7 Then Jesus noticed how the guests always chose the places of honor. So he used this illustration when he spoke to them: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding, don’t take the place of honor. Maybe someone more important than you was invited. 9 Then your host would say to you, ‘Give this person your place.’ Embarrassed, you would have to take the place of least honor. 10 So when you’re invited, take the place of least honor. Then, when your host comes, he will tell you, ‘Friend, move to a more honorable place.’ Then all the other guests will see how you are honored. 11 Those who honor themselves will be humbled, but people who humble themselves will be honored.”
12 Then he told the man who had invited him, “When you invite people for lunch or dinner, don’t invite only your friends, family, other relatives, or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they will return the favor. 13 Instead, when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the handicapped, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then you will be blessed because they don’t have any way to pay you back. You will be paid back when those who have God’s approval come back to life.”
15 One of those eating with him heard this. So he said to Jesus, “The person who will be at the banquet in God’s kingdom is blessed.”
16 Jesus said to him, “A man gave a large banquet and invited many people. 17 When it was time for the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who were invited, ‘Come! Everything is ready now.’
18 “Everyone asked to be excused. The first said to him, ‘I bought a field, and I need to see it. Please excuse me.’ 19 Another said, ‘I bought five pairs of oxen, and I’m on my way to see how well they plow. Please excuse me.’ 20 Still another said, ‘I recently got married, and that’s why I can’t come.’
21 “The servant went back to report this to his master. Then the master of the house became angry. He told his servant, ‘Run to every street and alley in the city! Bring back the poor, the handicapped, the blind, and the lame.’
22 “The servant said, ‘Sir, what you’ve ordered has been done. But there is still room for more people.’
23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go to the roads and paths! Urge the people to come to my house. I want it to be full. 24 I can guarantee that none of those invited earlier will taste any food at my banquet.’”
Read Luke 14:7-24 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
This seems to be one of the most popular passages to draw insights from, and today we come to another powerful one.
Most of the other journal entries on this passage have dealt with the Great Feast parable, but this one will shift gears and teach on the opening portion of this passage – where Jesus teaches on humility.
Jesus opened this passage with an observation on how guests seemed to try to inch their way into places of honor. Jesus challenges this mindset by bringing out a challenging point in verse 8, “Maybe someone more important than you was invited.” In effect, Jesus is asking the question, “What do you think will happen if someone more important than you arrives and the host informs you that you are filling his seat?” Nobody likes to be embarrassed, and this mindset of trying to inch your way up in status will almost always lead to embarrassment.
But Jesus goes a step further. He challenges us to take the opposite mindset in verse 10, “So when you’re invited, take the place of least honor.” In this case, the opposite will happen. When the host enters, and he sees you at the foot of the table, he will make a point of honoring you and displacing someone else. We all love to be publically honored.
I remember an occasion where looking back on this, I had every reason to be embarrassed: I took one of the seats of honor at a special occasion (a wedding) that I was not a part of. I was invited, but other than that, I was a common guest, unworthy of a seat of honor. However, while I had no right to take a place of honor, no one asked me to move.
Perhaps this is how you have felt at times. Sometimes, when we are looking at the world, it seems as only the aggressive, selfish, and obnoxious people seem to get ahead. They push themselves into places of honor and then demand the benefits of the place that they took. Sometimes this works.
But eventually, things will equalize and all wrongs will be made right. When that time comes, Jesus has shared with us the results in advance. If we have pushed ourselves ahead of where we deserve, we will be humbled, but if we have humbled ourselves and placed others first, then we will be honored.
When the end has come and you are looking back on your life, which decision would you have preferred to have made?
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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