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THE LOWEST SEAT
When he noticed
how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a
parable. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet,
do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more
distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the
host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this
person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take
the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at
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 the table with you. For all who exalt
themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will
be exalted.”
He said also
to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a
dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your
relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in
return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you
will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be
repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Look who’s coming to dinner. What do the
guests do? And how do we respond? And if we are helping with the
invitations, who do we invite?
A parable is simply an earthly story with a
heavenly or spiritual meaning. Jesus was having dinner at the
home of a Pharisee on the Sabbath. The people were watching
Jesus closely. And he was watching them choosing the places of
honor. It’s natural to want to sit at the best table with
friends, with the host, near Jesus, and to be able to see and
hear what’s going on. Who wouldn’t want that? Even some of
Jesus’ own disciples wanted places of honor in his kingdom. But
Jesus cuts to the chase with his story about humility.
Humility is knowing and accepting who you
are. Christians recognize that their strengths, talents and
virtues come only from God. Most of us invite friends and
associates, people we like. Sometimes it’s for business or to
return the favor. The more prominent the guest, the more honor
they seem to bring to us. But Jesus teaches we should do just
the opposite. It takes humility to invite the “nobodies,” the
poor, the outcasts of society or even those we simply don’t
like. Invite such as these, Jesus says, and you will be blessed
and repaid in heaven.
Invite such as these, just as Christ
invites us dirty, poor, naked sinners to join him at the central
feast of the Christian community – the Lord’s Supper. The Host
invites everyone, regardless of who they are, or where they have
been, or how they got where they are now. Jesus invites all to
come. Everyone has a place at the Lord’s Table.
Dear Lord, teach us to humbly invite
everyone to join us at your table. Amen
Larry Frank
Parish Ministry Associate
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