Many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
These words are Jesus’ warning, addressed both to Peter and to all believers, that in the kingdom of God the order of values is often reversed from human ideas. The “first” are those who, from a human point of view, seem closer to God—by position, wealth, education, service, or by having followed earlier. But if there is pride, self-interest, or reliance on one’s own merit in the heart, they may become last. And the “last”—humble, unnoticed, yet sincere and devoted people, whom human standards overlook—may be first in God’s sight. These words are also a transition to the parable of the workers told in Matthew 20:1–16, where those who arrived late receive the same wage as those who served earlier. Jesus seems to remind us: “Do not measure God’s justice and reward by human calculations.”