#127 Lu. 14:7-11  A LESSON FROM JESUS ON HUMILITY

Introduction:

     Last Sunday, our text was taken from the seventeenth chapter
of the book of Acts and dealt with the general subject of the
resurrection.  To be more specific, it dealt with Paul's preaching
of the gospel at Athens, Greece.  Our text said that Paul preached
to them Jesus and the resurrection of the dead.
     Today we get back to the Gospel of Luke.  In our text two
Sundays ago, Jesus was passing through Perea on His way to
Jerusalem to be crucified.  When the sabbath day arrived, as was
His practice, He attended the worship services at the local
synagogue in whatever town He happened to be.  After the worship
service, He was invited to the home of one of the chief Pharisees
for a great feast.  Many others were there also.
     While He was there, a man with congestive heart failure was
brought in and Jesus healed him.  The lawyers and Pharisees had
sought to use this occasion to bring charges against Jesus and
have Him put to death, but Jesus outwitted them.  Before He healed
the man, He asked the lawyers and Pharisees if it is lawful to
heal on the sabbath day.  He knew that they would be unable to
site any law which forbids healing on the sabbath and so by their
silence they gave public testimony that it is lawful to heal on
the sabbath.
     In our text Jesus at that same feast taught a valuable lesson
on humility.

I.  What Jesus had observed in the conduct of the people at that
    feast

     V. 7, "Then he put forth a parable to those which were
bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms..."
Jesus had observed the people as they came into that home and
sought to find their places at the tables.  Apparently they were
not ushered to their tables by the host or by one of his servants.
Rather each guest was left to find his own seat.
     Jesus noted that some of them, probably most of them, sought
to sit in a place of prominence.  The word, room, as used here
means "place."  In that day it was considered a special honor to
be seated right next to the host or hostess.  Therefore the early
arrivals at this feast began to fill up the seats on either side
of the host and hostess.  The most prominent place would be to
right of the host  and would be seated nearest to the host.  The
place of next highest honor would be to the left of the hostess
and would be seated nearest to her.  Others sought to sit as near
as they could to the host and hostess and the nearer they were the
higher the honor bestowed on them.
     Since they were not ushered to their seats, the guests were
engaged in somewhat of a mad scramble to get the seat of highest
honor that was left available to them.  If the ones closest to the
host and hostess were already taken, they would take the closes
one they could get.
     I can just imagine the scene.  I can imagine that the lawyers
and Pharisees occupied all the seats with the greatest honor.
According to the Scripture, they were a proud, egotistical people
and were the very kind who would seek the places of highest honor.
I can almost see those who won the scramble and managed to get the
places right up close to the host and hostess.  I can just see
them sitting there as proud as a peacock because they have the
places of high honor.
     This was selfishness and pride.  It was selfish pride to want
the greatest honor for self.  It was not only a lack of
consideration for others, but it was a total lack of love for
others.  God's will, as revealed in the law, is not only to love
God, but to love other people.  The law instructed that they were
to love other people at least equally as much as they love
themselves.  The law said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with
all they heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind and thy
neighbor as thyself."  But those proud, selfish lawyers and
Pharisees were not at all concerned about the happiness and
well-being of their neighbors.  They interested only in
themselves.  They not only wanted to get things for themselves,
but they wanted to get honors for themselves.

