Verse 30. There are last which shall be first] See Clarke on Mt 19:30.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

This is a sentence which our Saviour often made use of, and not always to the same purpose. See Poole on “Mat 19:30“. See Poole on “Mat 20:16“. See Poole on “Mar 10:31“. As to the sense of them here, it is plain. Our Saviour here foretells the conversion of the Gentiles; but yet I do not take the Gentiles to be all who are intended under the notion of the last, but divers others also. Men who, both in their opinion of themselves, and in reality with respect to privilege, are the first, whether in respect of gifts, or office, or the means of grace, or profession, will many of them be the last, that is, furthest off from the kingdom of God; and many who are the last, upon these accounts will in the day of judgment be first, that is, appear so, as having more of the favour of God, and be so, taken to heaven, when the others shall be cast to hell, Mat 11:20-24.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

And behold, there are last which shall be first,…. The Gentiles, the most mean and abject, afar from God, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, called last of all; these shall be first, and sit down among patriarchs and prophets, men of the first rank here on earth, in the kingdom of heaven, and enjoy the same glory and happiness with them:

and there are first which shall be last: the Jews, who were first the visible professing people of God, to whom the oracles of God, and outward privileges and ordinances were given; who had the Messiah first sent to them, and the Gospel first preached among them; these shall be last, be rejected and despised, and shut out of the kingdom of heaven, they thought themselves heirs of, and expected to enjoy; see Mt 19:30.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Last (). This saying was repeated many times (Matt 19:30; Mark 10:31; Matt 20:16).

Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament

1) “And, behold, there are last which shall be first,” (kai idou eisin eschatoi hoi esontai protoi) “And behold there are (or now exist) those who are first (in priority) among men, who will be last,” Mat 20:16, in that millennial hour. The church shall be first in priority of honor and service, not Israel in that hour, when the twelve apostles and those of His church shall reign with Him, sitting on specific thrones of glory and service, Luk 22:30; Rev 5:9-11.

2) “And there are first which shall be last.” (kai eisin protoi hoi esontai eschatoi) “And there exist last ones now who will be first ones in priority then.” And Israel who was “first,” in priority of position of service, till Jesus came and they rejected Him, shall then be last; As they who exalt themselves shall be abased, brought low, Luk 18:14; Mat 19:30; Mat 21:31-32; Rom 9:30-33; Mar 10:31.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

30. And, lo, they are last who shall be first The same words, as we shall elsewhere see, were frequently employed by Christ, but in a different sense, (Mat 19:30; Mar 10:31.) All that he intended here was, to throw down the vain confidence of the Jews, who, having been chosen by God in preference to all the rest of the world, trusted to this distinction, and imagined that God was in a manner bound to them. For this reason, Christ threatens that their condition will soon be changed; that the Gentiles, who were at that time cast off, would obtain the first rank; and that the Jews, deprived of their honor, would not even occupy the farthest corner in the Church. (475)

(475) “ Ne tiendront pas mesme le dernier reng, ou quelque petit coin en l’Eglise;” — “will not hold even the lowest rank, or some small corner in the Church.”

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(30) And, behold, there are last . . .See Note on Mat. 19:30. In point of time, it may be noticed, this is the first utterance of the great law that Gods judgment reverses mans. When it was uttered in reference to the young ruler, it was but a fresh application of the wider law. Here the application is primarily national. Israel had been the first of nations, but it should become, in its outward fortunes, the last, and the heathen who had been without hope and without God in the world (Eph. 2:12) should gain the high pre-eminence of being the heirs of the kingdom. The individual application of the words grows naturally, however, out of the national.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

30. Last first The Gentiles, which were last, have become first; the reverse has been the history of the Jews. And so in the following chapters (14-16) the Pharisees and Publicans are reversed from first to last.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

“And behold, there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”

For at that final day everything will be turned upside down. The humble and rejected will be exalted. Those at the back of the picture will be brought to the front. Those who were God’s ‘nothings’ will become great. Those at the back of the queue will be brought to the front. While those who saw themselves as hugely important will find themselves ignored and left out. Those who sought the first place will be given the last. As the parallel in Luk 13:32-33 demonstrates, the great king of the Jews (of Galilee and Peraea) will come to nothing (this is not stated but is clearly implied), while the dishonoured prophet Who is going up to Jerusalem to be rejected and to die will ascend the throne of Heaven.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Luk 13:30 . Comp. on Mat 19:30 ; Mat 20:16 .

