In Mark's Gospel, chapter 10, verses 17-31, the Holy Spirit records through Mark the account of the rich young ruler who sought to justify his reserved right to eternal life. When that sad encounter ended and the young man walked away grieving, Jesus says: "“How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were shocked that Jesus could say that! Why? Because for generations, the religious leaders and the Pharisees had taught that following the rules of the Law and the Pharisaic interpretation of the Law (known as Oral Tradition or Mishnah, which is now a part of a more broader set of interpretations called the Talmud) gives a person the right to consider themselves "good", deserving of riches/wealth, position through which gave them seated authority over others who were "less". They were taught that those people who remained poor, or who could not conceive or bring to full term a child from their womb, who were born blind or deformed, or who met with some kind of calamity - well, to them it was proof that these persons or someone in their family line had to be sinners, scorners of the Mosaic Law and the teachings of the Pharisees. (compare John 9)
Jesus repeats His statement, and adds: "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.” Jesus uses hyperbole to make the point that it will be very hard for a rich person, so schooled in and adherent to the Pharisees' "prosperity gospel", to enter into God's kingdom - which would have been the expectation of those whose wealth and comfort should have confirmed their residency there. It would be like trying to fit a camel through a sewing needle! So in just one sentence, which he repeated, Jesus overturned the prosperity teachings of the Pharisees, and the expectations of the proud.
Well, good grief Lord, who can be saved? - was the essence of the stupefied response from the disciples.
Jesus answers them, but not how they expected: “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the good news [Gospel] who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life." They were expecting Jesus to offer them some good-deed-doing options, but instead, Jesus continued with them as He did with the young ruler - you must be willing to be living sacrifices for me. That you will inherit a spiritual family through Me, and all of your needs would be met by Me, and your richest reward will be eternal life with Me.
Then to add to that eye-opener, Jesus says at the very end of this account in verse 31, "But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” Who are the "first"? Who are the "last"? What does all of that mean?
Jesus' statement ties to the running theme here, which is, how do we perceive ourselves in the perspective of deserving God's grace and favor? (Until doing some Bible research - comparing scripture by scripture as God commands, and following a discussion of this during our regular Bible study, the Spirit has begun to bring us some understanding of this difficult statement. Some of us had been taught that this referred to the order of salvation, as if we are given some ticket to show us where we are to stand in line relative to salvation. That there would be those who would be at the head of the line and others wayyyyy in the back of the line. Thus, it was a blessing from the Holy Spirit to be corrected on this matter.)
The Pharisees' prosperity gospel teachings were - to put it in the contemporary vernacular - a "set up" as regards attaining eternal life and entering the kingdom of God. It may have given a sure "slam dunk" in the minds of those who had the accoutrements to show for their adequate to fervent adherence to the Law and those interpretations of the Law (for example, the Pharisees brought forward interpretations that would cast certain people in a very good light, deserving of honor and praise, and cast others in the role of unrepentant sinners, persons without the favor of God. Like the dozens of interpretations on how to carry out the Sabbath (for an indepth look at the interpretations, view this page on Wikipedia). By such "oral traditions" and other add-ons, the Pharisees were able to set themselves apart (and those who would closely follow their teachings) pridefully, and even exalt themselves as models of a good Jew.
In their own determination, they set the standards that should be followed to attain to righteousness. Their "faithful" obedience to the Law and traditions rated them A-one in their own sight and estimation. Their self-righteousness gave the impression that they were of great importance, and should be followed - if you, too, wanted to be recognized as righteous. Have you ever had to experience such an attitude either in or outside of the Church? Many of us have. How did we deal with their put-downs and better-than-thou attitude? That they followed the rules that they made gave them the self-embossed rubber stamp of approval before God, their self-assurance that they were, indeed, in right standing before God. Positionally in the scheme of things, they considered themselves "first" in importance and portrayal of righteousness. Proud of their pride.
