23Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
25When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"
26But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
27Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?"
28So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
The story of the rich man and the camel through the eye of the needle immediately following the story of the rich man who asked what he must do to have eternal life always seemed to draw a direct connection between riches on earth making it impossible to enter the kingdom of heaven. Often the story of the camel through the eye of the needle is read alone and the moral that gets taught with it is that rich men have it pretty tough.
But this should really be read with the text that follows it and with more thought given to the text before it. The text following it doesn't just say that rich men have it pretty tough, but that it is impossible for any men. Just as the text before this says no one is good enough. It isn't just rich men who need the goodness of God in order to receive eternal life, but all men.
But in order to become better people, which does not influence our ability to receive eternal life, we should work toward what Jesus said we would need to do to be perfect, sell all we have, give to the poor, and follow Him. Absolutely no one can be perfect, whether rich or poor, but we can all make ourselves better. But it is true that one who has possessions he hates to part with will definitely have a tougher time taking these steps that Jesus said would make them better.
Peter next asks what their reward will be because they have left all to follow Jesus. Jesus said they will have a place of honor in heaven, will have more than they left behind, and they will inherit eternal life. But Jesus is also quick to point out that many who are first will be last and the last first.
What does He mean by this? Why did He say this? I think He said this because Peter now seemed to be inquiring of the reward for his efforts. Is he giving up all to follow Jesus just so he can earn a higher reward? I don't think Jesus wants us to do it for the reward, but for the glory of God. So I think Jesus is saying that even though you may think you earned to be first, you may still end up last.
You would still earn eternal life, but who knows what position you will get. For that matter, of what importance is position anyway? What could possibly be better than the eternal blessings and life with God? Maybe what Jesus means when He says that many who are first will be last and the last first, is simply that there will be no positions. All are the same in God's eyes, regardless of what they have earned. Those who have done the most, given up the most, done it for the longest time, will receive the same reward as those who have done the least, given up the least, and done it for the least time.
Do not compare yourself to others, but to what God sees of you and expects of you. What you do should be what you want to do for God, not for your reward. Your reward will be what God wants for you.