] ( before the establishment of the kingdom; ) after it, in the kingdom.

] i.e. those who have not become believers till very late (as such, born heathens, Luk 13:29 );

] Members of the first rank in the kingdom of Messiah. The originality of this maxim, uttered in several forms and in various connections, is to be claimed exclusively for no particular place.

Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary

DISCOURSE: 1536
THE LAST FIRST, AND THE FIRST LAST

Luk 13:30. Behold, there are last which shall be first; and there are first which shall be last.

THIS is a declaration frequently made by our blessed Lord; and therefore we may be sure it contains some very important truths, that deserve our deepest attention. Persons who are addicted to human systems will put an exceedingly different construction upon these words; some pressing them to an unwarrantable extent; whilst others limit them, so as to enervate and destroy all their force. We, however, desire to treat them, not in a proud and controversial spirit, but in a spirit of humility and love; equally avoiding both extremes, and endeavouring to deduce from them such practical instruction as our Lord himself intended them to convey. With this view, I will,

I.

Shew to what an extent they have been realized

That God acts as a Sovereign in the communication of good, we have no doubt; but not so in the distribution of evil: and therefore, whilst we see in this passage a clear evidence of electing love, we cannot for a moment admit that there is any ground for the doctrine of absolute reprobation. If the last are made first, it is by the grace of God: but if the first are made last, it is altogether by their own fault. This will appear in every part of the subject; whilst I shew, that the truth here conveyed has been realized in all ages, and is yet daily realized amongst men, in whatever light they be viewed. View them,

1.

In their national privileges

[The Jews were Gods peculiar people. Never did any nation under heaven enjoy such privileges as they. They, for the space of two thousand years, were the first in every thing that related to eternal life. As for the poor benighted Gentiles, they were left in darkness and the shadow of death, given over to follow their own evil ways, and to be led captive by the devil at his will. But in the apostolic age the case was altogether changed; the Jews being cast off from God; and the Gentiles being admitted into covenant with him, and made partakers of far higher privileges than were ever accorded to the Jews. There is, in fact, scarcely any comparison between the mercies vouchsafed to us, and those of which Gods ancient people partook: so true is it, that we, who once were last, are now first; and the Jews, who were once first, are last. In fact, that is now fulfilled which our blessed Lord foretold, that multitudes now come to him from every quarter of the globe, to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven; whilst the children of the kingdom, the poor infatuated Jews, are cast into outer darkness, where is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth [Note: Mat 8:11-12.].]

2.

In their civil station

[The rich and great and noble appear to have immense advantages for heaven, because they can employ a great portion of their time in heavenly pursuits; whilst the poor, who are necessitated to earn their bread by some earthly occupation, have but little time to spare for the acquisition of divine knowledge. But the rich, for the most part, are too wise in their own conceit [Note: Pro 28:11.] to suspect their own ignorance, or to submit to divine teaching: and they have such a fulness and sufficiency of earthly gratifications, that they are not disposed to seek after happiness in things above. The poor, on the contrary, are more willing to receive instruction, and to listen to advice in relation to spiritual and eternal riches. This has been the case in all ages. In our Lords day, it was said, Have any of the Rulers and of the Pharisees believed on him? But the common people heard him gladly. In like manner, St. Paul says of those in his day, Not many mighty, not many noble, are called. And in every age, St. James informs us, God hath chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of his kingdom [Note: Jam 2:5.].]

3.

