COSMO@TRIUMFER (01/12/90)
>Cool it with the holier-than-thou attitude, Kurt. Remember, the >first will be last, and the last first. Uh, Jesus said the interpretation of that statement has to do with converts and how they will be recieved by the Kingdom of Heavan. A man had two sons, one of which was loyal to his father from the beginning, staying around the farm to help out, while the other went galavanting around. When the party animal returned, asking his father to take him back, his father rejoiced, and threw a big feast. They loyal son was jealous, and asked his father why he, who had always been loyal, had never warrented a feast. The the old man said, 'you were never lost, but he was, and now he's back. That is cause for celibration'. I've seen it happen. You know, someone who was a real scum sees the light, and all of a sudden they're getting piles of blessings heaped on which look to be all out of proportion given past performance, especially when those blessings look to be greater than anything you've received. Peace David
JIM@AUVM (Jim McIntosh) (01/13/90)
In article <CHRISTIA%90011123213247@FINHUTC>, COSMO@TRIUMFER says: >>Cool it with the holier-than-thou attitude, Kurt. Remember, the >>first will be last, and the last first. > >Uh, Jesus said the interpretation of that statement has to do with converts >and how they will be recieved by the Kingdom of Heavan. You're right that the story of the Prodigal Son leads itself to this interpretation, but the basic first-last-last-first theme occurs too frequently in the Gospels for this to be the only interpretation. The story of the Workers in the Vineyard who are paid in reverse order of their hiring (Mt. 20:8-16) is a first-last-last-first story which would imply (supported by Lk. 17:9) that one shouldn't expect any special rewards for a good life, and Mt. 20:26-27 reiterates a theme that is heard over and over in the Gospels: To lead, you must serve. In fact, the first-last-last-first theme is heard so frequently in the Gospels, and in so many different contexts, this must have been one of Jesus's favorite sayings. Some references: Mt. 19:30, 20:8-16, 20:26-27, 21:28-31, 23:11, Mk. 9:35, 10:31, 10:43-44, and Lk. 13:30. There must be more, but these are just a few I could recall quickly. ------- Jim McIntosh (JIM@AUVM) The American University Washington DC 20016 USA