Foretaste Of The Sermon To Come
A little nibble of the Revised Common Lectionary
Sunday’s scriptures are Jeremiah 2:4–13, Hebrews 13:1–8, 15–16, Luke 14:1, 7–14
“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
One Sabbath, Jesus is invited to the home of a ruler of the Pharisees, a man in a very high ranking position among the Hebrew people. It’s a little hard to know his intent for inviting Jesus, but in his first century culture the Pharisee may have invited him so that Jesus would owe him something. Or maybe he wanted to hear for himself what this itinerant rabbi that was making such waves had to say. Maybe he wanted to trap him. The text doesn’t say, but Jesus’ parable may give us some insight.
The people around the dinner table had chosen places of honor for themselves, seating charts being very important in their first century culture. Jesus noticed this and in a parable taught them that it is better to take the lowest seat rather than jockeying for the seat of honor so the host might invite them to a better seat. If they took the undeserved best seat, the host could shame them by moving them to a lesser seat. Why would Jesus give this free unsolicited to advice to lawyers and Pharisees, the majority of whom he knew wouldn’t change their habits, or worse yet change their minds toward him?
Jesus is talking about the kingdom of God here, a kingdom full of sainted sinners, full of people from all walks of life, none of whom are worthy to sit at God’s banquet table. Not one. Our poverty and humility don’t guarantee us a seat nor do our power and privilege.
In Philippians 2:6–11, Paul sums up the humility of the incarnation when he writes of Christ, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
In his gospel, the Apostle John writes that the cross is where Jesus is exalted, where he is glorified. In his crucifixion, the Romans, who were in an exalted position over the Hebrew people took the lowest seat at the table, while Jesus left his humble obedience and in his resurrection was exalted to the right hand of God, the heavenly place of highest honor.
We come to the table poor sinners, wearing the filthy rags of our idol-worship, good works, and attempts at self-justification, and are served the very body and blood of Jesus. In Holy Communion, Jesus removes our rags, cleans us up, and clothes us in himself, and forgives us. We can do nothing to earn a seat at this table, all we can do is rely on the host’s mercy and promises. Thanks be to God.