In their intellectual attainments

[Certainly knowledge, beyond every thing else, elevates man above his fellows. Yet, when his aspect is viewed in reference to religion, it is frequently found rather hostile, than friendly, to heavenly pursuits. Hence it is said, in a fore-cited passage, that not many wise men after the flesh are called; but, instead of them, the foolish, the weak, and the base [Note: 1Co 1:26-28.]. Indeed, God has said, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world [Note: 1Co 1:19-20.]? The truth is, that the wisdom of this world is so deeply impregnated with pride, that it cannot submit to the humiliating doctrines of the Gospel [Note: 1Co 2:14.]. The wisdom of God is foolishness with man: and the wisdom of man is foolishness with God [Note: 1Co 1:21-25.]: and the only way for any man to become truly wise, is to become a fool in his own estimation, and to receive with child-like simplicity every word that God hath spoken [Note: 1Co 3:18-20.]. And if any think it hard that such contempt should be poured on human wisdom, let him know that our blessed Saviour saw nothing in it but ground for praise and thanksgiving: I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes; even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight [Note: Mat 11:25-26.].]

4.

In their moral habits

[These, above all, we should suppose to be favourable to the reception of the Gospel. But really experience is far from confirming this sentiment: for the Scribes and Pharisees were externally moral; yet did publicans and harlots enter into the kingdom of heaven before them [Note: Mat 21:31.]. The former justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John: whereas the latter rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him [Note: Luk 7:29-30.]. And, as the fruit of these different dispositions, the Pharisee, who thought himself righteous, and despised others, went from the Divine presence with all his guilt upon him, whilst the self-condemning Publican was justified from all his sins [Note: Luk 18:10-14.]. Where can we find a more impious character than Manasseh? or one more bitter than Saul? or one in a more desperate condition than the dying thief? Yet all these found mercy of the Lord, that in them, as in the chief of sinners, God might be the more glorified [Note: 1Ti 1:15-16.]. And thus it frequently is at this day: where sin has abounded, grace much more abounds; that as sin has reigned unto death, so grace might reign through righteousness unto eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord [Note: Rom 5:20-21.].

Thus, in all these respects, are our Lords words fully verified; not only the Gentiles occupying a higher station than Gods ancient people; but the poor, the illiterate, and the depraved being raised to a participation of Gods kingdom and glory, to a far greater extent than the rich, the learned, and the moral: so true is it still, as in former ages, that God raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory [Note: 1Sa 2:8.].]

Having endeavoured to elucidate the words before us, I will now,

II.

Suggest the improvement which, in my judgment the subject calls for

I cannot conceive any subject more calculated,

1.

To put down presumption

[Let any person be as elevated as he will in national privileges, or civil station, or intellectual attainments, or moral habits, yea, I will add also, in religious experience; let him be the admiration of all around him; yet will I say, that if he be lifted up with pride, he will fall into the condemnation of the devil; and, from being the first in human estimation, he will become the last in Divine acceptance. Look at Demas: so eminent was he in the estimation of St. Paul, that twice did the Apostle join him with St. Luke, in his salutations to the saints: Salute Lucas and Demas. Yet we find this man at last forsaking the way of godliness, and turning back to a state of utter worldliness and carnality [Note: 2Ti 4:10.]. In the book of Job we read of many whose excellency mounts up to the heavens, and their head reaches to the clouds; and yet, at last, they perish like their own dung; and they who have seen them are led, with a mixture of doubt and lamentation, to say, Where is he [Note: Job 20:6-7.]? And where shall we find a Church in which such instances have not occurred, to the disgrace of true religion, and to the grief of all who held fast their profession? I say then to every soul of man, however advanced in piety he may appear, Be not high-minded, but fear. Yea, though he may have attained the eminence of Paul himself, I will bid him keep his body under, and bring it into subjection; lest, after having preached to others, he himself should become a cast-away [Note: 1Co 9:27.].]

2.

