The Last Shall Be First
January 13, 2002
Dear Friends,
On Friday evening I was pondering the principle behind the statement that “many that are first shall be last; and the last first.” (Mark 10:31) Why is it that the last shall be first? What is it that makes this so difficult to accept. When I awoke on Saturday morning, I had the answer and it came in the form of a ugly little dog.
I am a little embarrassed to admit this publicly, but we sleep with our dog, Sophie. If you would have asked me two years ago if I would ever allow a dog in my bed at night, I would have been fairly adamant that it would never happen. Yet, this little dog has taken over our hearts and in many respects our house. She is not particularly pretty (one ear stands up and one lies down and she has patches of hair that inexplicably shoot up like a lion’s mane) nor does she have any pedigree. She is, however, a good little dog and clearly loves us. She follows me wherever I go all over the house. She can’t stand to be away from me. When I do go away and come into the house, I receive a greeting of a king. When I walk into the house, this little dog is celebrating like this is the most miraculous thing that has even happened – her master came home!. All of these thoughts come crowding over me at 5 AM on a Saturday as this little mutt snuggles up to me.
Isn’t this a little how God views us? Let’s face it, we don’t provide God with a whole lot of value. He doesn’t really “need” us any more than I “need” my dog. What we do provide Him is love, devotion and faithfulness. When Jesus comes back, will we celebrate like my dog celebrates when I come home or will we be like the bad dog who has spent the day chewing the sofa cushion and slink off to hide? Do we follow our Master wherever He will lead us? Do we obey commands? Is our love demonstrative to Jesus in the way my dog’s love is to me?
There are two notable examples in the Bible of this concept of the first being last and the last being first – Moses and Peter. Moses, at forty years old, was “learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.” He was so sure of himself that “he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them.” (Acts 7:25) He was so sure of himself that he killed the Egyptian. Yet, Moses was not ready. Another forty years go by and Moses is called to deliver the children of Israel; not as a prince of Egypt but as a meek and inarticulate shepherd from Midian. This was exactly as God wanted it. “Many that are first shall be last; and the last first.”
The Apostle Peter is another example. For three and one half years, this gregarious former fisherman followed Christ all over Israel. Peter appears entirely sure of himself to the extent that he joins in the Apostle’s long-standing argument – who will be the greatest? On the eve of Christ’s crucifixion, Jesus tells Peter something that I am sure completely crushed him. Jesus tells Peter, “when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” You know that Peter thought he was converted. Yet Peter eventually did become converted and did strengthen his brethren, but he lost many of the qualities we would normally associate with “greatness.” A humbled Peter showed us how “many that are first shall be last; and the last first.”
We could go on and tell of other men such as Joseph and Samson. The point is that many of the qualities we attribute to great men – intelligence, boldness, speaking abilities, education, beauty, wealth, etc. – mean absolutely nothing to God. In fact, as in the case of Peter and Moses, these attributes can impede our service to God if they translate into pride. God loves us because we love Him (even though He loved us first!) even if we are like ugly little dogs.
“Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” (1 Cor. 1:26-29)
“Many that are first shall be last; and the last first.”
Have a great week!
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