Imagine you are invited to a wedding banquet. When you show up there are no assigned seats, but of course human nature propels you to get a good seat. You would naturally start looking for the seat that best fits your personality. I know some who would look for a table in the corner to watch all the others guests, while others want to be right in the middle of the action. In Luke 14 Jesus is invited by a prominent member of society, a Chief Pharisee, to come to his house and eat on a sabbath day. When Jesus arrived He immediately heals a man and puts the other pharisees and lawyers to silence. Looking around He noticed how the other guests were trying to get to the most prominent rooms. In typical Jesus-style He proceeds to tell a parable about a wedding banquet.
He sets the scene by explaining a scenario all of them have been involved in before. He says something kind of counter intuitive… If you are invited to a wedding, don’t take the best places. What if someone more distinguished in the community or a family member were to come in later and the one who invited you has to ask you to give up your seat for them, how would you feel? Our proud society today would think, “I am a some body and you are no better than me.” In their society, which was in so many ways more honorable, people would feel bad and move back to a less desirable seat. His point is clear— you would be embarrassed and humbled by the situation. Jesus made His point. To be more clear, He instructed them in what to do. You should purposely go to a less desirable seat and wait. The one who invited you will eventually see you and move you to a more desirable place. The application in verse 11 brings it home. If you humble yourself, then God will minister through others to exalt you in time. If you exalt yourself, then God will use others to humble you in your prideful state.
The real deal here is: do you trust God? The only thing you have to lose by placing yourself in the more humbled position is that you may remain there. The carnal mind asks the question: “what if I am never noticed and have to remain in this position?” Jesus makes it plain by mentioning your position and God’s position in this drama. You have the obligation to humble yourself. If you exalt yourself, He WILL humble you. Do you believe that? Haven’t you lived through that before? Same goes then for the one who humbles themselves, God WILL exalt you in His timing. Do you believe that just as equally?
The danger is in quitting too early and not allowing God to exalt you in His timing. Peter said it this way “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” in 1 Peter 5.6. The “due time” is His sovereign responsibility. Your responsibility is to humble yourself. Notice also “that he may exalt you.” Your worst fears WILL be realized if you don’t humble yourself. Your fear is to miss your opportunity. This is anti-trust. For God to exalt your position and give you the more prominent position, you will first need to humble yourself.
Have you noticed the underlying theme here? Humble…. yourself! You have that one job to do. Humble yourself. Humbling oneself is anti-human, but to be human is anti-trusting of God.
Which will you chose?