The Humble Guest Story.

Luke 14.7-11.

At first glance this passage doesn’t look like a parable; we only know it’s one because Luke straight-out begins it with, “And he put forth a parable…” Lk 14.7 KJV If we didn’t know this was a parable, we’d think it was simply shrewd advice from Jesus; we’d even teach it as such in our churches. “Whenever you go to a dinner party, go sit at the kids’ table till the host tells you no, come sit with the adults; come sit by me. I know, I know; you’re afraid they won’t ask you to move, and now you gotta listen to kids talking all day about [thing kids are into].” (Depending on whether the preacher has little children, it’ll either be something kids really are currently into; or something kids were into years ago, and Pastor hasn’t updated his data any more than he’s updated his stash of corny “dad jokes.”)

It’s the first of five parables Jesus tells in this chapter, and the first three all have to do with dinner-party guests. This one’s the Presumptive Guest Story. There’s the Dinner Party for the Poor Story in verses 12-14, which people tend to skip because Jesus sorta tells a fuller version of it in his Dinner Party Story right after it, verses 15-24. Then his Counting the Cost Story, verses 25-33; and Unsalty Salt Story, verses 34-35.

This story is often lumped together with the other dinner-party stories and called the Parables (or Parable) of the Guests. Or the first two stories are the Parable of the Guests, and the third story is the Parable of the Dinner Party. Or sometimes this is singled out as its own parable—which it is—and made the Parable of the Exalted and Humble Guests, or they just focus on the jerk in the story and call it the Parable of the Ambitious Guest, Arrogant Guest, Embarrassed Guest, Presumptive Guest, and so forth. I prefer to focus on what Jesus wants his followers to do. So, the Humble Guest Story.

It comes right after Jesus cures a guy at a dinner party held on sabbath. After our Lord deals with the bad attitudes about helping others on sabbath—which, Jesus states, does not break sabbath; and since Jesus never sinned 1Pe 2.22 let’s not start foolishly claiming he did because he supposedly did away with the Law of Moses. But now that this controversy was put to bed—for now—Jesus has some observations to make about dinner parties. And since they’re parables, they’re actually about God’s kingdom—if you have the ears to hear Jesus.

Luke 14.7-11 KWL

7Jesus is telling a parable

to those who’d been invited to dinner

while noticing how

they’re choosing their places at table.

He’s telling them,

8“Whenever you’re¹ invited to a wedding by someone,

you¹ shouldn’t take the first place.

Perhaps someone more honored than you¹

was invited by them.¹

9And coming to you¹ and the other guest,

the one inviting you two will tell you,¹

‘Give this guest this place,’

and then, with shame,

you’ll¹ have to go to the last place.

10Instead, whenever you’re¹ invited,

go sit in the last place!

This way, whenever the one inviting you¹ comes,

they’ll¹ tell you,¹ ‘Friend, go forward!’

Then honor will be yours¹

in front of everyone dining with you.¹

11For everyone who exalts themselves¹

will be humbled,

and everyone who humbles themselves¹

will be exalted.”

You’d think first place at the table at a wedding banquet would go to the couple who’s getting married. Nope! They have their own table. Like our weddings, there were lots of tables.

“First place” at a table would usually be the place closest to the food, so you’d be the first person to dip your (hopefully washed) hand in everything. Last place would get the stuff everyone’s already touched, then licked their fingers and touched some more. Yeah, even though ancient Israelis were way cleaner than ancient Romans, hygiene back then sucked. And you can see why first place was a big deal.

Seating and social rank.

There are a lot of overlaps between our culture and ancient Israeli culture, and ancient Greco-Roman culture. They’re not perfect overlaps; in the United States we don’t have castes, even though some of us would really like to create and enforce ’em.

