This is a segment where I post my thoughts on the Sunday service I attended at the beginning of the week. It’s more a self directed, personal indulgence than anything; it helps me remember the issues.
Lesson of today’s service came out of Luke 14:7-24.
7When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8″When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
12Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
The Parable of the Great Banquet
15When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
16Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
18″But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’
19″Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’
20″Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
21″The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
22″ ‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’
23″Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. 24I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”
This is how Jesus’ first parable played out in my mind. In society, there is a hierarchy. It can be divided up like this:
If you claim the position you think you deserve (assuming you are prone to an inflated sense of self worth, as is likely) then someone else will put you in your place. Which is humiliating. (v 8-9)
However, if you show humility you will be recognized, exalted. (v. 9-10)
During service I projected 3 dominant responses to Jesus’ first sayings based on the social groups I observed within the congregation, and how those social groups in general operate in society — world views, etc.
1. A lot of the room was thinking, “this doesn’t apply to me.”
Hence the second parable, dubbed “the Parable of the Great Banquet” (v. 15-23) This is a very (very) loose translation:
2. Another part of the people listening to this were thinking, “I’ll make sure to stay in my place. Or, better yet, I’ll work my way to the top.” (And, strangely, the pastor gave a personal example that seemed to support this thinking.)
But this view leads to a vicious cycle of chasing shadows; it is still disobedient and doesn’t take grace into account.
3. My personal view was, “I don’t believe in hierarchy. Hierarchy is dumb.”
Which is a silly approach in that it doesn’t acknowledge reality. But I really do think everyone should be able to sit next to the host as the guest of honor.
At the end of the day, however, I changed my mind about one thing. And, now, my final conclusion is different. All of this aside, I think the Good Christian would have heard Jesus out the first parable and simply said, “Okay,” and went about her day doing as she was told.
