PARABLE 26 — LUKE 14:7-14 — LOWEST SEAT AT A FEAST
7 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them. 8 When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; 9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. 10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. 11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. 13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: 14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
“He spoke a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the best seats, and said to them, ‘When you are invited by anyone to a wedding, don’t sit in the best seat, since perhaps someone more honorable than you might be invited by him, and he who invited both of you would come and tell you, ‘Make room for this person.’ Then you would begin, with shame, to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes, he may tell you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."’
“Then He said to His host, ‘When you make a dinner or supper, don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and your rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your reward. But when you make a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you shall be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you shall be rewarded at the resurrection of the just.”’
(Paraphrased by me)
Discussion Questions – Parable 26
PARABLE 26 — LUKE 14:7-14 — LOWEST SEAT AT FEAST
1. In contrast to most other parables, this is a wisdom saying rather than an analogy, allegory, or fable. What’s the difference?
In most of Jesus’ parables, he puts the burden on the listener to interpret it and figure out what it means in his life. However, in this parable, Jesus tells the listener how to behave. For Jesus to speak so plainly means he did not want anyone to miss the meaning, i.e., that humility really matters. Note though, that he presented his message in a very tactful way to his Pharisee listeners.
2. Why is humility so important to a Christian? The Bible has 106 stories empha- sizing humility. Faith is featured in 104 stories, and love is featured only 47 times. Does this tell you something?
Humility may well be called the queen of the Christian graces. To know our own sinfulness and weakness, and to feel our need of Christ, is the very beginning of saving religion.
Humility is a grace within the reach of every true Christian. Not everyone has money to give away. Not everyone has time and opportunities for working directly for Christ. We don’t all have gifts of speech and knowledge for preaching and teaching. We’re not all good managers or administrators. We can’t all heal. But everyone can demonstrate his commitment to Christ by his humility. If you can do nothing else, you can strive to be humble.
3. What were the people in the feast seeking? Was this appropriate according to Proverbs 25:27?
Vs. 7, “And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms…”
Jesus is not describing genuine humility in this passage, rather he is speaking so as to humiliate the proud. The fact that "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" is a principle of human relationships. But it is not characteristic of humility to seek one's own honor, as it written:
"It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it glory, for one to seek one's own glory." Proverbs 25:27
And "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips." Proverbs 27:2
So "Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among great men; it is better for him to say to you, "Come up here," than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman." Proverbs 25:6,7
Yet here it appears that Jesus is prescribing how one should go about seeking one's own honor. As in this particular case, seeking praise from others was quite common among religious leaders of Israel and the Jews in general, whom Jesus was humiliating in saying this. Effectively he was saying, "Not only are you seeking praise from men, but you are doing it in an unwise fashion." False humility is practiced quite a lot in oriental societies, where people pretend to be humble, expecting to be exalted. It doesn't work to the same degree in Western societies in which honesty is more highly valued, but the principle is there. But Jesus has elsewhere spoken to such man-pleasers thusly: "How can you believe, which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only?" (John 5:44)
Trying to please people falsely for one's own selfish ends is not a characteristic of a servant of Christ, as Paul writes: “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." (Galatians 1:10)
Yet Jesus was speaking to those who were still trying to please men to gain honor for themselves. Thus he was not really prescribing appropriate behavior, but rather he was simply humiliating the proud.
4. How can we humble ourselves? (14:11) What is real humility?
The definition of humility is a modest or low view of one's own importance, humbleness. Genuine humility is initiated by a change of heart that works itself out to applications. The genuinely humble do not seek their own honor, but rather seek to honor God. But in the end, God honors them. A true servant does not seek his own reward, but rather serves because he has accepted the Lordship of Christ. But in the end, Christ rewards him.
How can we achieve humility? Luke 9:24, "For whoever will save his life shall lose it, but whoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it." By dying to self, and giving up what we may have sought in the flesh, we obtain it.
5. In Verses 12-14, Jesus advises his host to invite people who cannot repay him back. What do you think of this advice?
It is certain that Jesus did not intend to forbid men showing any hospitality to their relatives and friends. It is also certain that He did not mean to encourage a useless and profuse expenditure of money in giving to the poor.
However, we must not forget that the passage contains a deep and important lesson, namely that Jesus would have us care for our poorer brethren, and help them according to our power. He would have us know that it is a solemn duty never to neglect the poor, but to aid them in their time of need.
6. There is another important point in the parable (14:14b). What is it?
Jesus says to the Pharisee who entertained Him, “The poor cannot repay you—you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
This short and simple parable has a profound message: if you would receive kindness from God, then give kindness to others without reward. When you do good to others, do not seek to be rewarded and praised for it by men. If you do seek reward from men, then you will receive no praise or reward from God. But when you do good to those who cannot give you anything in return, then in the resurrection of the righteous God will reward and bless you far more than any man ever could. This applies also to being unappreciated. You spoil your service if you allow yourself to feel bad just because those you serve don't appreciate you. The Lord appreciates you, and that's what counts!
Parable of the Lowest Seat Poem
When someone invites you to a wedding feast
Don't take the best seat, but rather the least
For there may be one more honored than you
Then what do you suppose the host will do?
He'll ask you to give your seat to him
Then your prospects will be rather grim
For you'll have to move to the lowest seat
That's what you'll get for your conceit
But rather you should at first take the lowest place
When the host comes he will then save your face
He will move you to a place which is best
And you will be honored before all the guests
Everyone who exalts himself will be abased
But those who humble themselves will be raised.
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