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Luke 14:7–11
“Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (v. 11).
Luke records much of our Lord’s teaching in the section of his gospel that narrates Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem during His earthly ministry (Luke 9:51–19:27). Christ’s instruction during this trip covers many issues, one of the most important being the values of the kingdom of God. These values, we have seen, include such things as wholehearted commitment to Jesus, love of neighbor, living as a student of Christ, fervent prayer, and anxiety-defeating trust in God (Luke 9:57–62; 10:25–42; 11:1–13; 12:4–7). In today’s passage, Jesus tells a parable that emphasizes another value of God’s kingdom—namely, humility.
Jesus speaks of choosing one’s seat at a wedding feast. How seats of honor are allocated differs from culture to culture, and even in ancient Judaism, the understanding changed over time. In any era or culture, however, the seat of honor is generally the one that is closest to the host of the meal or feast. In this parable, which was sparked by Jesus’ witnessing invitees to a feast clamoring for a place of honor, the guests are able to select their own seats (14:7–8).
Given the chance to choose one’s own seat at a feast, most people would certainly aim for the best one, for the place of eminence next to the host. Even our own experience tells us that men and women are often willing to do just about anything to receive honor, even if it is the most trivial of honors. How often is our focus on ourselves and on trying to figure out what we can do to merit the greatest esteem of others? Yet Jesus tells us that seeking the place of honor is contrary to the values of God’s kingdom. Instead of seeking the best seat at the feast, our Lord says, we should seek the lowest place. The way to exaltation is not by seeking honor for ourselves but by humbling ourselves and putting the needs of others before our own. If we humble ourselves now to serve others, we will find ourselves honored, but if we make honor our chief end now, we will be brought low (vv. 8–11).
Certainly, Jesus does not mean that all desire for respect is wrong. Scripture teaches that a good name is better than great riches (Prov. 22:1) and that church elders must be thought well of by those outside the church (1 Tim. 3:7). Instead, what Jesus speaks against is the pursuit of honor at the expense of service, against self-exaltation to feed our own egos, against self-advancement divorced from the further well-being of the church.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
True honor from God comes through humility, from recognizing who we truly are. It involves serving others, putting their needs before our own, and endeavoring to see them honored. By seeking the honor of others and humbling ourselves, we will eventually find ourselves honored by the Lord in the sight of other people.
for further study
- Psalm 147:6
- Proverbs 3:33–35
- Ecclesiastes 7:1
- 1 Peter 5:6
the bible in a year
- Psalms 42–43
- Acts 24