Luke 13:30

30 This is the Great Reversal: the last in line put at the head of the line, and the so-called first ending up last.

Luke 13:30 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 13:30

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 ( Matthew 19:30 ) ( 20:16 ) .

Luke 13:30 In-Context

28 "That's when you'll find yourselves out in the cold, strangers to grace. You'll watch Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets march into God's kingdom.
29 You'll watch outsiders stream in from east, west, north, and south and sit down at the table of God's kingdom. And all the time you'll be outside looking in - and wondering what happened.
30 This is the Great Reversal: the last in line put at the head of the line, and the so-called first ending up last.
31 Just then some Pharisees came up and said, "Run for your life! Herod's on the hunt. He's out to kill you!"
32 Jesus said, "Tell that fox that I've no time for him right now. Today and tomorrow I'm busy clearing out the demons and healing the sick; the third day I'm wrapping things up.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.