Title: Christ exalts the humble!
Text: Luke 14:1-14
Video: Christ exalts the humble!
10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Humility or prideful arrogance can drive the decisions that we make and can cause us all at times to strive to reach for places of honor for ourselves in this life.
7 Now [Jesus] told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him,
Ill.
You’ve been to weddings I’m sure as I have. A few years ago Monica and I attended a wedding for our niece Nora and her husband Justin. There was beautiful weather and the wedding was outside at the Casino on Belle Isle with the reception afterward in the hall, decorated with linen and the finest food that you might expect. It was a beautiful wedding!
As we entered the hall with tables throughout … we noticed all the tables had names for seating. We walked through the hall and found our table, off to the left of the head table in a corner - a table with our names and the names of my brother, sister and their spouses.
And as you might expect, it wasn't the table of honor. That was reserved for the wedding party and the tables closest were reserved for the parents of the bride and groom. Monica and I, though relatives, were not elevated to the level of Nora and Justin’s family.
Had the table seating designations not been clearly visible, you can imagine just how confusing the seating might have been. Possibly even causing someone to come to us to ask us if we could move to the back corner so that the bride’s parents and soon to be in-laws could take the seats of honor closer to the head table.
In our lesson today, Jesus was in the house of a Pharisee.
And as a guest Jesus had noticed just how those who had been invited, Pharisees and lawyers, were looking to have the seats of honor at this dinner. Ordinary, feasts of the Jews were usually attended to in a more casual and informal manner, but with this diner and in the wedding feast of Christ’s illustration, rank and status among the guests was important.
… do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, Jesus says. Luke 14:8
I always found the irony in Jesus’ statement here. He is an invited guest to this diner, and he is the only begotten Son the God … who could be more distinguished?
Yet here, God in the flesh is among them, but as was read earlier in the Gospel, the ruler of the Pharisees and the lawyers who were in attendance had another agenda.
There just so happened to be a man with dropsy in attendance at this diner.
Now, I looked up this medical condition reference and dropsy could be understood as the equivalent of excessive fluid of the soft tissue or similar to congestive heart failure today.
We've all seen this condition in our friends, neighbors and relatives and fellow members here at Peace. Jesus, knowing the Law better than the Pharisees and lawyers, knows that it is quite alright to show acts of mercy on the Sabbath, so He heals the man, saying to those whose intent was to trap Him as a violator of the Law:
“Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” Luke 14:5
6 [And to this question], they could not reply to these things.
So the intent of their deceit at the feast is crushed by Christ’s healing of the man, but Jesus doesn't stop there. He now points out the true arrogant nature of their sitting in the place of honor when one truly more distinguished than they … has been invited … and is now sitting among them.
The arrogant sinner will stand before the throne of grace covered in their own righteousness but: Christ exalts the humble!
You and I also exalt ourselves at times; taking too much credit for things we’ve done in the world or in the church. You do … and I do. The sinner always minimizes sin and exaggerates virtue. It’s what sinners do. We all see the sin of others clearly … in view … with no distractions. But, our own sin remains masked in a veil of acceptance, false piety - which is nothing more than the quality of being overly religious, reverent - or indifferent.
Ill.
Last weekend in Bible Study we were talking about God’s chastening and discipline. The Lord disciplines those he loves. I don’t know about the Lord who is slow to anger, but I do know I have wearied people in my life. My boss of many years had a hard job.
When I began working with him he was 23 and I was 25. We worked side by side for his dad. We were coworkers, piers and friends. This relationship lasted for over 20 years. Eventually he bought the company from his dad and became the boss. At one point he even asked me to be a signer on the company checking account placing his trust in me. But, he was the boss and I the worker. We still had a great relationship and respect for each other.
But … he was the boss.
Each year we had job performance reviews and at one review, my boss was pointing out something I said or did that offended the customer. My perspective and memory of the incident was different than his because it was some time ago and he only had heard the customer’s side of the story.
It was minor and a misunderstanding and wanting to defend myself, I brought up a similar incident that had occurred where he was the offending party and the customer had come to me as the manager of the store to complain.
Here’s the point.
My boss said, “Russ, this is hard enough for me and you need to let me just be the boss and listen.” I did, and I apologized. The Lord humbled me to be mindful of his position as owner of the store and how he needed to run his business.
11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 14:11
The truth of sin taking a place of honor in your life is nothing new. Luther called it the Bondage of the Will. That our will is bound to sin and that is all it can do, but thanks be to God that because you have been raised to newness of life by God’s Holy Spirit, there is truly Good News that:
Christ exalts the humble!
So, Jesus goes up to the host, the ruler of the Pharisees, who had invited him and He says:
12 “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
Those who Christ came to redeem are the poor sinners like us, crippled from birth and lame, blind to God’s saving work in Christ if not drawn to believe through the invitation and working of the Holy Spirit by faith.
You too, dear friends, have received this blessed invitation to His banquet feast and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb by faith. And you receive a foretaste of this feast when you receive Christ’s true body and blood in the blessed table of the Lord, the Sacrament of the Altar – given and shed for you!
It matters not which seat at the table you occupy because the host of this feast comes to where you are – bodily – in, with and under the bread and wine so that you truly receive Him, who is and was and is to come, in a real and tangible way – for the forgiveness of all your sins.
Even though these sins, sill at times wreak havoc in our lives, they are forgiven as far as east is from the west … not to be remembered by the Father ever again.
Christ humiliated himself so that you might be redeemed. At times we too are humbled so that another can be served, who is our neighbor.
