Verses 7-9 When Jesus noticed how the invited guests chose places of honor closer to the host, Jesus urged them to do otherwise. Here is a lesson on humility for those who are ambitious for the highest places of honor. Anyone who comes aspiring to be great and assuming the highest seat will have the truth exposed when the host asks them to move to a lower seat for a more distinguished, honorable guest. Pride always brings shame.
Positioning For Honor
Instead of being proud that so many think so highly of us, it should be humbling to us that there are so many who are more deserving and honorable than us. Rather than positioning ourselves for honor and choosing the best seat, only to be asked to give it up to a more accomplished person, we should instead choose the lowest place.
Those who are modest and are content to sit in the lowest seat with serving on their minds will gain respect. This will give the host an opportunity to move them up to a better seat.
Another way of saying this is that the way to rise higher or go higher is to begin in the low places. When we are faithful in the small things, in obscure places, we gain respect from those around us here. Our humility leads to the greatest honor in heaven.
Humility and Honor
The Pharisees liked to exalt themselves, assuming that they held important positions in the kingdom. But Jesus sought to teach them the relationship between humility and exaltation or honor. We are to live with an eternal perspective in mind – not with a desire for notoriety. Followers of Jesus are not to exalt themselves by seeking positions of greatness, rather, they are to assume lower positions of service and allow God to exalt them. Humility is the true path to glory.
In verse 10, Jesus refers to the advice of Solomon in Proverbs: “Don’t demand an audience with the king or push for a place among the great. It’s better to wait for an invitation to the head table than to be sent away in public disgrace. Just because you’ve seen something,” Proverbs 25:6-7 NLT
We should be mindful of what we consider high places and honorable in society. Pride and ambition will position for honor, but they are really quite disgraceful. Those honored will carry a spirit of sacrifice, self-denial, and humility. Look at the life of Jesus as our example of this!
Verse 11 A humbling is coming for all those who exalt themselves on a pedestal. Those honored will be anyone who humbles himself.
Blessed To Give
Verse 12-14 After speaking to the guests, Jesus turns to the host with a few words. Jesus encourages him not to invite just his friends and family and rich neighbors to share meals with, but to invite the poor and lame – those who could not repay him. Some hosts like to invite those they are trying to gain something from, like approval, kindness, or a reciprocal invite. But Jesus says if we truly had an eternal perspective, then we would bring home the outcasts of society. Instead of feasting with the rich, we should feed the poor.
It’s a blessing to give with no repayment. It is more honorable to give away in charity than it is to be generous to those who can return the favor(s). The things of this world are not the best things for us and so God will not repay us in this way. Sincere repayment for these things would come at the resurrection. Giving leads to great gain in God’s Kingdom.
Jesus Should Be Our Excuse
Verses 15-24 One of the host’s guests makes a big declaration about what a blessing it is to eat bread in the kingdom of God. But Jesus shifts the conversation to ask, “but who do you think will enjoy that privilege?” Jesus tells a parable to emphasize that many who expect to be there He will exclude from the kingdom. This reminds us of Jesus’ teaching on the narrow gate where he told us to strive to enter it because many think it’s this easy, wide-open field to walk into and it will shock them one day to learn they didn’t make it in. So Jesus is here saying, “to the Jews who think they are a shoe in the door already, listen up!”
The host in the parable invited many people to a banquet, but they all made excuses explaining why they could not come. Jesus is the host in this parable and he holds great provisions for us, nourishment, peace of mind, and refreshment, to name a few. His provisions are like a feast to our souls. It fills us and satisfies us. Now is the time to accept the invitation of Jesus and come to eat of all his good things.
But many make excuses for not coming to dinner, just like people make excuses for Jesus. In this story, the first man is so consumed with thoughts of the land he just bought. He’s wrapped up in enlarging his estate and can’t see that he’s neglecting the state of his soul.
The second man bought some livestock and is more concerned with checking on them than coming to the dinner. Hearts consumed with the cares and concerns in the world are also deaf to the gospel invitation.
The third man is newly married and says he cannot come, but the truth is he will not come. Relationships can divert our attention from the duties of God. Therefore, it’s so important to guard our hearts and keep the first thing first in our lives. Nothing takes precedence over the state of our souls and our appointments with the Lord.
Complacent people who settle for the stuff in this world make excuses to Jesus, too. They make excuses about why they don’t have the time to spend with him, about not showing up at church, etc.
Jesus should be our excuse for not being wrapped up in the world instead of using the world as an excuse for why we don’t entertain Him. Our worldly affairs should never keep us from our spiritual pursuits. The things in this world may be acceptable, but they can easily become a hindrance to our spiritual walk if we give our heart and thoughts over to them.
God’s Mercy
It is the mercy of God that gives us this opportunity to come. His invitation to sit at the table is undeserving. As We are not worthy. We are all sinners against God. We are not good enough, pure enough, or accomplished enough. But when we are ungrateful and make excuses for not coming to Jesus, we invite the wrath of God upon our lives. This is the grace of God, which is through Jesus, that we are turning down.
So the host (Jesus) asks for all those whom society/world rejects – the poor, the disabled, the blind. And even after they came, there was still room. So the host insists on bringing others in since those originally invited had rejected the feast. Isn’t it sad that those who have worldly disadvantages are the ones who are saying yes to Jesus? They found no hope worth clinging to in this world, and so they found Jesus a welcome invitation into their lives. Sometimes the mercy of God finds itself in the disadvantages we have in this world. Then we do not become so overly wrapped up in the dazzling trappings of lesser things. And often our disadvantages become our qualifications in the future. Yielded to Jesus, our weaknesses become strengths.
Jesus’ Rejection
Most Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus is saying he will reject the Jews and all others who set their hearts upon this world. And He will accept and entertain the Gentiles and all others who come to be filled with Christ. The poor, the prostitutes, and the crippled will be the first in His kingdom because they accepted his invitation. And those we think would be in the kingdom, like religious leaders, the elite, and the rich, make excuses for coming and lose out. They will not taste His grace.
What excuses do we make for not making time for Jesus? For not making Jesus first and most? Jesus must take priority in our lives if all other priorities are to go well for us. And if we expect to be our best for them.
Prayer
Jesus, the riches of your kingdom are unsearchable and inexhaustible. Your ways are greater than our greatest understanding. Spending our lives seeking worldly ambitions for recognition and getting trapped in the world’s view of greatness is easy to do. Help us to see greatness through your eternal perspective, Jesus. We want to be content with the opportunities to serve in obscurity because your exaltation is the only one that we seek. Expand the generosity in our spirits to be more open to saying ‘yes’ when we see a need. We want to look for those who cannot pay us back because we believe our recognition and riches are being stored up in heaven. Help us to set aside our excuses when You call us, Jesus. We are not our best without you first and most, Jesus. We have nothing to offer without you, Jesus. And nothing is better for us than you, Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen.