The Pain of Disappointment, Part 13 (The First Shall Be Last)

Here’s a doctrine we don’t much talk about —

(Mat 19:30 ESV) ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

(Mar 9:35 ESV)  ³⁵ And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

And then there’s the parallel thought of —

(Luk 12:48b ESV)  “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.”

What do these passages say about congregational life? When there’s a conflict between old and young? Those with many years invested and those with few years?

Well, consider also —

(Luk 11:43 ESV) ⁴³ Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.

(Mat 23:5-7 ESV) ⁵ They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,  ⁶ and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues  ⁷ and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.

(Luk 14:7-11 ESV)  ⁷ Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them,  ⁸ “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him,  ⁹ and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place.  ¹⁰ But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you.  ¹¹ For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

It’s simple enough. When the worship wars come, the first side to surrender wins. Because there is no greater victory than to become like Jesus. And Jesus would not fight over how much he gets to enjoy an event designed for the enjoyment of another.

I mean, how dare we take worship of God — WORSHIP! — and turn it into an act of selfishness?! If the real goal is to exalt God — to raise God to the Heavenly Heights in song and prayer — then we best exalt God by showing ourselves — his children — to be humble.

You see, it’s not about the music or the instruments or the absence thereof. It’s about having our hearts transformed to become like he whom we worship. And you can’t submit your heart to become like Jesus by being selfish.

Therefore, the truest worship is the most humble worship — it’s not rite and ritual. It’s not about getting the spell right. It’s about getting the heart right.

(Mat 28:8-9 ESV)  ⁸ So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.  ⁹ And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.

“Worship” translate proskuneo, which in the Old Testament refers to the worship of God at the Temple. Before Jesus, it referred to a highly ritualized style of worship that followed the rules in the book of the Law.

But in the Gospels, it means to humbly prostrated yourself before Jesus as Messiah.

(John 9:35-38 ESV)  ³⁵ Jesus heard that they had cast [the man born blind] out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”  ³⁶ He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”  ³⁷ Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.”  ³⁸ He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

No rulebook. No spells. No rituals. Just an outpouring of love and gratitude based on a realization of who Jesus really is.

This is worship. It’s not about me. It’s not about what I enjoy. It’s not about me being “fed.” It’s about the object of worship, not the worshipper.

And this is where we get things exactly backwards. Rather than seeing worship as an opportunity to be like Jesus, to be humble, to sit in the lowest seat, to be last rather than first, we see it as an opportunity to be affirmed as important, even powerful, in the little kingdoms we call our congregations.

We put ourselves above others in order to worship Jesus for our own pleasure — and wonder why so few wish to worship with us.

In short, we blend the worship of God Almighty with self. We want worship to be about us, how valuable we are to the church, how our contributions and years of service entitle us to privilege, how our comfort matters the most.

And it’s pagan. Indeed, it’s idolatry.