You have a defense and a protection that will never fail because it is God Himself, not you, who will protect you because He came to live, suffer, die and rise for each one of you and as a result you are his, the table is set, and you are invited, in fact you have already received all that is promised … in him … rejoice!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Humility or prideful arrogance can drive the decisions that we make and can cause us all at times to strive to reach for places of honor for ourselves in this life.
7 Now [Jesus] told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him,
Ill.
You’ve been to weddings I’m sure as I have. A few years ago Monica and I attended a wedding for our niece Nora and her husband Justin. There was beautiful weather and the wedding was outside at the Casino on Belle Isle with the reception afterward in the hall, decorated with linen and the finest food that you might expect. It was a beautiful wedding!
As we entered the hall with tables throughout … we noticed all the tables had names for seating. We walked through the hall and found our table, off to the left of the head table in a corner - a table with our names and the names of my brother, sister and their spouses.
And as you might expect, it wasn't the table of honor. That was reserved for the wedding party and the tables closest were reserved for the parents of the bride and groom. Monica and I, though relatives, were not elevated to the level of Nora and Justin’s family.
Had the table seating designations not been clearly visible, you can imagine just how confusing the seating might have been. Possibly even causing someone to come to us to ask us if we could move to the back corner so that the bride’s parents and soon to be in-laws could take the seats of honor closer to the head table.
In our lesson today, Jesus was in the house of a Pharisee.
And as a guest Jesus had noticed just how those who had been invited, Pharisees and lawyers, were looking to have the seats of honor at this dinner. Ordinary, feasts of the Jews were usually attended to in a more casual and informal manner, but with this diner and in the wedding feast of Christ’s illustration, rank and status among the guests was important.
… do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, Jesus says. Luke 14:8
I always found the irony in Jesus’ statement here. He is an invited guest to this diner, and he is the only begotten Son the God … who could be more distinguished?
Yet here, God in the flesh is among them, but as was read earlier in the Gospel, the ruler of the Pharisees and the lawyers who were in attendance had another agenda.
There just so happened to be a man with dropsy in attendance at this diner.
Now, I looked up this medical condition reference and dropsy could be understood as the equivalent of excessive fluid of the soft tissue or similar to congestive heart failure today.
We've all seen this condition in our friends, neighbors and relatives and fellow members here at Peace. Jesus, knowing the Law better than the Pharisees and lawyers, knows that it is quite alright to show acts of mercy on the Sabbath, so He heals the man, saying to those whose intent was to trap Him as a violator of the Law:
“Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” Luke 14:5
6 [And to this question], they could not reply to these things.
So the intent of their deceit at the feast is crushed by Christ’s healing of the man, but Jesus doesn't stop there. He now points out the true arrogant nature of their sitting in the place of honor when one truly more distinguished than they … has been invited … and is now sitting among them.
The arrogant sinner will stand before the throne of grace covered in their own righteousness but: Christ exalts the humble!
You and I also exalt ourselves at times; taking too much credit for things we’ve done in the world or in the church. You do … and I do. The sinner always minimizes sin and exaggerates virtue. It’s what sinners do. We all see the sin of others clearly … in view … with no distractions. But, our own sin remains masked in a veil of acceptance, false piety - which is nothing more than the quality of being overly religious, reverent - or indifferent.
Ill.
Last weekend in Bible Study we were talking about God’s chastening and discipline. The Lord disciplines those he loves. I don’t know about the Lord who is slow to anger, but I do know I have wearied people in my life. My boss of many years had a hard job.
When I began working with him he was 23 and I was 25. We worked side by side for his dad. We were coworkers, piers and friends. This relationship lasted for over 20 years. Eventually he bought the company from his dad and became the boss. At one point he even asked me to be a signer on the company checking account placing his trust in me. But, he was the boss and I the worker. We still had a great relationship and respect for each other.
But … he was the boss.
Each year we had job performance reviews and at one review, my boss was pointing out something I said or did that offended the customer. My perspective and memory of the incident was different than his because it was some time ago and he only had heard the customer’s side of the story.
It was minor and a misunderstanding and wanting to defend myself, I brought up a similar incident that had occurred where he was the offending party and the customer had come to me as the manager of the store to complain.
Here’s the point.
My boss said, “Russ, this is hard enough for me and you need to let me just be the boss and listen.” I did, and I apologized. The Lord humbled me to be mindful of his position as owner of the store and how he needed to run his business.
11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 14:11
The truth of sin taking a place of honor in your life is nothing new. Luther called it the Bondage of the Will. That our will is bound to sin and that is all it can do, but thanks be to God that because you have been raised to newness of life by God’s Holy Spirit, there is truly Good News that:
Christ exalts the humble!
So, Jesus goes up to the host, the ruler of the Pharisees, who had invited him and He says:
12 “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
Those who Christ came to redeem are the poor sinners like us, crippled from birth and lame, blind to God’s saving work in Christ if not drawn to believe through the invitation and working of the Holy Spirit by faith.
You too, dear friends, have received this blessed invitation to His banquet feast and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb by faith. And you receive a foretaste of this feast when you receive Christ’s true body and blood in the blessed table of the Lord, the Sacrament of the Altar – given and shed for you!
It matters not which seat at the table you occupy because the host of this feast comes to where you are – bodily – in, with and under the bread and wine so that you truly receive Him, who is and was and is to come, in a real and tangible way – for the forgiveness of all your sins.
Even though these sins, sill at times wreak havoc in our lives, they are forgiven as far as east is from the west … not to be remembered by the Father ever again.
Christ humiliated himself so that you might be redeemed. At times we too are humbled so that another can be served, who is our neighbor.
You have a defense and a protection that will never fail because it is God Himself, not you, who will protect you because He came to live, suffer, die and rise for each one of you and as a result you are his, the table is set, and you are invited, in fact you have already received all that is promised … in him … rejoice!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
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