Luke 14: 7 – 11
Elvis Has Left The Building
7 So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: 8 “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; 9 and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. 11 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
I love to watch and observe people. For me going on a vacation becomes a treat by just taking in the various actions of the ones that cross my path. I especially take note in observing religious big shots. You hear them in the pulpit and they are amazing. They are funny, intelligent, and seem to display a lot of wisdom. But if you only knew what they are like after they step down from the podium. They are evil. I know of one Pastor who is wanted all over the world to speak because of the wisdom he elicits. If only people knew that what makes him so special is that he is good at listening to 3 or 4 other teachers and then he consolidates their work and gives it out as his on wisdom. Something is wrong here.
I see many of these charismatic celebrities who will not interact with the brother and sisters at different conferences. They come in escorted and are hidden away until their time to teach. They have their seats set aside up in the front when they finally come into the service, right before their introduction. Afterwards they are hustled away from the admiring church fans before they might be approached by other attendees. The conference speaker should say, ‘Elvis has left the building’.
I see in a way this same issue of trying to be a Mr. Big Shot described by our Master here in this portion of chapter 14. Our Lord Jesus’ point here is that those who are truly seeking the Kingdom of God with all their hearts, with no thought of status, will take the humble place, and will in the final Assessment be ‘moved up higher’, while those whose eyes are fixed on obtaining honor and status for themselves will in the end discover that they have lost both. They will be told to ‘go down lower’ and will have to descend to ‘the lowest place’. Thus it is not only teaching them a lesson in humility, it is pointing them towards life under the Kingdom of God.
7 So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them:
Our Lord Jesus was invited to a meal by some religious leaders. He noted how the Scribes and Pharisees who had come for the meal at the leading Pharisee’s house carefully chose the chief seats so that their superiority would be recognized. The couches would be placed at small tables and set in a U shaped formation with the host at the bottom of the U, reclining on his left elbow at table with his feet spread outwards on the couch, which would usually hold three diners. The most honored guest would be to his left, and the next most honored to the right. The least honored would be on a couch furthest away from the host.
Now here is a question for you to consider. Who do you think was the honored guest at the Last Supper? Let me give you a chance for an open book exam. Please turn to the Gospel of John chapter 13, “18 “I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’ 19 Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He. 20 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” 21 When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.” 22 Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke. 23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24 Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke. 25 Then, leaning back on Jesus’ breast, he said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.” And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 27 Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him. 29 For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, “Buy those things we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.
Yes, the answer is Judas. At a meal the first one who is given the first dip is the honored guest. Judas was sitting right next to our Lord at the Last Supper. John was on our Lord’s other side. Guess where Peter was? I want you to search out the Scriptures but I will give you a clue, ‘who was the last one our Lord came up to when He was washing the disciples feet?’ Peter was the least at the Last Supper.
Let us come back to our story. Here in these verses we see our Lord Jesus taking the opportunity to teach a lesson in humility. But behind it there is also a warning about their attitude towards God, and what their attitude should be in His service, and what in their hearts they should be seeking. For your own Christian walk please take note on our Lord’s indirect approach. He knows that direct reference to their status seeking will only cause offence.
8 “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him;
These guys were not at a wedding, but by our Lord’s teaching they should have gotten the point. There is something possible here that our Precious Lord Jesus references a marriage feast. A marriage feast would be more formal and the placing of guests tightly controlled. But it was also so that they might recognize in it a reference to the coming ‘Messianic feast’. The Rabbis regularly taught by telling stories which at first appeared to have a single simple meaning, but which on further examination actually contained hidden references. Thus they would always be looking for deeper meanings in stories.
Our Holy Lord Jesus’ warning was against being overly self-important. When they went to such a feast, and especially when they thought of the possibility of the great final feast with God, they should not think in terms of the chief seats. This would only make them arrogant. And the consequence might well be that they found that others who were considered to be more important came along, and it would be discovered that they had taken their seats. There is a great danger for us all that we consider ourselves more important than we are.
9 and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.
The result would be that the host would say to them, ‘You are sitting in this man’s place’. Then with shame they would have to leave their choice place and move lower, but as all those lower seats would by now already be full.
I am confident that you are aware that distinguished guests regularly arrive the latest, and those who saw themselves as less distinguished would arrive early, [as this man had], they would, filled with shame, have to take the lowest place. Their dishonor will be obvious to all.
10 But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.
What they should rather do is come early and take the lowest seat in the first place. Then the host will see them there, and recognizing their deserved status will come and say, “Friend, go up higher.” Then all who are at the meal will recognize their promotion and they will be appreciated by all.
This is not intended to be a subtle strategy explaining how they could gain glory for themselves. A person who thought like that would deservedly find himself left in the lowest place. It is rather a warning against pride and arrogance and practical advice on how to avoid being humiliated. It is advice on the importance of allowing others to decide their status and give the recognition of what they deserved, rather than their deciding on it for themselves.
The one who exalts himself will find that he is at some stage humbled. He will find that he thinks more highly of himself than others think of him, and the result will be that all will at some stage know it, and he will be brought crashing down. And if it does not happen in this world, then it will happen in the Judgment. But the one who humbles himself will find that he is unexpectedly exalted, and it will come as a complete surprise, and if he belongs to Christ he will receive his reward, partly because he does not expect one.
The efforts of the self-seeker will have been put into attaining for him the highest degree of status, into glorifying himself, and will prove finally to have been wasted effort. He will have become a victim of ‘the pride of life’. And even though he never learns it in this life, he will certainly learn it in the world beyond the grave. For death is a great leveler. The efforts of the second will have been directed at glorifying God, without any regard for status. They will thus have genuine God-like quality and have been genuine. So will such people be seen as worthy of true honor, and nowhere more so than in the world beyond the grave.
