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Matthew 19:30 states “But many who are first will be last, and the last first”. This seems to repetitively pop up day after day during my travels around the local area and wherever I go. In fact it has been so prevalent recently that it is spoken about each time because it’s so noticeable, and a pleasant byproduct is the ability to retain the scriptural quote with chapter and verse to memory. Cross references for this verse include Matthew 20:16, Mark 10:31, and Luke 13:30. Just what does it mean?
This life is full of situations which would not happen under Christ’s rule. We know that God has given Satan temporary rulership of this world to a certain degree as stated in scripture (2 Corinthians 4:4) and so we should suffer willingly these minor injustices due to Satan directing the present day systems according to his wicked perversions. Thankfully God sees all and knows all and has complete control meaning the devil cannot do anything unless our great God permits this (1 John 5:18). When God permits or allows anything there is very good reason for this. Many cannot understand why this is so especially when pain and suffering are experienced, but there is great purpose to it all. We are to develop character when exercising our free will, patience and longsuffering, a grateful heart even when things are unfair and wrong, and to demonstrate that we love others— even our enemies (Proverbs 25:21-22). This is difficult and takes more time for some of us, moreso than others. Then there is the matter of setting a fine example for people by being gracious, kind, merciful, and forgiving while we may not be treated as we should.
Daily mini challenges occur such as being served at the shops in the wrong order. This is a pet peeve of mine where we should be attended according to ”first come, first served” but are we always? Unless the shop or business has numbered self- service tickets to use, then we are at the mercy of the owner or server when they say “who is next?” Occasionally there are honest people who will defer to me and say that I am next but usually others will push in front and take the place of first when they should wait their turn. Why does this bother me so much when others may not mind? It was taught to me as a child and strongly reinforced that this is correct and the only way it should be.
Time is precious especially on the Preparation Day and this is when I find myself becoming nervous and annoyed that I may not get everything done on my list of errands due to the mistakes of others. Any other day apart from the Preparation Day I can “go with the flow” and am relaxed as there are no deadlines and I can let things transpire to be more accepting of less than ideal service, however this was not always the case. I can now identify some progress made as previously any time served out of order would have made me grumpy. Now that I am not working and have more free time, things are a little easier in some respects, yet I still feel wronged or slighted if my place in queues is not respected and often find myself thinking that it just isn’t fair! Indeed, life is not fair however we do have the power to choose how we react to these anomalies in life.
We are all works in progress and that is the key, to keep on progressing and working on our own improvement by allowing God’s Spirit to lead and guide us. Admittedly I have been guilty of wanting my own selfish way in this matter justifying to myself that I am right. Instead of waiting and deferring to others I felt frustrated with suppressed anger rising with increasing thoughts of “it isn’t fair, I was next, you should wait your turn” when not served according to order. Is it really worth all the fuss and the stress of anxiety? (Proverbs 12:25). Wouldn’t it just be more pleasant and the better choice to be gracious and let the other person be first? After all we are to develop patience and kindness along with other fruit from Galatians 5:22-23.
Regarding anxiety and anxious thoughts, God says in Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”. Prayer is key. Prayers need to be said prior to going out for running errands, even during errands if required, not that everything will go our way, but that we have the ability to allow God’s Spirit to lead and we listen to His Spirit in order to follow through in Christian action. Perhaps one day in the future these people will remember the time when we were loving and did not insist on our rights but instead let them go first. What a marvellous way to begin teaching them in God’s Kingdom.
We will all invariably experience many injustices during this time on earth we call life. It would be best to determine in our hearts and minds beforehand how we will react or respond to various scenarios which occur. Daniel was like this — he determined in his heart beforehand how he would respond to situations so that he would line up with God’s laws and instructions (Daniel 1:8). Do you feel last many times when you believe you do not deserve to be last? Being first in this life is usually associated or linked to wealth, position, power, and/or how one looks externally rather than the internal beauty of a quiet disposition as stated by the apostle Peter in 1 Peter 3:4 “Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel — rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God”. How different this is to the ways of the world. I know that this is exactly what I need to practice — a quiet spirit when wrongs occur instead of a complaining or argumentative spirit which is very ugly to God. The Israelites come to mind for me with their complaints when they wandered in the wilderness. Scripture tells us that they provoked God to anger (Deuteronomy 9:7-8, Numbers 11 and 14).
The Bible tells us how we should behave when life treats us in challenging ways. Let us look at some of these precious scriptures to gain a template for our behaviour to practice and exhibit righteous Christian principles for when we think things are unfair. In Philippians 2:14-15 it says “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world”. Discontent causes complaints and murmuring. Instead we should take to heart and exemplify Ephesians 4:31-32 which provides wise instruction with “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you".
The time is coming when all those, the vast majority of the billions of people who have ever lived, will get to know God fully. They will get to realise that their lives were under the veil of deception from the devil and led to believe that “you deserve it now”, “you only live once”, and “you should be first as you are the most important person in the world”. They will be shocked at this deception once they learn that God's ways are the exact opposite. All I can say fellow Christians is to keep on keeping on with our journey to the Kingdom and for God to speed that time when many who are first now in this life will be last, and those who are last now, will be first. Just remember we are the firstfruits and we will lead the way. Anticipating this is a good reminder in order to resist and overcome our carnal, human nature which urges us to think, say and do things which we should not. Instead let us daily practice self control which is another fruit of God’s Spirit. We can do this with God’s help.