The Last Will Be First
But many who are first will be last, and the last first.—Jesus
This quote from Mark 10:31 probably receives greatest exposure during meal queues at Christian conferences. But does it mean more than “don't push in”, or, “let others get their (fake) mashed-potato ahead of you”? I think it does.
One way that this comment of Jesus' is played out in Mark is through two of the Gentile characters in his story of Jesus' life: the Syrophoenician woman and the Roman centurion. The Syro-what? Fair question; let's have a look at these two characters in detail.
The Syropho-something Woman
The Syrophoenician woman and her daughter, introduced to us in chapter 7 of Mark, are unmistakably Gentile (that is, they're not Jews). Mark tells us that she lives in the region of Tyre (7:24), was born in Syrian Phoenicia (7:26; hence the name) and for the non-Middle Eastern geographer, says “the woman was a Gentile” (7:26).
The request for her daughter to be healed echoes the account of Jairus, the synagogue ruler, and his request for his daughter to be healed (5:22). There is a stark contrast between the two, as one is clearly marked as a Gentile and the other is a Jewish religious leader. An even greater contrast, however, is built between the woman and the disciples over their ability to understand Jesus' teaching. To appreciate this, we need to step back to chapter 4...
In this chapter, Jesus teaches the parable of the sower and his seeds. He seems surprised when the disciples don't understand (4:13) and he has to explain the parable carefully. Jesus teaches that those outside the kingdom are told parables so that they might hear but not understand (4:11ff). Then in 7:14ff—the episode immediately before Jesus' encounter with the woman, Jesus tells the crowd a parable about food and ceremonial uncleanliness. Shortly after, the disciples ask Jesus to explain the parable. Jesus is stunned that they do not understand, saying, “Are you so dull?” (7:18) No use of smilies :) is mentioned.
After Jesus' teaching on unclean food he travels to Tyre and meets our woman. When she begs for healing for her daughter, Jesus' responds with a parable: “First let the children eat all they want ... for it is not right to take the children’s bread and feed it to their dogs.” (7:27) By now we expect people not to understand Jesus' parables, particularly those who are far from the kingdom of God like this Gentile woman. But her response is astounding: not only does she immediately understand the parable, but her response is a continuation of the parable: “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.” Until now, no character in Mark's story has demonstrated such a clear understanding of Jesus' teaching. Her response is a distinct contrast to the disciples who understand their first parable in 10:26. The only other characters who understand a parable in Mark are the teachers of the law who respond by trying to arrest Jesus (12:12).
Why is Mark setting up this contrast in the different levels of understanding? If you hadn’t guessed by the theme of this article, he's showing us that “many who are first will be last, and the last first.” In the parable told by Jesus and the woman, the Jews are the children, the first, and the Gentiles are the dogs, the last. The Gentiles get only the scraps that the Jews don't eat. Yet the Jews, especially the disciples, are having trouble understanding and swallowing Jesus' teaching; leftovers seem likely. In addition, the feeding of the five thousand and the four thousand, told on either side of this story of the Gentile woman, have shown us that Jesus has plenty to give: there is an immense quantity of scraps left over for the Gentiles (12 + 7 baskets full). A Gentile woman, the last, has become one of the first to understand and trust in Jesus.
The Roman Centurion
The centurion is also a Gentile. Sources outside Mark inform us that a Jew would not have joined the Roman army, and in Mark Jesus predicts that he would be handed over to the Gentiles to be killed (10:33). The centurion only makes two small appearances in Mark, yet his role is significant. Firstly he guards the cross when Jesus dies (15:39) and then he appears before Pilate to confirm that Jesus is dead (15:44). His prominence in the story comes from his words as he watches Jesus die: “Surely this man was the son of God.” This is a surprising statement given the development of Jesus' identity in Mark's story.
In the very first verse of Mark, the reader is told that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. This is confirmed by the voice of God at his baptism (1:11) and his transfiguration (9:7). Through the rest of the narrative, the reader sees the characters struggling to work out Jesus' identity. Some characters will reach the conclusion of the first verse; others remain confused. In 4:41 the disciples ask one another in terror after Jesus calms the storm, “Who is this?” In his home town, people decide he is simply a carpenter, the son of Joseph and Mary (6:3). King Herod believes Jesus is John the Baptist raised from the dead (6:16). Many in the crowds think he is a prophet, or Elijah (6:15, 8:28). A pivotal moment comes when Peter, the disciple, correctly identifies Jesus as the Christ (8:29). The reader congratulates Peter for recognizing the truth, yet both Peter and the reader are subsequently disturbed when immediately after this confession, Jesus predicts his own violent death and resurrection (8:31).
But it is as Jesus dies that the centurion makes a confession reminiscent of Peter's: that Jesus is the son of God. Together, the two confessions form the great declaration of Jesus' identity that the gospel opens with. The centurion's confession is the climax of the narrative: it's not made after hearing great teaching, nor seeing a miracle, nor after Jesus' resurrection, but at the moment of his death. This man, a leader in the army that is currently oppressing the Jews—last in Jewish thinking—is the first to understand.
So you've seen the post-meal-queue application of Jesus' teaching. If you’re not a Jew, thank God for the scraps.
Tim Roediger and Ben Beilharz
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