And The First Shall Be Last...Wait, what?

    There's no doubt that Jesus brought love. From forgiving an adulterer to cleansing lepers, Jesus expressed love. But he also brought confusion through statements that seemed contradictory. "The last shall be first, and the first shall be last (Matthew 20:16)." "Whoever wants to save his life will lose it (Mark 8:35)." "The greatest among you must be your servant (Matthew 23:11)." Why would God want to confuse us like this?
    Well, Jesus wasn't looking for us to be confused, his goal was to make us think and reflect. It is a reminder for those of us who are in high standings to respect and care for those who are not. It also encourages us when we are serving.
    When I was little, my siblings and I would use these verses to make the sibling who was first feel bad. Yes, it was funny, but it was exactly the opposite that Christ was trying to get across. He said it best in Mark 9:35, "If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all." It's taking the physical into the spiritual. What I mean by this is that Theresa and Maria may have been first, but in my heart, I wanted to be first.
    Christ isn't worried about who's first or last physically, I mean, someone needs to go first and only one person can be last. But he does care about where you want to be. If you believe people should serve you, you're putting yourself first in your heart. On the other hand, if you serve others when you can, you are putting them first in your heart.
    This Lent, put yourself last in your heart. Perhaps a better way to say this is to put everyone else ahead of you. By that, I mean don't lower the view of yourself, but raise the view of others. "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me (Matthew 25:40)."