To prevent despair

[Let not any one tell me that his guilt is too great to be forgiven, or his depravity too inveterate to be subdued. I will grant that the disadvantages under which a man may labour may be so great as to render his conversion, in all human appearance, impossible; yet will I say, that though he be the last, yet may he become the first. What cannot He do, who formed the universe out of nothing, and reduced the chaos to the order and beauty in which we behold it? If only we remember who it is that is engaged in our behalf, we shall never despond. For what is there that God cannot effect? If there ever was any thing to be despaired of, it was, that Jesus should be restored to life after he had been committed to the tomb. But did not the stone which the builders had disallowed become the head-stone of the corner? and shall not He who was crucified through weakness put all his enemies under his feet? Then I say, let no man entertain desponding thoughts, as though he were beyond the reach of mercy: for however far off we may be from God, we may be brought nigh by the blood of Christ.Only let us call on Him who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were; and let us, against hope, believe in hope [Note: Rom 4:17-18.]; and, like Abraham, we shall be made friends of God, yea, and sit down, at last, with Abraham in the kingdom of our God, for ever and ever.]

Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)

30 And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.

Ver. 30. See Mat 19:30 ; Mat 20:16 ; Mar 10:31 .

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

30. ] As the words here stand somewhat different from those in Mat 20:16 they seem to be a prophetic declaration of what shall be in the course of the ingathering of these guests; viz. that some who were the first, or among the first to believe, shall fall from their high place, and vice versa. This former has, as Stier notices (iii. 200), been remarkably the case with the Oriental Churches, which were the first founded and flourishing: and, we may add, with the mother Church of Jerusalem, which has declined, while her Gentile offsets have flourished.

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

Luk 13:30 . The same remark applies to this saying. As it stands here it refers to Jews as the first who become last, and to Gentiles as the last who become first, and the distinction between first and last is not one of degree, but absolute = within and without.

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

30.] As the words here stand-somewhat different from those in Mat 20:16-they seem to be a prophetic declaration of what shall be in the course of the ingathering of these guests;-viz. that some who were the first, or among the first to believe, shall fall from their high place, and vice versa. This former has, as Stier notices (iii. 200), been remarkably the case with the Oriental Churches, which were the first founded and flourishing:-and, we may add, with the mother Church of Jerusalem, which has declined, while her Gentile offsets have flourished.

Fuente: The Greek Testament

Luk 13:30. – , behold, there are-and there are) The present with emphasis, in antithesis to the future: Luk 13:29; Luk 13:24.- , there are last) This has reference to Luk 13:28-29. The absence of the article makes the whole assertion in the sentence indefinite, and denotes that there is to be an interchange in the relative positions of some, though not of all, of the first and of the last, not that there is to be an account taken of both in the mass without discrimination: For those coming from the four quarters of the world shall recline at the banquet with the fathers and the prophets, not the latter with them (the former). See Mat 8:11.- , there are first) This is to be referred to Luk 13:24, et seqq.

Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament

Chapter 6

Ye Would Not

An Instructive Proverb

First, in Luk 13:30 our Lord uses a proverb to describe the kingdom of God and the work of God. And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.

What an instructive proverb this is! Do not fail to notice the context in which this proverb is given. Our Master is urging us to strive to enter into the strait gate (Luk 13:24). He tells us that we must do so now, for the hour is soon coming when he will shut the door, and none will be able to enter, though they long to do so. Then, he speaks of the Day of Judgment and eternity (Luk 13:25-29).

It is in this context that our Lord gives us this parable. And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.

This proverb was literally fulfilled when the gospel was first preached, has been fulfilled throughout the ages, is being fulfilled now, and shall be fulfilled in eternity. The Jews who were first became last; and the Gentiles who were last became first.

But there is more here than simply the declaration of Gods method of grace in dealing with the Jews and with his elect among the Gentiles. In this proverb our Lord is teaching us something about Gods method of grace and who they are who are the objects of his eternal mercy, love, and grace, who they are whom he has chosen to save. Those who think they are and appear to be first in line for heaven will be last in the Day of Judgment. And those who think themselves to be and appear to be last in line for the grace of God will be first in the Day of Judgment. Gods elect are seldom those we would choose (1Co 1:26-31).

Ah, Grace! Into unlikeliest hearts

It is thy boast to come;

The glory of thy light to find

In darkest spots a home.

Thy choice (O God of goodness!) then

I lovingly adore:

Oh, give me grace to keep Thy grace,

And grace to long for more.

A Blessed Fact

Second, in Luk 13:31-32 our Saviour sets before us a blessed fact that ought to constantly quieten and calm our hearts in the face of trouble.

