LET'S HAVE SOME TABLE TALK

LET’S HAVE SOME TABLE TALK

LUKE 14:7-14

          And He began speaking a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they had been picking out places of honor at the table, saying to them, "When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, 'Give your place to this man,' and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place."

          "But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you." "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

          And He also went on to say 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, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that would be your repayment. "But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous" (NASB).

INTRODUCTION

          Few people have the privilege of a private audience with Pope John Paul II. One who did was journalist Tim Russert, NBC News Washington bureau chief, Meet the Press moderator, and former altar boy. In the St. Anthony Messenger, James W. Arnold relates Russert’s story.

            I’ll never forget it. I was there to convince His Holiness it was in his interest to appear on the Today show. But my thoughts soon turned away from NBC’s ratings toward the idea of salvation. As I stood there with the Vicar of Christ, I simply blurted, “Bless me, Father!”

          He put his arms around my shoulders and whispered, “You are the one called Timothy, the man from NBC?” I said, “Yes, yes, that is me.”

          “They tell me you are a very important man.” Taken aback, I said, “Your Holiness, there are only two of us in this room, and I am certainly a distant second.” He looked at me and said, “Right.” It is always wise to know your place.

Background

          After the synagogue service on the Sabbath, Jews would eat a substantial meal to which quite often a number of guests were invited. A leading Pharisee had invited Jesus to such a noon meal with the purpose of trapping Him. There, right in front of Jesus, was a man with dropsy. Would Jesus heal on the Sabbath, or would he wait until evening when the Sabbath ended?

          Jesus healed the man and sent him home, because the Pharisees refused to answer His question whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not. He put a further question to them and thus appealed to their sense of compassion and mercy. “If your son or your ox falls into a well on the Sabbath, what would you do?” asked Jesus. Even to that question, which came close to home, the Pharisees would not reply.

I.                  AN INSTRUCTION IN HUMILITY VV. 7-11

          In this less than congenial atmosphere, where guests had selfishly picked the best seats at the table, Jesus taught the parable of the arrogant guests—a lesson in humility. By the way, you can go to the home of unbelievers and even those who are critical of the Christian faith, if you know your identity in Christ. Jesus was not afraid of the Pharisees; neither was He a social outcast, as some Christians today want us to believe. To all intents and purposes, Jesus was there on exhibition. The Pharisee who invited Jesus and fellow Pharisees did not regard Him as one of them. It is not a pleasant thing to be asked to attend a special function only to be put on probation, to have your every action and word weighed. However, one thing the prejudiced and spiritually-blind Pharisees forgot was that the One invited to partake of their hospitality was the Omniscient Lord, and as such had a distinct advantage over them. They could not read His thoughts but He could read theirs, and in this parable Jesus reveals the thoughts of their minds, and the ulterior motives behind their actions. Pharisees and experts of the Law had created a climate of haughtiness and arrogance devoid of love and humility. In this setting Jesus taught a lesson of self-abasement.

          The parable is only found in the Gospel of Luke, although the sentiment expressed occurs in other places in the Gospels and Epistles (Matt. 18:4; Rom. 12:15; 1 Peter 5:6). We are also immediately reminded of the foot-washing scene in the upper room on the night of Jesus betrayal.     

          Jesus used a setting of a wedding feast to which a number of guests had been invited. At this particular feast there was an undignified scramble for the places of highest honor and Jesus commented on it. In this parable, Jesus was alluding to Proverbs 25:6-7. Jesus skillfully alluded to this passage when He tells this parable. At this feast all the important places or high tables have been taken. However, unfortunately for some of the people who have taken the choice seats the guest of honor arrived late. Someone has taken the seat of the chairman of the occasion. The host could not permit his worthy guest to take a lower place. That would be an unpardonable breach of etiquette. In such a situation the host had only one choice. He has to inform the person occupying the seat of honor to which he was not entitled to take the lowest place, and then invite the distinguished guest to come to the seat of honor. The humiliated guest learned a lesson he would not soon forget. To be asked to give up your seat to a distinguished guest result in a sense of shame, because you had assumed more honor for yourself than others acknowledge. The mention of shame is important, because in the ancient Near-Eastern culture, honor and shame were key issues of a person’s identity, worth, and character.

          Jesus is saying that if you are a wise person, when you attend a wedding reception or any special feast, you will take the least important place, so that when the host comes and sees you in a seat that is not worthy, he will beckon you up to a better place. It is better to go to the lowest place first. The way to get to the top is to start at the bottom. If you choose the lowest place, the only way you can go is up.

          Fuller Seminary some years ago celebrated its fortieth anniversary with the inauguration of the President’s Lectureship in November of that year. The four speakers included such heavy hitters as Carl F. H. Henry, theologian; Samuel Hugh Moffett, professor emeritus of ecumenism and mission at Princeton; Mary Steward Van Leeuwen, professor of interdisciplinary studies at Calvin College; and Cary Wisiger III, retired pastor.

          In his opening address, Wisiger displayed characteristic humility in the company of such academic luminaries: I have been a pastor, by the grace of God. If I could do it all over again, I would be a pastor. I have never, frankly, regarded myself as a scholar. I have tried to be studious, and I want to thank Dr. David Hubbard for including me in this program today. A farmer once put his mule in a horse race and his friends said to him, “Silly, that mule cannot run with those thoroughbreds.” The farmer said, “I know it, but you have no idea how good it makes him feel to be with those horses!”

