Luke 13:29-30 29And they will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. 30And behold, those who are last who will be first, and those who are first who will be last.”
In these verses, Jesus gives the hope and promise about those who will be allowed to enter the narrow door. The hope of the prophets was that all twelve tribes of Israel would come together again to form a nation. The new Israel will be a great gathering of people from every tribe, nation, and language (Revelation 5:9, 7:9) who will come from east and west, and from north and south. This was good news for the Gentiles, whom many Jews rejected as being part of God’s people. Jesus was inclusive of all who would repent and believe, though he was specifically called to the Jews who were to be the messengers of the kingdom to the rest of the world. The kingdom of God is described as having a great feast (Matthew 22:2–14; 25:10; Mark 14:25; Luke 14:15; 22:16, 29–30; Revelation 19:9). A feast represents a joyous celebration and the satisfaction of hunger.
Verse 30 is a saying Jesus used in other contexts as recorded in Matthew19:30; 20:16; Mark 10:31. From the world’s perspective, people celebrate those who get ahead in finances, education, and popularity. Power, wealth, and position are limited goods, which means, if someone has these, someone else loses. There is only so much to go around. The logic is clear: if someone is first, someone else will be last. The kingdom reverses human expectations. Those who will be invited in to the feast were the outcasts in Jewish society, like the tax collectors, sinners, the poor, and the handicapped. Those who will be rejected because the door will be shut were those in positions of power and authority, like the Pharisees, scribes, and priests. Not all the powerful people rejected Jesus. Many believed and even became leaders in the early church, like Saul of Tarsus.
The key idea to the whole passage is that we need to look carefully at how to get into the kingdom. Jesus gives many clues in this chapter, both about getting in through repentance and a warning about hypocrisy. The kingdom is open to all, but many people will miss it because they do not believe the clear evidence before them. They would rather choose the way of power and prestige in this life than the way of humility that points the way to God’s kingdom.
For older posts, click here.