As an elementary school teacher, my friend often escorted her students to various other classrooms for subjects such as music or art. When asked to line up to make their way to another room, the fifth-grade students would jockey for position, some scrambling for the coveted spot at the head of the line. One day, Jenni surprised them by having everyone turn around and leading them from what had been—just seconds before—the end of the line. Their shock was audible: “Whaaattt?”
When Jesus observed similar jockeying for position at a dinner table, He responded by telling a parable that undoubtedly surprised His fellow guests. Using a story about a wedding feast, He instructed them to “not take the place of honor” but instead “take the lowest place” (Luke 14:8-10). Christ confounded their social norms by saying that “all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (v. 11).
This kingdom principle can be a difficult one to adopt, especially because our human temptation will be to still focus on “winning” somehow—choosing the last position now so we'll be first later. But Jesus urges us to follow His example and look to Him for help in reorienting our thinking to see being humble, last, and lowly as truly being in the place of honor.
Who in your life embodies the kind of humility Jesus calls us to? When do you struggle to surrender your own place of honor?
Please help me, Jesus, to show humility in all circumstances.
Jesus’ countercultural approach to honor in Luke 14:7-11 wasn’t a new concept for His audience. They were familiar with David, who as the youngest of his brothers became king over Israel. Before him was Gideon, whose family was poor and his tribe’s weakest clan. Yet Gideon liberated Israel from their oppressors. And before him was Joseph, the eleventh son of Jacob, who became the savior of his family in Egypt—a family that was, itself, the youngest nation in a world already populated by many others (Deuteronomy 7:1). Yet this chosen nation was honored to be a light to the rest of the world (4:5-8).
In Luke, Christ reminded His listeners of a principle woven throughout Scripture—God promotes the last, least, and unlikely to showcase His glory and goodness. It’s the nature of God’s upside-down kingdom (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). And it’s at the very heart of the gospel (Matthew 20:28).