No doubt, when the Pharisees heard what our Lord said about them being last in the Day of Judgment and of others going before them into the kingdom of God, they understood that he was talking about them. I rather suspect that he was looking them right in the eye when he said it. So they thought they could scare the Master into silence and get him to quit preaching. The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee (Luk 13:31).

Perhaps Herod, the ruler of Galilee, who had beheaded John the Baptist, had let it be known that he was determined to kill our Saviour. But it may be that the Pharisees simply invented the report. (Never put anything past lost religious men, who are determined to justify themselves.) Whether the report was true or false, it was obviously the intent of these Pharisees to intimidate the Master; but their scheme backfired.

And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected (Luk 13:32). Our Lord was not frightened by the Pharisees or by Herod, but there is more here than that.

In his reply to the Pharisees our Master simply stated, My time to leave this world has not yet come. My work is not yet finished. Until that time comes, you can tell that fox for me that he has no power to harm me. I fear him no more than I fear a yelping little fox that is scared of his own shadow.

Today, and tomorrow, and the third day are not prophetic terms, but are used simply as a declaration of the fact that our Saviour was assured that the time of his life on earth, the time of his service to the glory of God and men, and the time of his death were appointed by his Father and ours, and could not be shortened by Herod, or by anyone, or by anything.

Our Master, by using the word perfected to describe his death, was saying, I shall finish what I came here to do. I will not leave this world until my purpose, the purpose appointed for me by my Father, is completed. Then, my life shall be complete.

It is no accident that this same word (perfected) is applied to our Saviour twice in the Book of Hebrews and to his people, the people he came here to make perfect, three times (Heb 2:10; Heb 5:9; Heb 10:10-14; Heb 11:40; Heb 12:23). Our Lords perfection as the God-man Mediator, as our Covenant Surety, was and is wrapped up in the salvation (perfection) of those he came here to save. The law could never make anyone perfect (Heb 10:1); but Christ did. And he is perfected because he has perfected his people by the work he finished as our Mediator, Surety, Representative, and Substitute (Heb 10:10-14; Heb 11:40).

What our Lord here says of himself is true of every believer. The Lord God has put us on this earth for a specific time, to accomplish a specific purpose, and nothing shall prevent it. Nothing can add to or shorten our days. The lesson to be learned from this is clear: Our times are entirely in the hands of our God.

Oh, may God give me grace to live in the frame of mind and heart my Lord exemplified here! We ought to possess a calm, unshaken confidence in our Fathers good purpose. If our hearts are fixed, trusting the Lord, we shall not be afraid of evil tidings. Our times are in our Fathers hands (Psa 112:4-10; Psa 31:13-20).

Let this be my attitude before every danger, every foe, every trouble, every slandering tongue, every deceitful spirit: I have and shall continue to have only that which is good for me. I shall live until my work is done, and not a moment longer. All the powers of earth and hell combined cannot harm me. All the powers of earth and hell combined cannot destroy my life, until the time my Father has ordained. And all the physicians on earth cannot preserve me for one second beyond that time.

Nothing is beyond the reach of a man who has such an attitude regarding his life; and, if we believe God, that ought to be our attitude. The hairs of our heads are all numbered. Our steps are all ordered of the Lord. All things work together for our good. If some Shimei curses me, the Lord will do me good by the wretchs foul tongue. If afflictions befall me, they shall only assist me. All things are mine. Life! Death! Things Present! Things to Come! All things are mine, for I am Christs and Christ is Gods! Let me therefore live and serve my God with utter abandonment to care and fear. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And, then, I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psa 23:6; Psa 56:4; Psa 118:6; Psa 92:1-15; Heb 13:5-6)

For it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem (Luk 13:33). The word translated here, it cannot be, is found nowhere else in the Word of God. It means it is impossible. Yet, many prophets (John the Baptist, to name just one) died somewhere else. So what does our Lords statement mean? It means two things:

It would be an unusual thing, the exception, not the rule, for a prophet to die anywhere except at Jerusalem. It would be an unusual thing, the exception, not the rule, for a prophet to die by the hands of any, except at the hands of those who professed to be the servants and representatives of God.

