#DailyDevotion Humble Yourselves & God Will Exalt You
Luke 14: 7Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8“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, 9and 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. 10But 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. 11For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
It is a saying among the powerful and those who want power, honor and prestige, “If you don’t put yourself out there, no one else will.” At the dinner party Jesus was at, that principle seemed to be in full swing. The guests who were invited all chose the places of honor for themselves. This of course Jesus used as an opportunity for instruction. Jesus also being a guest, you might wonder where he was sitting. We don’t know. If he were Lutheran, he would have been sitting in the back. But I’m thinking perhaps he was not sitting in the seats of greater honor. He being a prince of Israel, a son of David, a popular rabbit, you might think the host would have reserved a good seat from him. But perhaps someone else had taken the seat the host intended for him.
Well in the parable he teaches them, and us, when you are invited to something don’t sit in the place of honor because someone more distinguished than you might be invited and you may be told to give up your seat to him and you will be shamed to take the lowest place, because well, all the other good places are already taken. But if you take the lowest place, your host may notice and call you up to sit at a more distinguished place and then you will be honored by all who are there. Jesus quotes the proverb, Pro 29:23 “One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.”
Of course one person at this particular dinner party was more distinguished than any of the other guests, Jesus himself. As I mentioned earlier, Jesus was a prince of Israel, a son of David and a distinguished rabbi. But more than that, what they did not recognize, Jesus is their Creator and their God. Jesus is the very King of Israel come in the flesh to save those from eternal death those who despised him and killed him. He came to save you and me and all people by taking the humblest spot on the earth, the cross and the grave.
If our Lord Jesus Christ so humbles himself and then is exalted to the right hand of the Father for our sake, then we too should humble ourselves before our God and Lord and one another. Peter writes, 1Pe 5:5-7 “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (6) Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, (7) casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” Paul writes, Php 2:3-5 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. (4) Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (5) Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,…”
So let us follow our Savior’s example and humble ourselves before God and one another. Don’t fear not getting recognized. Humble yourself and God will exalt you at the proper time.
Heavenly Father, so give us the mind of Christ, that we may humble ourselves before you and look not to our own interest but to the interest of our fellow human beings honoring them more than ourselves, looking not for glory in this life but to live in your glory in the world to come. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.