II.  The Lord's rebuke of their pride and His counsel to them

     The Lord rebuked their selfish pride, but I want you to note
how He did it.  V. 7-8, "...saying unto them, "When thou art
bidden of any man to a wedding..."  Jesus did not say, "Hey,
fellows, I noticed that at this feast everyone of you made a mad
scramble to get the seats of highest honor."  Rather He said,
"When you are invited to a wedding, let me tell you what to do."
A wedding was even more formal than this feast at the home of the
Pharisee.  The places of higher honor would have even greater
prominence at a wedding.  There would be an even greater desire on
the part of the lawyers and Pharisees to get the places of higher
honor at a wedding.
     Jesus said, (V. 8), "When thou are bidden of any man to a
wedding, sit not down in the highest room..."  As mentioned
earlier, the word, room, here is used in the sense of "space or
place."  He was saying, "Do not make a mad dash for the place of
highest honor."  He could have added, "...like you did at this
feast."  He could have added this, but He didn't.  He didn't need
to.  They could hardly miss the point.  I have a idea that some of
them had practically run over Jesus trying to get past Him and get
to the places of higher honor.  They knew they were guilty right
here at this feast.  Never-the-less, Jesus did not specifically
mention their conduct at this feast.  He just said, "Now when you
are invited to a wedding feast, let me tell you how to behave."
     Jesus pointed out to them a very good reason for taking the
lower seat.  He said, (V. 8), "...lest a more honourable man than
thou be bidden of him..."  Of course, so far as some of the
lawyers and Pharisees were concerned, it must have seemed
impossible to find anyone more honorable than themselves.  I can
just hear some of them say, "Where could they find a more
honorable man than me?" But of course, as far as rank is
concerned, as far as age is concerned, many of them would have to
admit, "This other fellow out ranks me" or "...is older than me.
He doesn't really deserve it, but he does outrank me."
     Jesus said, "Don't you sit down at the seat of highest honor
and I'll tell you why."  Then Jesus proceeded to tell them why.
(V. 9), "...And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee,
Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest
room."  Jesus said, "If you take the seat of highest honor you are
taking a high risk that you are going to get embarrassed.  Your
host is likely to come to you and say, "I am going to ask you to
move and let this other fellow sit here.  It's his wedding.  He
can do that if he please.  ....and he is likely to please.  He is
likely to ask you to move and you are going to be very embarrassed
.  You will be humiliated.  So in order to avoid the humiliation,
I am advising you not to seek the seat of highest honor."
     In verse ten, Jesus then told them what they should do.  This
points out the way that God does with man throughout the
Scripture.  It is a Scripture pattern.  He first tells us what not
to do and then He tells what we are to do.  So many times man will
tell someone what not to do and never tell him what he should do.
But Jesus follows the right pattern.
    He said, V. 10, "But when thou are bidden, go and sit down in
the lowest room..."  That is, "Go and sit down in the place of
least honor."
     Now who wants to do that?  Who wants the place of lowest
honor?  There was not a lawyer nor Pharisee among them who would
want the place of lowest honor.  They would all prefer the place
of highest honor.
     Now before we are too critical of them right here, we should
stop and think.  Wouldn't we all feel the same way about it?  Who
is there among us who would want to be stuck off in the place of
least honor or least advantage?  Who among us when attending a
ball game would not rush right in ahead of everybody else to get
the seat with the best view?  It really wouldn't bother us very
much that somebody else cannot see very well as long as we can
see.  Would it?  When it comes to promotion on the job and a
better salary, who among us would not want the top position for
ourselves rather than prefer that someone else get it.  Or who
among us would not be thrilled to get our picture in the paper
rather than prefer that someone else have this honor?
     Jesus said, "You take the place of lowest honor." When you
take the seat of lowest honor, if you are moved, there is not but
one way to go and that is up.  You know one thing, the host is not
going to come to you and embarrass you and move you down to a seat
of lower honor.  If he asks you to move at all, he will ask you to
move up to a position of greater honor.  (V. 10), "...that when he
that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher:
then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at
meat with thee."  The word, worship, as used here means "honor."
The host may come to you and move you up to a position of higher
honor.  He may say, "Come right over here.  I want you to take
this seat of higher honor."  And that will be a far greater honor
than if you got that same seat by beating somebody else to it.  It
is no great honor to you out scramble somebody else.  It is an
honor to be asked to come up to a higher position.

