HOW TO GET THE HONOR WE DESIRE

 

 

We all want to be honored, even adored, and so Jesus gave us a prescription to obtain honor. He had been invited “to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee” (Luke 14:1), where He observed how the guests were trying to compete for the places of honor at the table. This became an occasion for His parable:

 

·       “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 14:8–11 (ESV)

 

On the surface, it appears that Jesus had given them a useful strategy to maximize their honor. However, His other teachings should caution us from concluding this way. Instead, Jesus was interested in maximizing their humility by revealing to them their self-serving, selfish motives, as the last verse indicates.

How would this take place? As they would follow Jesus’ self-enhancing strategy, they would discover several things:

 

·       They would feel humiliated by sitting in the most dishonorable place at the table.

·       Only rarely would the host elevate them to the place of honor, which would restore their pride.

·       Finally, they would find that they would be unable to continue with this humiliating strategy. It would hurt too much.

·       Their pride and self-esteem would be crushed as they demoted and humbled themselves.

·       They would also see how self-centered and jealous they are.

·       With these realizations, they either will try again to compete for the seat or honor, or they will come to their senses and cry out in desperation for the mercy of the Lord.

 

This also is the main reason that our Lord had given the Law:

·       Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:19–20)

 

The Law is a mirror showing us who we really are. If we hear what it is saying, it speaks about our inability to keep the Law rather than our ability to be morally triumphant. It humbles us rather than inflating our self-esteem. It shows us that we cannot fulfill our need for honor. Instead, we can only truly find it in a God:

 

·       You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (Psalm 23:5–6)