“Instead, take the
lowest place at the foot of the table (instead of the seat of honor). Then when
your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for
you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests.” Luke 14:10
Upon reading this
passage a whole bunch of thoughts erupted because it seems to contradict many
of Jesus’ other teachings. Doesn’t being honored in front of everyone seem a
trifle self serving as opposed to humble? How can this passage possibly fit
into being the people we are called to be?
Hmmm…unless I am
reading this from a perspective of how I would feel, how pride would work its
way into my heart by being singled out. I think, if this is the case, it would
be better for me to sit where I sat away from the places of honor. But that,
too, can become easily prideful…”Look at how humble I am! I refused to move!”
What a conundrum!
Unless Jesus is referring to His humble self
being honored above all others.
The conversation with
the Samaritan woman comes to mind in John 4. Jesus sat by the well, and in all humility
asked her for a drink. The woman discovered He was the Messiah and raced back
to tell her village. Jesus was invited to come and affirm who He was. The rest
of the village soon believed He was the Messiah. A humble seat by the side of a
well and a non-conforming conversation with a woman soon became a place of
honor.
Or could this be a
clear depiction of what it takes to come to Jesus? When life is rife with
troubles, when the soul is empty, done, lost, when our seat is at the foot of
the table or under it, God comes along and says, “Friend, I have a better place
for you.”
Then our story
becomes one of redemption, of being raised up. And all our friends stand
witness to the changes God can and will do in our lives. And that is the
greatest honor of all.
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