III.  What the Lord was really teaching

     But now let me ask you a question:  Where is Jesus headed
with this?  Was Jesus merely teaching on etiquette?  Or was He
just trying to help avoid embarrassment by the kind of rude
behavior they had displayed at this feast?  Why did He have this
put in the Bible?  Is Jesus just trying to help us who read this
passage to avoid being embarrassed by our own pushiness and self-
promotion?
     No!  I think not.  He was not primarily interested in helping
men avoid being embarrassed in a social affair.  Jesus was
interested in using this affair to teach a valuable lesson in
humility.
     V. 11, "For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and
he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."  Jesus is not talking
merely about avoiding embarrassment at wedding feasts.  Jesus is
talking about being in good standing with God.  One who exalts
himself shall be abased.  The word, abased, means "brought low."
Who is going to abase him?  Who is going to bring him low?  James
4:6 says, "...God resisteth the proud..."  God is the one who will
bring him low.  A man may exalt himself.  He may get too big for
his britches.  But his exaltation will be only temporary.  God
will resist his proud, high-handed ways.  God will bring him down
off his high horse.  God will knock him down off his pedestal.
Let me tell you that getting embarrassed in front of group at a
wedding feast is but a small thing compared to having God to be
against you and bringing you down.
     This lesson in humility can be profitable to both the saved
and the unsaved, but in this passage He is talking primarily to
the unsaved.  At that dinner in the home of the Pharisee it was
primarily lost people to whom He was talking.  The unsaved need to
humble themselves before God and be saved.
     The unsaved have a way of getting high-handed with God.  They
may get proud and egotistical and arrogant in their attitude
toward God and toward the preaching of the gospel.  Through the
Bible God tells every man that he is a sinner.  Yet proud,
egotistical man may say, "I'm not so bad.  I haven't done anything
to be ashamed of.  I's as good as anybody else."
     In the Bible God says to the lost sinner, "Repent or you will
perish."  But the proud arrogant sinner says, "I'm not afraid to
die.  I am good enough like I am."
     In the Bible Jesus Christ, the Son of God says, "I am the
way....No man cometh unto the Father but by me."  But the proud
lost sinner says, "One way is as good as another."
     In the Bible God says to the lost person, "Now is the say of
salvation;  now is the accepted time."  But the proud arrogant
lost person says, "I have plenty of time."
     If one would be saved he must humble himself before God and
see himself as an unworthy sinner.  If one would be saved, he must
humble himself before God and accept God's plan of salvation just
as it is.  If a lost person would be saved, he must stop trying to
saved himself by his own goodness and trust the Lord for mercy and
grace.  He must call on the Lord in repentance of his sin and
trust the Lord to save him and keep him out of hell.  The Bible
says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved?" The Bible says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou
shalt be saved."  The Bible says, "For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life."
     When a lost man will humble himself before the God of heaven
and trust in Jesus Christ the Son of God to be his Savior, the God
will exalt him by saving his soul and taking him to heaven.  John
3:18 says, Whosoever believeth in him is not condemned."  Jesus
said, "He that heareth my words hath everlasting life and shall
not come into condemnation, but is passed from life unto death."
No man ever trusted Jesus Christ as his Savior without getting
saved.  The Scriptures say, "As many as receive Him to them gave
him power to become the sons of God."  Jesus said, "He that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
     Jesus is desirous of saving everyone, He is willing to save
anyone, but He will save only those who trust in Him.  The
Scriptures say, "He that believeth not is condemned already
because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son
of God."  Jesus said, "No man cometh unto the Father but by me."
The Bible says, "He that believeth on Him hath everlasting live,
but he that believeth not shall not see life, but the wrath of God
abideth on him."
     No lost man will ever get to heaven by trying to live good
enough to make it to heaven.  He just cannot live that good.  The
Scriptures say, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory
of God."  They say, "As it is written, There is none righteous, no
not one."  They say, "Not by works of righteousness that we have
done, but according to his mercy hath he saved us."  They say,
"For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God.  Not of works, lest any man
should boast."
     Yet the lost are not the only ones who should benefit by this
lesson on humility.  One who is already saved can lift himself up
in pride.  He can take the attitude, "I'll live my life like I
please.  Nobody is going to tell me what to do and what not to do.
Even God is not going to tell me what to do and what not to do."
Probably he would never actually say that to God, but never-the-
less he can take that attitude.  He can hear what the Bible says
and let it go in one ear and out the other.
     But a man will not get very far with God that way.  The only
way that a man can make points with God is not by humbling himself
before God and letting God have His way.