Luke 14:7-14
7 Now He began telling a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them,
8 “Whenever you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him,
9 and the one who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then in disgrace you will proceed to occupy the last place.
10 But whenever you are invited, go and take the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are dining at the table with you.
11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
12 Now He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “Whenever you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor wealthy neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you to a meal in return, and that will be your repayment.
13 But whenever you give a banquet, invite people who are poor, who have disabilities, who are limping, and people who are blind;
14 and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Exhortation to Humility
A lesson to the invited guests
In the dining customs of that time, the table was arranged in a U-shape, with dishes laid out on it. Guests reclined around the table, leaning on their left elbows and eating with their right hands. There were strict rules regarding the order of seating, from the highest to the lowest places. While there were Roman and Greek customs as well, the Pharisees naturally followed the Jewish customs. When Jesus sat at the table in the house of a Pharisee, He observed how the guests were choosing the places of honor for themselves, and He taught about humility. His teaching followed the instruction found in Proverbs 25:7: “For it is better that it be said to you, ‘Come up here,’ than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince.” Here, Jesus was not merely teaching social etiquette, but He was teaching a posture of the heart in how we approach life. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (v 11) This is Jesus’ conclusion. I am writing this while serving at a college student camp at Lake Matsubara. Partway through writing, it was time for breakfast, so I went to the dining hall. At the same table, an unbelieving student made a confrontational comment about my preaching style. At first, I tried to persuade him. But he would not yield. Given my personality, I might have argued with him until I won the debate, but that morning, God was teaching me to be humble. Realizing this partway through, I began to listen to him and expressed my gratitude for his willingness to share an opinion that must have been difficult to say. The stern looks on his face faded, and a smile appeared. At that moment, I was glad I hadn’t tried to win the argument.
A lesson to the master who invited
Next, Jesus gave a lesson to the one who had invited Him: “But whenever you give a banquet, invite people who are poor, who have disabilities, who are limping, and people who are blind; and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (v 13-14). Jesus was not denying social life or ordinary fellowship. He was teaching that “love does not calculate,” and “love does not expect something in return.” God is a just God. He will surely reward what is done out of love. Today, let’s place your trust in the God who treats you justly.
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for speaking to me once again today about being humble. I am someone who easily forgets. Please continue to guard and guide me, so that I do not fall into pride. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.