          Jesus applies the principle to this parable in verse 11, when He says, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” This is the principle that should govern our lives, but the man-centered Christianity today has discarded humility. However, the Bible teaches unequivocally that the way to true exaltation is humility. Humility means not reflecting social snobbery, not exalting oneself, and not thinking of only one’s own gain. God will exalt those who genuinely humble themselves. The kingdom is God’s gift. In the kenosis passage in Philippians 2:5-11, the apostle Paul portrays Jesus as the greatest example of true humility; however, those who exalt themselves will be humbled by God. The passive verbs in this verse suggest that the humbling and the exaltation come in terms of God’s assessment. In other words, it is God Himself who elevates one person and brings another down. God’s method of evaluating life is quite different from that of the world. How we treat others impacts how God treats us.

II.               AN INSTRUCTION ON GENEROSITY VV. 12-14

          Jesus expands His lesson as He introduces another topic.  Beyond worrying about what seats you get as guests at a table; there is a question of whom we seek to serve as a guest. Jesus calls us to serve those who cannot reciprocate or repay our kindness. Jesus has a lesson for the host: he should not confine his guest-list to friends, relations (thus relatives) and rich neighbors. The reason is simple: if you invite your friends, relatives, and rich neighbors, they would repay you by inviting you to their own special events. Jesus is saying that loving and hosting those who love you and are your friends is not inherently commendable. In other words, Jesus is saying that if you love and host your friends in your party, feast, or wedding, you have done nothing extraordinary. Jesus is not forbidding normal social life, where you call your friends and family members and have a good time together. What He is emphasizing, however, is there is no generosity in giving to people who will reciprocate your kindness.

          What Jesus is teaching here happens frequently during Christmas. During Christmas the Lord lays on your heart to bless someone with a gift. That person out of a sense of guilt also goes his own way to purchase something to give back to you. Even unbelievers do this. Therefore, there is nothing unique about such generosity. What Jesus is teaching is that if you really want to enjoy the blessings of God when you have a luncheon, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind. You should not take this statement literally. However, the principle is timeless. What Jesus is saying is that become a host to the poor and those who cannot repay you for your generosity, because if someone pays you back for your generosity, then your generosity is no generosity at all. The underprivileged and the socially marginalized are the people you need to invite because they cannot repay you. To give a feast to such persons is an act of pure generosity. Jesus goes on to say that if you practice this sense of true generosity what you have done for the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind will be recognized “at the resurrection of the just.”

          Do you know that there are some people who are attracted to famous and rich people? Some people are overly selective and biased when it comes to generosity. Jesus is speaking against this kind of conviviality that arises from celebration among boon companions. Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount, “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?” (Matt. 5:46) If the host invites his relatives, friends, and acquaintances to a meal with the understanding that they in turn will invite him, he can calculate his reward. But if he invites people who are financially and socially unable to return the invitation, God Himself will pay his reward at the time of the resurrection.

          Who would arrange a banquet and invite the lowest class of society: the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind? The poor are financially dependent on the rich and those who are crippled; lame or blind most often need the help of the physically able. These people simply do not have the means and the strength to repay favors.

          To extend an invitation to people who are deprived of the dining pleasures the rich enjoy is to deserve the commendation of being blessed. Of course, Jesus does not imply that a host should never invite anyone but the downtrodden. He is teaching that our deeds should be performed without a thought of reciprocity. They should be performed in a spirit of unselfish love and humility. Jesus concludes that such deeds gain divine approval.

          God commends those who reach out to the needy and minister to them, often in quiet ministries that no one ever sees. True righteousness does not look for a payback but is offered free of charge, graciously, just as God in Christ has forgiven us free of charge (Eph. 4:32; 5:2). In this parable, Jesus is teaching us that humility and generosity are important to the development of the Christian character, and both reflect commitments to be giving in life. We are to give rather than expect to receive. However, the principles that Jesus is teaching us run counter to our present culture. Our culture loves to tell us to go for what is ours by right and to “go for the gold.” We love to cater to the rich and famous, the powerful, the movers and shakers. It is prestigious to minister to these circles. These ministries are not inherently wrong, but they should be pursued in a way that reflects God, who “does not show favoritism” (Rom. 2:11). The rich and the poor, the master and the slave, are all alike in the sight of God (James 2:5; Eph. 6:9; Gal. 3:28). The attitude inherent in the Western culture, which we have adopted subtly destroy the ability to minister compassionately to anyone.

          Another attitude that derives from the culture is that certain conditions in someone else’s life are that person’s problems. For instance, people are poor because they are lazy. Such an attitude does not breed compassion to help such people, who may have grown without any family support, training, or reinforcement in life. All our “back to the family” emphasis in Christian circles today, as good as it is, must come to grips with the reality that some have never had a family to go back to! A genuine humility is a guard against a personally destructive and blinding perspective that ignores such people.

          In the Gospel of Matthew 25, Jesus says that one of His criteria of judgment on the Day of Judgment would be what we did for the poor, the destitute, the hungry, the prisoners, and the downtrodden.

          It is easy to speak about humility, but in developing a humble spirit and living in light of it is difficult, because it goes against our tendency to desire the applause of men. It is difficult not to seek the honored role, to voluntarily move a few seats, to let others bring credit to your work, or to pay attention to those who may not be able to give back. Do we ignore “unimportant” people? The service you give, when offered without cost, becomes a badge of honor that God sees. It is also difficult to praise a colleague when you want to blow your own horn. Someone said, “If I do not blow my own horn, who would blow it for me?”

          Ladies and gentlemen, let us put the principles that Jesus is teaching in this parable into practice and the heavenly Father who sees things in a different light and perspective will smile on us one day. When you embrace humility and show generosity to the needy, God will bless your life.