Ancient Romans did have castes; some were nobles and some were commoners, and the nobles had ranks. Ancient Israelis had two castes—Levites, who were priests, and therefore had to follow certain priestly commands; and non-Levites who didn’t. Otherwise they’d do as Americans do, and invent social ranks for one another. Relatives of the kings and head priests, i.e. “nobles,” would be the top rank. Rich people would be another high rank. Civic leaders, like city elders and synagogue presidents, would be another. Popular rabbis like Jesus might be another, depending on how popular they were.

The ancient Israelis’ custom was to seat people by this social rank. The guest of honor would get the first place. Or, guest of honor or not, they’d stick head priests and nobles in the first place; those guys were used to the first place, and the host didn’t wanna insult them. In their absence, everyone else might jockey to see who’d get the first place—especially if the host didn’t make a seating chart, and hosts who didn’t want to offend anyone might not.

So when Jesus joined this chief Pharisee’s dinner party, Lk 14.1 where would he have to sit? There’s a better than average chance he followed his own advice here, and took the last place. And it’s entirely possible his host, the one who invited him, said, “No no; sit over here,” and because Jesus’s parable was played out in real life, it gave him an opportunity to tell this story, and tell ’em why he took the last place.

True, maybe no such thing happened, and Jesus just sat where he was told, and told this story anyway. But y’notice Luke states Jesus told the story as everyone was figuring out where they’d sit—so there was no seating chart, and people were trying to sort out where they’d sit based on how much value they gave themselves… and of course, on whether they could sit in a better place and get away with it.

But remember, this is a parable. Jesus isn’t telling this story to encourage us to sit in lowly places, and thereby fish for complements and honor. He’s telling it because this is what God’s kingdom is like. Those who seize the good places at table will find themselves humiliated. Those who surrender them will find themselves honored.

Biblical precedent.

If you know your bible—and Pharisees usually did—Jesus’s parable was hardly a new idea. He swiped it from Proverbs.

Proverbs 25.6-7 NET

6Do not honor yourself before the king,

and do not stand in the place of great men;

7for it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,”

than to put you lower before a prince,

whom your eyes have seen.

The difference is Jesus was applying it to snobs at a dinner party, not courtiers at the king’s throne. Way more relatable. Still true though.

Pharisees were fully aware Jesus’s sort of last-will-be-first thinking Mt 19.30, 20.16 is part of God’s plan for the age to come—

Isaiah 2.11-17 NET

11Proud men will be brought low,

arrogant men will be humiliated;

the LORD alone will be exalted

in that day.

12Indeed, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has planned a day of judgment,

for all the high and mighty,

for all who are proud—they will be humiliated;

13for all the cedars of Lebanon,

that are so high and mighty,

for all the oaks of Bashan;

14for all the tall mountains,

for all the high hills,

15for every high tower,

for every fortified wall,

16for all the large ships,

for all the impressive ships.

17Proud men will be humiliated,

arrogant men will be brought low;

the LORD alone will be exalted

in that day.

—although not all of them realized they’d be some of the proud and arrogant men to be brought low and humiliated. They figured, same as many a Christian today figures, they’d be in right standing with God, so they’d automatically be exalted. Nevermind their bad attitudes, and the dismissive, insulting, crappy way they treated people they considered their lessers and sinners.

But y’notice Isaiah doesn’t say anyone will be exalted but the LORD alone. On Judgment Day, all those Christians who presume we’re gonna be seated on thrones while Jesus condemns the wicked: We’re gonna be co-defendants with the rest of humanity. We’re gonna be acquitted—and only because Jesus redeemed us, not because we deserve or earned it—but honor and rewards are for a whole other time. At that time, we need to remember Jesus is Lord and we’re not.

And in God’s kingdom, we take our places as highest—or lowest—at Jesus’s discretion. If you presume your seating assignment is up there with the very best of the saints, be forewarned: It may not be. (Your spouse and neighbors are fully aware it’s not!) So, presume nothing. Take your seat on the floor, and wait for the Lord to tell you where you oughta be.