On a sabbath he went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully.
7 He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table. 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, 9 and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. 10 Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’ Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” 12 Then he said to the host who invited him, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. 13 Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; 14 blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Jesus goes to dine on the sabbath at the house of a leading Pharisee (v. 1). The sabbath is the weekly day of rest commanded by the Law and kept as a holy day of worship (cf. Ex. 20:8-11; Deut. 5:12-15; Lev. 23:3; Num. 28:9-10). The Pharisees were a group of Jewish teachers known for strict practice of the law. The guests watch Jesus. Jesus also watches them. He sees people choosing the best seats. He then gives two simple teachings that shape the Christian life: take the lowest place, and invite those who cannot repay you.
First, Jesus teaches us to take the lowest place (vv. 7-10). In that culture, high seats showed honor. Low seats showed lesser rank. Jesus says to choose the low seat and let the host move you up. This is not a trick to get praise. It is a way of living in truth before God. To “exalt” oneself means to claim honor as if it were ours by right. To be “humbled” is to be shown we are not the center. God promises the reverse: “the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (v. 11). In plain terms: do not push yourself forward; let God place you where you belong. Proverbs already taught this wisdom: do not rush to the place of honor, or you may be told to move down (Prov. 25:6-7). Jesus calls us to trust the true host—God—more than our own efforts to be seen.
Second, Jesus speaks to the host about whom to invite (vv. 12-14). He does not ban family meals. He unmasks a way of thinking. We often give in order to get something back, even if only a good opinion of ourselves. Jesus asks us to invite those who cannot give us anything in return: “the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind” (v. 13). He shifts us from a give-and-get system to a gift system. Grace means God’s free help and favor. Real love gives without looking for payback. Jesus then names the real reward: “you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (v. 14). This phrase means the final rising from the dead, when God gives eternal life to those who belong to Him. It is not a cash return. It is being with God and with those we loved in His name. This is the hope that guides our choices today.
These two teachings belong together. When we choose the low place, we stop competing with others. When we invite the people no one invites, we start loving as God loves. This forms a new way of seeing. We notice the quiet person at the side of the room. We look for the neighbor who cannot host us back. We offer a seat, a ride, a meal, a listening ear. We do this not to prove we are good, but because God has already been good to us. Jesus teaches the same in another place: do good without seeking return, and you will be “children of the Most High,” who “is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked” (Lk. 6:32-36).
This passage also corrects a fear. Many of us worry that taking the lowest place means we will be forgotten. Jesus does not forget. He says, “Friend, move up higher” (v. 10). God’s timing may differ from ours, but His honor lasts. Human praise fades. Divine honor endures. To live this way, we can begin with small steps. Take the last parking spot. Let another speak first. Choose a simple task at church that few notice. Share a meal with someone who cannot repay you. Give quietly (cf. Mt. 6:1-4). These actions train the heart. Over time, we become free from the need to be first and free for the joy of loving.
We do not buy heaven with hospitality. We do not earn grace by sitting low. We receive grace first, and then we act. God loved us first. Jesus shows us a simple pattern: sit low and invite wide. When we do this, we begin to look like our Host.
Lord Jesus, teach us to take the lowest place and to trust You to lift us. Open our eyes to those who are overlooked. May we give without seeking return, and share Your joy at the resurrection. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011). Notes on Lk. 14:1, 7-14; cross-refs Prov. 25:6-7; Lk. 6:32-36; Mt. 6:1-4; Ex. 20:8-11; Deut. 5:12-15; Lev. 23:3; Num. 28:9-10.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: St. Luke. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018 (Luke 14:1, 7-14).
- Brown, Raymond E., et al., eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990 (Luke: honor/shame and table fellowship).
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