And, second, our Lord here speaks prophetically of his own death. Remember, he is addressing the Pharisees. He is saying, When I (that great Prophet of whom Moses spoke), when I die it will be at your hands, at Jerusalem; but I am not there yet; and my hour has not yet come. It is against that backdrop that we must hear his next word.

A Willing Saviour

Third, in Luk 13:34 we see how tender, compassionate, and willing our Lord Jesus Christ is to save sinners who have earned and fully deserve his everlasting fury.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

Oh, what a willing Saviour our Saviour is! He is God who delighteth in mercy! Arent you thankful? Many try to say this cannot be understood of our Lord Jesus in a strict sense, as God, that we must understand this as a display of our Masters human emotions. The problem with that is this: I have not yet found one of those precise theologians who could tell me how to divide our Redeemer into two persons. This man is God; and this God is man; but he is one Person with two natures.

Let us never try to put God in our little box. He just wont fit! Let us never try to be more theologically precise than the plain statement of holy scripture. If these blessed, blessed words that fell from the lips of him into whose lips all grace has been poured choke you, you need choking. If you cannot read them without having to explain them away, you need a course in remedial reading.

Salvation is entirely the work of God. All will be saved in the end who were chosen to salvation from the beginning, them and no one else. All will be with Christ in glory for whom Christ made atonement and satisfaction at Calvary, them and no one else. All will be crowned with the heavenly hosts who have been effectually called by the Holy Ghost, them and no one else. But eternal ruin, eternal damnation, everlasting woe is altogether the work of man.

Hear what this Book teaches: If you are saved, go to heaven, enjoy eternal life and glory in the bliss of Gods presence, it will be because of Gods will and Gods work alone. And if you are lost, perish under the wrath of God, and go to a dark, Christless, eternal hell, it will be your fault, because of your will, and your work alone. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is as willing to save as he is mighty to save (Isa 45:22; Isa 55:1-3; Isa 55:6-7; Mat 11:28-30; Mat 23:37; Luk 13:34; Joh 7:37-38). Do you not hear his willingness in his words?

If you are lost, perish under the wrath of God, and go to a dark, Christless, eternal hell, it will be your fault, because of your will, and your work alone (Isa 59:1-2; Joh 5:40). The Lord Jesus Christ came here to save lost sinners. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. The Son of God died in the room and stead of the ungodly. The Lamb of God is seated upon the throne of grace in heaven, waiting to be gracious, waiting to save sinners.

Read Luk 13:34 one more time and hear the tender, compassionate and willing heart of Immanuel.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

He knew the wickedness of that city. He knew what crimes had been committed by them. He knew all the prophets they had hated and murdered. He knew what they wanted to do and soon would do to him. Yet, he pities them! Oh, may he give me his Spirit and his grace, that I may be tender, compassionate, and merciful to men!

Divine Judgment

Fourth, in Luk 13:35 our Saviour teaches us that in the last day, in that great Day of Judgment, he will be completely vindicated and honoured, even by those who perish under his wrath.

Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Behold, your house is left unto you desolate! This is what you have chosen. You shall forever eat the fruit of your own ways (Pro 1:31). The God you have despised and forsaken has despised and forsaken you forever!

Verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. You shall see me no more until you see me glorified by all as the Christ of God. In my entry into Jerusalem, when all, even those who later cry, crucify him, shall cry, Here is the Blessed One who comes in the name of the Lord! (Luk 19:37-38) And in my glorious second advent when you shall say, as the gaping pit of hell opens wide its mouth to swallow you up, Here is the Blessed One who comes in the name of the Lord! (Rev 1:7; Php 2:9-11; Isa 45:22-25).

Ye sinners, seek his grace,

Whose wrath ye cannot bear;

Fly to the shelter of his cross,

And find salvation there.

So shall the curse remove,

By which the Saviour bled;

And that last, awful day shall pour

His blessings on your head!

