discover the true meaning of “…the last will be first and the first will be last.”
For further reading:
Who Are the Workers in the Parable of the Vineyard?
When We Go to God Last Instead of First with Our Hearts
What Is the Parable of the Talents?
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