The Last Shall Be First

Reading the Word

From Zephaniah: "And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and he will make Nineveh a desolation, a dry waste like the desert. Herds shall lie down in it, every wild animal; even the owl and the raven shall lodge on its capitol columns. The nations shall hiss and wag their heads at the fall of the proud city that said in her heart, "I am, and there is no one else." She has become a haunt for wild animals. Every passerby hisses and shakes a fist."

From Psalm 145: "I will extol you, my God and King... Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised... The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made... The LORD is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds."

From Matthew: Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, "Then who can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible." Then Peter said, "Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones... But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."

Reflection

The city that said "I am, and there is no one else" has become a ruin.

Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, the empire that Nahum sang against yesterday, now lies desolate in Zephaniah's vision. The nations hiss and shake their fists. The owl and the raven take up residence in the palace. The city that demanded absolute allegiance, extracted tribute through terror, and built itself on the broken backs of others is now a haunt for wild animals.

This is not vengeance. It is the natural end of empire. The city that says "there is no one else" has no room for God. The city that hoards wealth while others starve has no future in God's economy. The proud heart that believes itself self-sufficient is already dead, even while the markets are still open and the chariots still race through the streets.

And then Psalm 145, the corrective that keeps us from becoming what we critique... "The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made." God is not only good to the oppressed. God's compassion covers all, even the oppressor, even the ones who built the empires, even the rich young ruler who walked away grieving because he had many possessions. God does not delight in destruction. God's anger is slow because God's love is deep. The judgment on Nineveh is the judgment of a surgeon who must cut to heal, not a tyrant who destroys for sport.

But the cut is real. The proud city falls. And in its place, the God who is gracious and merciful abounds in steadfast love. The throne is not empty. It belongs to the one whose compassion is over all that he has made.

Matthew gives us the human drama. The rich young ruler, or in this passage, the general teaching about wealth, stumbles on the demand to leave everything. It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. The disciples are astounded. If the wealthy cannot be saved, who can? And Jesus says: with God all things are possible. The wealth that entraps can be released. The greed that consumes can be transformed. But only God can do it.

Peter, ever the spokesperson, asks: "What about us? We left everything." And Jesus does not rebuke him. He promises: at the renewal of all things, the ones who left everything will be given everything. But then the reversal: "Many who are first will be last, and the last will be first." The ones who sit on thrones are not the ones who grasped for power. They are the ones who let it go.

For Christianity, this is the great reversal at the heart of the Gospel. The empire falls not because God loves violence but because God loves justice. The wealthy are last not because God hates money but because God knows what money does to souls. And the last are first not because they earned it but because God's kingdom operates on grace, not merit.

The city that said "I am" is in ruins. The God who says "I AM" is gracious to all. And the ones who left everything to follow are walking toward a renewal where no one will say "there is no one else," because everyone will know that the LORD is good to all.

Prayer

O God, you topple the proud city. You make the owl's nest of what was empire. You hiss at what we thought permanent.

But you are gracious and merciful. Your compassion covers all you have made, even the ones who built what you dismantle, even the ones who walked away grieving.

We confess our fascination with wealth, our trust in what cannot save us, our temptation to say "I am" when we should say "You are."

Teach us to leave everything and find everything. Make us last, so that you can make us first. Make us humble, so that we can sit with you at the renewal of all things.

The LORD is good to all. May we be good like you.

In the name of Jesus, who emptied himself and was lifted up, we pray. Amen.

For Today

What "I am" do you need to surrender? What wealth, either material, social, or spiritual, are you clinging to that keeps you from following freely? And who is last in your world that God might be preparing to make first?

Blessing

May the proud city in you fall. May the wild grace of God make a home in your ruins. And may you know that the last shall be first, not by merit, but by the mercy of the God who is good to all.