Fuente: Discovering Christ In Selected Books of the Bible

Mat 3:9, Mat 3:10, Mat 8:11, Mat 8:12, Mat 19:30, Mat 20:16, Mat 21:28-31, Mar 10:31

Reciprocal: Jer 38:7 – Ethiopian Luk 15:1 – General Luk 19:9 – This day Joh 4:26 – I that Joh 9:39 – For 2Ti 4:11 – for

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

0

First and last are explained at Mat 19:30.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

Luk 13:30. See on Mat 19:30; Mat 20:16. Here the saying seems to be applied to the ingathering of the guests, just spoken of; not simply to the Jews and Gentiles as such, but to individuals and churches and nations all through the ingathering. For example: the church at Jerusalem and her Gentile off-shoots, the Oriental churches. Modern history furnishes many instances.

Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament

SALVATION OF THE JEWS

Luk 13:30. Behold, the last shall be first, and the first shall be last. The Jews had long stood at the front of the world. Because they rejected Christ they were relegated to the rear, the Gentiles coming to the front, where they are today. Yet we see from this, and in innumerable promises in both Testaments, that the fallen children of Abraham are coming back into the kingdom of God, to take their place as in days of yore; however, these promises are restricted to the elect few, as in the case of the Gentiles. The prophetic eye of Jesus, looking through the rolling centuries, saw the desolation of the land, the destruction of that generation, the survival of His race, the final return of the elect, restoration of the land, and the conversion of His people down at the end of the Gentile age; as here He says that the Jews will be the last to receive the gospel, and (Ezekiel 37) that they will be gathered back in their unregenerate state i.e., valley of dry bones involving the conclusion that the elect children of Abraham will return to the Holy Land before there is a general conversion of them to Christianity, which will be the last great evangelistic work of the Gospel Age. The universal commotion among the Jews, and their rapid return to the Holy Land despite the most formidable difficulties, is a certain prophetic omen that the end of all things is nigh. Earth and hell are combined to prevent the return of the Jews, the Mohammedan-Turkish Government doing everything in her power to keep them out, passing laws forbidding their citizenization in that country, and permitting them only to visit it as sojourners thirty days, under the most rigid and tyrannical restrictions. This law passed the Porte, A. D. 1874, when there were only about five thousand Jews in all the Holy Land. Despite all their tyrannical restrictions, there are now two hundred thousand, and coming rapidly all the time. I especially investigated this subject, and have it from the most reliable sources. It is not much known, as the Jews have to keep the matter secret. In Jerusalem alone there are fifty-five thousand Jews, one-half of the whole population; besides, they have great, growing, and flourishing colonies at Janneh, Safed (Sah-fed, old Chorazin), Nazareth, Shechem, Caesarea, Joppa, Hebron, Bethlehem, Ekron, Ashdod, Tiberias, and many other places. The attention of all Christendom is now being called to the consideration of restoring to the Jews their own country, which God gave them, and it is going to be done very soon. If you will attend the wailing of the Jews without the temple, at the west end (as it is a penalty of death for a Jew to put his foot inside the holy Temple Campus), and hear their weeping and wailing, down on their knees, kissing the great stones which Solomon put in the temple, reading from their Hebrew Bible the promises of God to hear their cries from every land of their dispersion and gather them back to their holy land and city, methinks you would conclude that the answer is nigh. I know not when, in all my life, I have so vividly realized the presence of God as when I attended those wailings. I verily felt that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was listening to the cry of His unfortunate children, and do believe that the answer is now coming from Heaven for the gathering of Israel from every land and nation. How wonderfully the Jews make that country bud and blossom, and again bend beneath the delicious fruits and luxurious crops of which we read in the Bible, sounding in our ears like paradoxes!

Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament

Verse 30

There are last; those who enjoy few spiritual privileges, and who are little esteemed in this life.

Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament

The people who are last in this context probably refer to Gentiles whom the Jews regarded as least likely to enter the kingdom (cf. Mat 19:30; Mat 20:16; Mar 10:31). The ones who are first were the Jews. They considered themselves to be superior to Gentiles in many ways. They were also the first and the foremost objects of Jesus’ ministry.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)