Thanks for clicking. Today’s topic was birthed after the Super Bowl when I felt the Lord “calling” me to write about a player’s faith as reflected in Jesus’s teaching: “The last will be first, and the first will be last.” The player, San Franciso 49er’s Brock Purdy — who was called last — is now called to stage one to proclaim the gospel to the world.
If you don’t know the story, during the 2022 NFL draft, Iowa State University quarterback Brock Purdy was chosen No. 262 — dead last — earning him the moniker “Mr. Irrelevant.” Then, last Sunday, Mr. Irrelevant came “overtime close” to a Super Bowl win.
Remember that young King David began his shepherding career as Mr. Irrelevant. Or so thought his father Jesse, who deliberately did not bring David to meet the prophet Samuel, whom the Lord sent to anoint a new king of Israel. (See Vol. 201 and 1 Samuel 16:1-13.) Back to our study..
Now that Purdy is scoring touchdowns for Jesus and has been launched into Christian leadership, the following two headlines speak volumes about why he is where he is and offer faith lessons. Both are from a site (new to me) that connects faith with sports. The first headline, dated May 2, 2022, reads:
“2022 ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ Brock Purdy joins 49ers with Christ as his foundation.”
The second headline was posted last Sunday after Purdy’s team was defeated:
“49ers QB Brock Purdy ‘hurts’ after Super Bowl loss, but knows ‘Jesus Christ is my Rock.’ ”
Super relevant and powerful is what Purdy said under that headline:
“ ‘I never try to hold onto the ‘football life’ so tightly. I’ve held it pretty loosely and see what God has in store for it,’ Purdy said during media availability in the days leading up to Super Bowl LVIII… ‘All right, God, this is what I do, but I am who You say I am.’ I’ve allowed that to sort of take over my life and He’s taken me to where He needs me. ’ ”
“Purdy continued later: ‘Jesus Christ is my Rock. He’s my Lord and Savior. That’s Who I live for, and that bleeds into how I love my teammates well, how I can have a good mindset when things are going well, when things aren’t going well, in football, in life. That’s my identity. … The verdict is in. Jesus Christ already died for my sins and I’m saved through Him and now I can go and live my life through that.’ ”
“While Purdy has established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, he’s also demonstrated that he’s one of the most outspoken followers of Christ in the league.”
Cue the confetti! Praise the Lord Jesus — the “Heaven Bowl’s” eternal winner — for raising up new faces full of light and love to boldly speak the truth in a dark world.
Let’s review the four Gospel passages that record “the last will be first, and the first will be last.” We begin with Matthew 19:16-30. There, Jesus speaks with a young rich man who said he followed the commandments but asked:
“ ‘What do I still lack?’ Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth” (Matthew 19:19-22). Then, skip to verses 29-30, where Jesus says:
“ ‘And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first’ ” (Matthew 19:29-30).
The rich man is an example of who could be “last” because he was “first” with life’s rewards but would not sacrifice and follow Jesus. God rewards us for what he sees in our hearts and then considers our actions. Wealth itself (and power) have no bearing on “first will be last” and vice versa in God’s eternal kingdom. However, what one believes and does with their wealth matters in the eyes of the Lord.
Next is the “Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard,” only found in Matthew when Jesus said:
“ ‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard’ ” (Matthew 20:1-2).
Condensing for space.. the landowner hired more workers at 9 am, noon, and 3 pm, telling them “he would pay whatever is right.” Finally, he hires workers at 5 pm:
“He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ ‘Because no one has hired us..’ ” So the landowner did.
The day ends, and payment begins along with the grumbling since no matter how long the men worked, they all received the same pay. Naturally, the ones who worked the longest complained the loudest even though they had agreed to work for one denarius. Then the landowners said:
“ ‘Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ ‘So the last will be first, and the first will be last’ ” (Matthew 20:1-16).
The message is that God can extend grace and generosity equally to everyone at any time — especially latecomers — represented by society’s lowest rung in this parable.
Third is Mark 10:17-31, which retells Matthew’s rich man story with slight variations in dialogue but ends with: “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” The “first” are smart, successful, self-righteous people who reject Jesus and His gospel, while “the last” are humble followers who make sacrifices for the gospel.
Fourth is Luke 13:22-30 where Jesus teaches the parable of the “narrow door.” To enter, “salvation depends first on God’s grace, and then our cooperation and obedience. The door remains open, “but few will enter God’s glory.” (From a footnote in the Ignatius Study Bible.) Jesus concludes with:
“Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” But again, wealth, status, or poverty are inconsequential to whether one enters the kingdom of God.
Circling back to Brock Purdy, from “Mr. Irrevelant” to throwing Super Bowl touchdown passes, he demonstrates how the last can be first to proclaim love for Christ. And my favorite Purdy quote, “He’s taken me to where He needs me.”
We must all believe the Lord is doing that in our lives. Amen.
Myra Kahn Adams is a conservative political and religious writer with numerous national credits. Also, Executive Director of SignFromGod.org and the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit. Both are educational donor–supported ministries dedicated to building a permanent Shroud of Turin exhibit in Washington, D.C., and promoting the Challenge. Contact: <MyraAdams01@gmail.com>
Cross-posted at Townhall and Substack.
