But
many who are first will be last; and the last first.
Mark 10:31
Mark 10 [28.] Peter began to tell him, “Behold, we have left all, and have followed you.”
Mark 10 [29.] Jesus said, “Most certainly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or land, for my sake, and for the sake of the Good News, but he will receive one hundred times more now in this time, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land, with persecutions; and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last; and the last first.”
Mark 10 [32.] They were on the way, going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus was going in front of them, and they were amazed; and those who followed were afraid. He again took the twelve, and began to tell them the things that were going to happen to him. “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death, and will deliver him to the Gentiles. They will mock him, spit on him, scourge him, and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”
Meaning:
Peter had reminded Jesus that the disciples had left everything to follow him (Mark 10:28), and Jesus had promised that anyone who leaves home, family or land for his sake and the gospel’s will receive a hundred times more in this life, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come (Mark 10:29-30). Then he adds one short sentence that turns the whole conversation upside down: “But many who are first will be last; and the last first.” The saying is both a comfort and a warning, and it sums up the values of God’s Kingdom.
- A reversal of the world’s order
In the world, the first are the rich, the powerful, the respected and the successful. The rich man who had just walked away sorrowful was one of the “first” by every human measure (Mark 10:22-23). The disciples, fishermen and a tax collector from Galilee, were among the “last”. Jesus declares that God’s judgement will overturn such rankings. Scripture repeatedly shows God choosing the lowly: “God chose the lowly things of the world, and the things that are despised” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). The Kingdom belongs to those who receive it like little children (Mark 10:13-16).
- A warning to the disciples
The word “many” is important. Jesus does not say that all who are first will be last, but many. The saying is also aimed at the disciples themselves. Peter’s words, “we have left all”, could easily lead to a sense of superiority, as if the twelve had earned the top places. Only a few verses later James and John asked to sit at Jesus’ right and left hand in his glory (Mark 10:37-40), and the other ten were indignant. Those who think they are first in the Kingdom because of their sacrifices may find themselves last, while others they looked down on go ahead of them.
- The same lesson taught again and again
Jesus repeated this teaching in many forms. When the disciples argued about who was greatest, he said, “If any man wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all” (Mark 9:35). Later he told them that “whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant” (Mark 10:43-44). He taught that “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). In his parable, the tax collector who prayed for mercy went home justified rather than the proud Pharisee (Luke 18:14). Jesus himself is the supreme example: the first of all made himself last, and came “to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
The Significance of Mark 10:31
- Do not keep score
Following Jesus is not a competition for the best rewards. Believers are called to serve gladly without comparing their sacrifices with others or expecting special honour.
- Hope for the overlooked
Those who are last in the eyes of the world, the poor, the forgotten and the despised, are not last in God’s eyes. The Kingdom is full of surprises, and God delights to lift up the humble.
- Humility is the way up
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you” (James 4:10). The path to true greatness in God’s Kingdom runs downward, through humble service.
Cross-References:
Mark 9:35: "If any man wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all." Jesus’ earlier teaching on true greatness.
Matthew 23:12: "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." The principle of reversal in God’s Kingdom.
1 Corinthians 1:27: "but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong" God chooses the lowly.
Proverbs 16:18: "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." The danger of thinking oneself first.
Conclusion: After promising great rewards to those who leave all for him, Jesus warned that many who are first will be last, and the last first. The saying overturns the world’s ranking of rich and poor, important and unimportant, and it also cautions the disciples against pride in their own sacrifices. In God’s Kingdom the way to be first is to become the servant of all, following the example of Jesus himself.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible