The Parable of the Guests
Luke 14:7-11 “When Jesus noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, He told them a parable: “When you are invited to a wedding banquet, do not sit in the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited. Then the host who invited both of you will come and tell you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ And in humiliation, you will have to take the last place.
But when you are invited, go and sit in the last place, so that your host will come and tell you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in front of everyone at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Jesus is sharing a Sabbath meal at the home of a leading Pharisee. As the religious leaders file in, Jesus can only smile. First, the host chooses his place at the dinner table, but after that, it’s a free-for-all. As leader after leader enters the room, there’s a mass movement down both sides of the table. One leader seats himself, only to be forced to shift further away from the host as someone else more important arrives. Jesus remains standing until everyone else is seated and then takes the place indicated by the host. It’s after everyone has finally been seated that Jesus tells this story.
Pride is as old as the human race, and jockeying for position is equally as old. Jesus has had to deal with this same problem with his disciples. Once the mother of James and John comes to him, requesting that her sons should occupy the most honorable places in his Messianic kingdom. Jesus has to explain that the decision is not up to him but to his Heavenly Father.
There are many constants in the kingdom of God and Jesus states one at the end of this parable. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Proverbs 3:34 says, “He (God) scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble.” Proverbs 11:2 says, “When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom.”
When we first came to Ghana and began attending church, it was fascinating to observe the “big men” jockeying for position on the front rows of the church. First, no big man would ever arrive at the beginning of the church service but would wait in hopes that others would have preceded him. When the big men began to arrive, there were scenes reminiscent of this story. In many parts of Ghana, chiefs parade around under huge umbrellas that are carried by strong young men. If the day is hot, the umbrella carriers might even have to move the umbrella up and down, fanning the chief.
In public meetings called durbars, it is common to see chiefs and other dignitaries scrutinizing one another, trying to determine who is the most important.
Because of our position in the community, many times we are escorted to seats of honor in the front of meetings. Unfortunately, many times we find ourselves in direct line with a huge bank of loud speakers. As my husband has grown older, he has noticed the ravages of age and noise exposure on his hearing. Once the loud speakers are cranked up and the base boost and echo are going full-blast, not even ear plugs will save my husband from pain. We try to sit as far away from loud speakers as possible. Sometimes this problem becomes a cultural one because those who are unaware of my husband’s hearing difficulties may assume that the organizers of the meeting don’t know how to treat honored guests. Our struggle is to find a compromise so that we don’t cause unnecessary embarrassment to those trying to be kind to us.
Humility can be quite protective. Jesus himself is a very humble man, born to a village carpenter and a young maiden in the midst of the confusion of a government census. If Jesus had been born to a socially prominent family, he might have been considered a threat to the Roman government. As it was, King Herod tried to murder any little boy of the appropriate age. Only an angelic warning saved the small family from destruction. When Jesus’ family returned from Egypt, they settled back in the small village of Nazareth where Jesus could grow up unnoticed by the government or religious leaders. As Jesus moves around, he depends on others for feeding and lodging. And Jesus walks everywhere. The only time Jesus rides a donkey is on Palm Sunday when he enters Jerusalem, fulfilling Messianic prophecy.
When the Communists overran China, they targeted highly visible established churches. But the China Inland Mission had spent years training national Bible teachers who lived at the same level as those whom they were teaching. These brave men and women moved from village to village using local transportation. The results were amazing; these humble individuals continued to effectively spread the Gospel, resulting in millions of new believers.
Why should we insist on promoting ourselves in public gatherings? Part of our problem is judgement; we judge others, forgetting that God is the only One who truly can judge. But if we remember Jesus’ story, we will take the lowest seat, allowing the host to promote us. May God help us to remain humble, no matter what.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to remain humble, realizing that You are the only Perfect One. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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