In Jesus' Sermon on the Mount recorded by the Holy Spirit through Matthew in chapter 5, Jesus speaks of those principles that undergirded the Mosaic Law as originally given by Yahweh God. We are familiar with the Beatitudes topically, but do we understand what Jesus was actually teaching relative to what the Law was conveying?1/ Following the teaching of the Beatitudes, Jesus goes into the deeper meaning of certain of the commandments, indicating that God's favor was not found in shallow obedience to rules, but in relationship with Him on a personal level, in being "holy as He is holy" in mind, heart and soul. Not the "holiness" proffered by the Pharisees that amounted to self-righteousness. In that context, Jesus says, as found in verses 19-20: "Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." The light is getting a little brighter now regarding the "first" and "last", maybe?
"Whoever teaches others to break the Law of God..." Jesus would also speak later and boldly of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, and of how they had misled the people. In Matthew, chapter 23 we read of Jesus' condemnation of the scribes (those who taught the teachings of the Pharisees) and the Pharisees - who set their teachings equal to or above the Law of God. Jesus' words are damning. His judgments were also foretold by the prophet Isaiah in words God-breathed found at Isaiah 11:1-5 --
"A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see or decide by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge for the poor and decide with equity for the oppressed of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill [condemnation judgment] the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist and faithfulness the belt around his loins."
The "wicked" were those who had transgressed the Law of God and were those whom God had judged and condemned; Jesus, fully God and fully man, announces the judgment of God on those scribes and Pharisees -- as a group -- and who have - in God's sight - committed atrocities that were unforgivable (most comprehensively recorded in Matthew 23). (As scripture shows us, not all the Pharisees were condemned to eternal judgment - there were individuals who dared to not fully identify with the body of Pharisees as a whole, such as Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and later through a miraculous conversion, Saul of Tarsus, and some Pharisees per Acts 15:5) The Pharisees demanded strict obedience (see John 7:47-49 for example), to the extent that they would ban individuals from the Temple for not obeying them. Per Jesus' words in Matthew 23, the scribes' and Pharisees' hypocrisy and errant teachings made persons who followed those teachings "twice as much a child of hell" - eternal death rather than eternal life.
Within the Matthew 23rd chapter, Jesus clarifies His statement in verse 31 of Mark 10 regarding the "first" and "last". Verse 12: "All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted." Thus, as Jesus points out, the Pharisees themselves (and all who practice their ways even unto these modern times) have positioned themselves as above others, exalting themselves through pride, and were then and now by Jesus condemned. He condemns those who have throughout the centuries exalted themselves as demi-gods, positioning themselves to be the spokesperson of God or even equal to God. They place themselves (or even their denominations) first according to their self-righteousness to the detriment of all who would embrace through coersion or free will their false teachings and behaviors.
We who have lived in the latter half of the 20th century and forward have witnessed the growing trend of such leadership in the Church - regardless of denomination. Those who will teach false doctrine with assurance to their hearers that it comes from God's mouth. Those who would call "right" their teachings which condone those things God says are "wrong". They exalt themselves even in false humility and demand obedience. They put themselves and their teachings "first" before or even in place of sacred doctrine. They put heavy demands on their people or congregations financially - chiefly for self-aggrandizement; e.g., who of their ilk will be "blessed" with the most luxurious vehicles and homes, or "build" a gleaming edifice that is supposed to bring glory to God, but who instead brag about what they have accomplished. God Himself demotes them in His eyes, while the world applauds them, and He counts those sins against the unrepentant; in His view, they are not only "last" but also condemned.
Therefore, it is God who exalts the lowly and humble, who makes the "last" the "first", and it is God who humbles the proud and haughty, who makes the "first" the "last".
As we consider the foregoing, we must ask ourselves as the disciples asked and ruminated on: how do we perceive ourselves in the perspective of deserving God's grace and favor? Can the grace of God be deserved? Are we in right standing with Him, or simply righteous and good in our assessment of ourselves? Ask the One who sees the heart to help with the answers.
1/ For those who may be interested: I have written up in a separate blog post series in the form of a regular Bible study some lessons that were shared with the youth a while back on the Beatitudes. The study goes a bit further past what was shared with the youth, as it helps to highlight the principles undergirding the Mosaic Law that Jesus exposited on in His Sermon on the Mount.
