Upside-Down Christmas: Luke 14

Luke 14

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Jesus is really getting into the parables now. We’re looking at chapter 14 of Luke’s gospel. And this is a part of our series Upside-Down Christmas where we see how Jesus turns things on their heads. This one is called the parable of the wedding feast.

Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in 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 table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:7-11)

I mean, it’s a bit hard to expound on that. The idea is right there. If you’re the type that seeks the higher place, who wants the spotlight, who goes for the good seat next to the important people—you’re in trouble. Because even though seeking the best things for yourself is natural, the reality is, you’re going to end up at the back of the line if you keep doing that.

And it’s weird too, because then you start scheming, right? You want the best seat, but you know that if you seek the best seat that you’ll get booted to the worst seat; so you strategize and pick one of the lower seats, but your ego won’t let you stop thinking about when you’re going to get invited up. And then what if you don’t get asked? Will you end up bitter? Some of us would.

You see, Jesus isn’t giving us a strategy for how to actually acquire the best seat though. Not really. Instead, he’s just warning us against pride.

If you seek the best things for yourself, you’re likely to get the worst (or even nothing at all). But if instead, you don’t worry about all of that and you just take a low seat, happy to have been invited at all—you’re more likely to be honored among the rest. Jesus says many who are first shall be last and many who are last shall be first.

I think we should just give up on the whole project of getting the best for ourselves and just be happy that we have a place in the kingdom at all. Let God dole out the best seats to whom he will.

Let’s pray. Lord, we are arrogant so often, looking down on other people, imagining that we should have the better seats in the house, that we should be having—maybe not the best, but certainly better than him, or better than her! Forgive us for even playing that game. Teach us instead to humble ourselves and seek your kingdom without regard for what we will get in the end, trusting that you will, as your apostle said, do more for us than all we could even ask or think. Teach us to trust you, Lord, and to just forget about ourselves. In your name, amen.

Family Devotion:

Read Luke 14:7-11

These verses focus on humility versus pride, teaching us not to boast or push for the best spots but to be humble, serve others, and trust God to exalt them. Jesus shares a parable about choosing seats at a banquet. We learn not to grab the best spot for ourselves, or you might get embarrassed; instead, take a low seat, and the host might move you up, bringing honor and showing God's way is to serve and be humble, not seek self-glory.

How does it feel when you try to be first and someone else gets the spot?

What's a small way you can serve someone today?

How can we be “seat-savers” and not “seat-stealers”?

Activity: Take some time to write thank you notes to people who do thankless jobs (ie janitors, the guy that wheels the buggies up to the front of the store, mail carriers, trash collectors, etc).