From the Sunday Note, with additional thoughts:
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.
He told a parable to those who had been invited,
noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.
“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet,
do not recline at table in the place of honor.
A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,
and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say,
‘Give your place to this man,’
and then you would proceed with embarrassment
to take the lowest place.
Rather, when you are invited,
go and take the lowest place
so that when the host comes to you he may say,
‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’
Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.
For every one who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Then he said to the host who invited him,
“When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Luke 14:1, 7-14, Gospel for this Sunday
Jesus has two constant criticisms of the religious leaders of the Jews in his day. First, they do not follow the Scriptural teachings they all quote. Second, they do not grasp the moral revolution those teachings are calling them toward. Both of his criticisms are illustrated in our Gospel today.
First, the controversy over angling for the best seats at a banquet. “Best” meaning closest to the king, queen, prince or court official giving the feast, perhaps on a raised dais above the mass of those invited. We find an example of the teaching they were all familiar with in The Book of Proverbs, 25:6-7:
“Claim no honor in the king’s presence, nor occupy the place of superiors; For it is better to be told, “Come up closer!” than to be humbled before the prince.”
In other words, be humble, take a lower place. If it is where you belong in the pecking order, well, no harm done, you won’t be further humiliated. If your host esteems you more than that, he will see to it personally that you move up. Apparently, that bit of wisdom is not being observed as Jesus watches the scribes, the Pharisees, and the rich elbowing their way into the better places. So much for their supposed diligence in living out the teachings!
But…there is a part two. The value of the normal teaching can be undermined even in the apparent following out of this proverb. A sly person might enter the banquet hall and with false humility, take a low seat and wait for the banquet-giver to seek him out. The “king” finds him and elevates him in front of everyone—including his rivals! A deft move that! But a twisted reading of the proverb that obscures the Lord’s call for each of us to become a humble person.
Jesus is having none of that. He builds on the proverbial teaching to make clear the moral revolution his Father desires: “Let’s make you, Ma’am or Sir, the key person, the one holding the banquet. Instead of playing worldly status games with ‘your friends or…your relatives, or your wealthy neighbors’ (as he says above) invite those you know my Father in heaven has a special concern for: ‘the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.’
In short: strive to avoid playing the worldly-status game. Don’t focus on your own status. Instead, focus on those with little or no worldly status. Despite appearances, every single one of them was brought into being by Jesus’ Father so that He might love them and give them divine, perfected life forever. The Father’s question to us is clear enough: “are you with me in my effort to bring them close to me? If so, your reward will be great.”
For further reflection:
This does not mean you would have to refuse to show up for a dinner in your honor, but it does suggest how you might handle your response at the dinner. Whatever you are being honored for, there are usually many who would be grateful for also being recognized for contributing. Don’t fumble the chance to be humble!