Why Does Jesus Say He Is The First and Last?
Good Morning Friends,
A friend of mine was telling me last night about an impatient driver he witnessed in a construction zone who pulled out of line to pass all those waiting only to be met by a truck tire larger than her vehicle with a driver who got out and politely told the woman she had better leave the construction area immediately. The fight to be first can send us back to the end of the line having learned an important lesson. Jesus said the last will be first and the first, last. Unfortunately this has not made for a great rush for the end of the line or even to be second in line. Everyone wants to be first. Wishful thinking that people will line up in order. People still don’t want to wait and don’t like to wait. The crazy drivers in Florida during the tourist season make this abundantly clear and in a very real way demonstrates a basic flaw in our thinking. Friends, Jesus is both, the first and the last, the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. The A and the Z. It truly takes a lifetime of Christian living and learning to begin to fully comprehend what today’s question means. We live by faith. We learn from faith. But it is beyond our comprehension to full understand the Lord. Our desires trick us to believing in false gods. But there is nothing like God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in unity. So this morning we are going to explore what it means to be the Alpha and Omega and all the spaces and letters and moments and relationships in between. And so we ask, Why Does Jesus Say He Is The First and Last?
Scripture: Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.
Isaiah 44:6 (NRSV)
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
Revelation 1:3-8 (NRSV)
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children.
Revelation 21:1-7 (NRSV)
Message: The book of Revelation opens with the story of John the apostle exiled to the island of Patmos. Tradition has it that he was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day when he heard a loud voice behind him. As he turned to see who had spoken, he sees the Lord Jesus — upon whose blessed countenance his eyes had not rested in more than sixty years. The apostle was terrified and fell toward the Lord’s feet. Christ sought to comfort him, admonishing telling him to not be afraid, that he is the first and last, and the living one who was dead and is now alive and has the keys of death. It must have been an amazing experience and for us today it is difficult to comprehend in a context we do not fully appreciate. One of the difficulties is in understanding the phrase, “the first and the last.” The words are simple but somewhat paradoxical. But after some contemplation it becomes clearer that the phrase implies a number of important things. The first is that it implies that Jesus Christ is eternal and since it is applied to the Father as well it implies that Jesus Christ is God the Messiah and Redeemer. The phrase also is an expression of Christ’s uniqueness in that the pre incarnate Lord was present at the creation event, and Jesus was an active agent in the process then and continues to create now. If fact, Jesus was not only the originating source of the first creation in the beginning as light for the world but also a Word for the world that will be part of a new creation. Simply put, there is never a time that Christ did not exist. Jesus being the first and last means that Christ is sovereign. There is a lot to unpack in these few words. But the greatest item is undoubtedly that Jesus is our Savior and brings us to completion connecting everything. And this implies that on a personal basis Jesus brings completion to our individual faith and on the larger stage will bring the material universe to a conclusion at the time of his return. Pretty important words. The last pages of the Bible reveal the mystery. Do not be afraid, He holds the keys to the Kingdom…the keys of life and death. Do not be afraid for He was dead and is now alive. He holds the keys to our future.
Pray we realize that in God’s eternity there is always enough time for those who believe. Pray we realize that Jesus is our all in all. Pray we wait on the Lord. Pray we accept the eternal nature of Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega. Pray we appreciate the power generated when the first is connected with the last…the weak with the strong. Pray we appreciate Jesus’ role in creation and His sustaining of the universe, and His fulfillment as the Messiah. Pray we believe that one day Jesus make all things new. Pray that we realize that the Redeemer of Creation will take His position in Holy History with us and we must take ours in proper order connected.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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