40 DAY GOSPEL CHALLENGE | MATTHEW 21, 22

If You Ain’t First You’re Last….Or Are You?

“If you ain’t first you’re last.” The eloquent words of Ricky Bobby. I have quoted this myself countless times when beating my kids in any sort of competition. Unfortunately for Ricky and myself, Jesus had very different thoughts on this. Look at what Jesus says in Matthew 20:24-28.

24 When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 25 But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

In a southern Ricky-Bobby-like accent Jesus is responding, “If you wanna be first then you gotta be last!”

I really hope you just read that in your best Ricky Bobby voice.

Here are a couple things that stand out to me from this section:

• The other ten disciples mistakenly thought that a unique honor had just been given to James and John. They did not know that Jesus could have made the same promise of suffering to come to any of them if they really wanted it!
• Their desire for position and status showed they did not yet know the nature of Jesus in respect to leadership and power. The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, but it should be different among the people of God.
• In the Kingdom Community, status, money, and popularity should never be the prerequisites for leadership. Humble service is the great prerequisite, as shown by Jesus’ own ministry.
• We often put our focus on how things, specifically church, will serve us and our wants. Jesus reminds us that we are here to give not to receive.
  
  

Charles Spurgeon sums up this section of scripture well. “He received nothing from others; His was a life of giving, and the giving of a life…No service is greater than to redeem sinners by His own death, no ministry is lowlier than to die in the stead of sinners.”

So today be LAST in the world’s view but be FIRST in the KINGDOM’S view.

Eric Lyday | CREATIVE ARTS PASTOR