Week 37 Matthew 19
I noticed this verse last year and I noticed it again this year: many who are first will be last and many who are last will be first.
Working at being first in this world (or being right up there near the top spot) is pretty important.
Avoiding being last in this world is also important.
My guess is that almost everyone in the world has these two rules in the back of their minds: 1) I need to try to be as high up in the upper half as I can get. 2) I need to try to stay out of the bottom half (and if that’s unavoidable I need to be as high in the bottom half you I can be). The General Rule in every case is: being higher is better than being lower.
So this verse is a cautionary one to me as I follow the General Rule:
• Many people who seem to be important now will later not be important
• Many people who don’t seem to be important now will – later on – be important.
The verse is a reminder about how different the rules of the game are in the two spaces (Here vs. There) and in the two time zones (Now vs. Later):
#1 Guy Now might only be #1,000,000 Guy Later.
Top Guy Here might be Bottom Guy There.
Note: Matthew 19:30 (NIV)