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THE QUEST FOR RECOGNITION And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; 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. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; 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 (Luke 14:7-10).
The setting for Jesus' discourse was a feast in the home of a Pharisee. It took place on the sabbath. Jesus had just healed a man. He had reminded the Pharisees that they were willing to pull an ox out of a well on the sabbath. This was also His justification for healing a man on the sabbath (Luke 14:1-6).
A Pharisee had been willing to host a feast on the sabbath. This indicated that he understood that the sabbath is a day to forego our own pleasures for the sake of others. Even if the person hosting the feast takes pleasure in the feast, he bears the expense. So, hosting a feast on the sabbath was officially seen as legitimate.
Jesus used this occasion to present a parable. The parable pictured a feast. Specifically, it was a wedding feast. The wedding feast in the New Testament is a symbol of the final judgment: the marriage supper of the lamb (Rev. 19:9-21).
Hierarchy: By Appointment Only In every organization, there is a hierarchy: a chain of command. Someone at the top is responsible for whatever takes place below him. Hierarchy is basic to the biblical covenant model.(1) It is built into the dominion covenant: God> man> creatures (Gen. 1:26-28).
The focus of the parable is a wedding feast. Initially, there is no one visible who directs each guest to his seat. Not being a twentieth-century dinner party, there are no name tags on the table. There are empty seats. Because of the arrangement of the seats, some positions are clearly suitable for people of distinction.
The guests begin to arrive. They do not know who is supposed to sit where. They must make individual decisions about where to sit. Jesus here suggested the proper approach to selecting a seat: choose a seat suitable for a person with minimal distinction. The reason: there is a presently unannounced seating arrangement. At some point before the wedding feast begins, the host who is giving the feast will appear and direct people to their pre-selected seats. Anyone who is sitting at a place of honor had better be the one selected by the host for that seat; otherwise, he will be asked to stand up and move to a position of less honor. This will cause embarrassment for the person who is asked to move.
Sit at the lowest place, Jesus recommended. Then, when the host directs you to your seat, you will have the honor of being visibly honored by the host. There is nothing wrong with being honored. This parable affirms the legitimacy of the quest for public acclaim. But this acclaim must be conferred by the person in charge. It is not to be assumed in advance by the person seeking it.
Most people will have their seats in between the highest and lowest positions. The bell-shaped statistical curve applies to the allocation of positions of high honor and low honor. This means that the person who selects the highest position and the person who selects the lowest position will probably be asked to move. The odds are, both of them have guessed wrong.
Jesus was applying Proverbs. "Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men: For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen" (25:6-7). The Jews were quite familiar with this principle of self-selection.
Self-Assessment The guests cannot avoid the task of assessing their own degree of honor. They must think about their importance in the eyes of the host. They must think his thoughts after him. They do not know who else has been invited. They do not know which of those invited will actually attend. The task of self-assessment is much too difficult. The guests possess insufficient information.
Jesus recommended that we forego the task of self-assessment in such a situation. It is safer to sit down at the seat of lowest honor. The food will taste the same. Perhaps others will be served their meals first, depending on the rules of etiquette. But what is that to a guest? The important thing is to have received the invitation. Even more important is to honor the invitation by attending (Matt. 22:1-14).
There are only so many seats available. Others may have arrived earlier. If the lowest positions are already taken, then take whatever is available at the low end of the scale of honor. There is no shame in being asked to sit elsewhere if there was no other position available at the low end.
The chief issue here is incorrect self-assessment. "For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted" (v. 11). For the guest, the selection process is both active and passive. Self-assessment is active. It is also preliminary. Final assessment is passive, imposed by the host. Jesus made it clear that self-assessment is risky. It is safest to select the lowest available position and allow the host to make the final determination.
Whatever the host decides is correct. It is his feast. It is his guest list. The guests are subordinate to the host. He who selects the lowest available position acknowledges that the host is in the best position to know who belongs where. The host can sort it out before the feast begins.
In the parable of the self-exalting Pharisee and the spiritually humble tax collector, we read the same words: ". . . for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted" (Luke 18:14b). In this case, however, the theological issue is justification, not glorification. "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. . ." (v. 18a). It is not a matter of self-seating at the wedding feast; it is a matter of seeking an invitation to attend.
Conclusion Jesus warned His listeners to avoid self-glorification, but He did not deny the legitimacy of seeking glory. In fact, He encouraged this quest. This is why He told people to sit at the lowest available position. You will gain public glory when the host moves you to a higher position, He said. But this glory comes at the end of time, and it is allocated by God, not man.
This recommendation parallels Jesus' recommendation regarding the quest for wealth. We are told to store up treasure in heaven by refusing to seek riches in history. Similarly, we are told to gain glory in eternity by foregoing the quest for glory in history. We are told to forego rewards in history in order to gain rewards in eternity.
Footnote:
1. Ray R. Sutton, That You May Prosper: Dominion By Covenant (2nd ed.; Tyler, Texas: Institute for Christian Economics, 1992), ch. 2.
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