Be Humble or Be Humiliated
Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely. Luke 20:46-47
Because I was small for my age, I sat at the kids’ table at family gatherings even when I was a teenager. One of my relatives—probably my grandmother, who was also small—noticed and said she’d make room for me with the adults. I gratefully changed places.
When Jesus attended a banquet given by a prominent Pharisee, He noticed how the guests picked places of honor. We might expect Jesus to be placed among the most honored guests at something like our head table at fancy dinners. However, those places were quickly occupied by others.
Jesus told those dinner guests a real-life parable. He said they’d feel ashamed if they were asked to give way to someone more distinguished. “But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests” (Luke14:10).
No one would do that, the Pharisees and teachers of the law must have thought. They assumed they’d earned places of honor because of their righteous living. Who did Jesus think he was talking to them like that? Did He think He should have a position of honor?
The irony here is that the religious leaders didn’t realize who Jesus was. He’d left a heavenly throne where He was seated next to God the Father—above all power and dominion. Jesus had humbled Himself and come to earth as a servant. One day He will be exalted on earth, and all people will acknowledge that Jesus is head over all (Philippians 2:6-11).
Before you condemn the guests at the Pharisee’s banquet, examine your heart. Do you think you deserve to be honored for your righteous living? Would God move you to a humbler position?
DIG DEEPER:
In Psalm 75:1-7, what does the psalmist Asaph say about self-promotion?
According to James 4:4-10 and 1 Peter 5:1-6, how can shepherds (religious leaders) please God?
In 2 Corinthians 3:1-5 Paul describes the Corinthians as a letter of recommendation from Christ, the result of Paul’s and Timothy’s ministry. When others look at your life, what letter from Christ do they see?
See also the parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector in A Tax Collector’s Prayer.
Nancy J. Baker
This devotion is part of a series, The Parables.