Parable of the Wedding Feast

Humility is one of the great indicators of spiritual maturity.

In this story, Jesus takes advantage of a social gathering where he witnessed the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of the day, and used there example in order to provide a description of true godly humility.

Luke 14:1-14

V.1-2

14 One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. 2 And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy.

On the Sabbath it was normal practice for the religious leaders to invite a traveling rabbi.

This means that the head Pharisee was inviting him based on tradition not out of genuine kindness.

However, this isn’t the only red flag of this social event.

In front of Jesus there is a man with dropsy, and it is here that Jesus begins to confront the hypocritical religious leaders.

V. 3-4

3 And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” 4 But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away.

The Pharisees were attempting to trap Jesus. They wanted to see if he would heal the sick man on the Sabbath as He had done on an earlier occasion.

In order to trap Him, they invited this sick man, and Christ knowing their hearts and intentions asked them if it was lawful to heal the hurt man.

They remained silent, for if they had said yes, they would be breaking their own made up tradition, and if they had said no, they would have shown their true heartlessness.

Christ after stumping them sent the man home, and solidifies the first humiliation of the Pharisees by referencing their own tradition.

V.5-6

5 And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” 6 And they could not reply to these things.

In their tradition, Pharisees were allowed to help one of their livestock if it was in danger.

Jesus points out their hypocrisy and pride when he shows the foolishness of their tradition that would allow them to save an ox, but not allow Jesus to lovingly heal a man.

These men thought they were more religious, instead however Christ showed the misplaced pride they possessed.

HUMILITY LESSON #1

Don’t elevate yourselves above others, and be aware of your own sinfulness.

V.7-9

7 Now 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, 9 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.

Later in the dinner, Jesus witnessing the desperation of the guests to sit closest to the host as a way of showing off their position.

People are so desperate for recognition that they will do anything to try and elevate themselves.

In a pursuit of clout people will go to all sorts of sinful practices.

In this parable, Jesus begins to tell the story of a person who when he went to the party goes and takes a seat to the wedding party. However, he is then booted to a lower place because he was trying to elevate himself.

This is the same thing that so many people mistakenly do. They volley for position, thinking themselves worthy of so much attention and authority, when they are sadly mistaken.

People are so desperate for attention that they will do any thing to try and gain it.

Often though when we live our lives seeking attention and praise, we will end up being put in our place.

Worse than this, if we spend our entire lives trying to glorify ourselves, we will be put in our place by God.

So how should I think of myself? How should I respond to attention and glory?

V. 10-11

10 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. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Be content with where God has placed you, knowing that you deserve nothing, and that whatever place in life you have it was given to you by God.

HUMILITY LESSON #2 Think lowly of yourselves, and in the end God will exalt you just as He did His Son, for God is the one who grants everything to us anyway.

Brother Lawrence

John Newton

A third example of humility lies in our next section

V.12-14

12 He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

Often times in Christ’s day, just as in this day, people would out on extravagant parties in order to gloat and gain attention from there peers.

Christ here essentially attacks the motives of the Pharisee who put on the party, and points out that instead of seeking to gain attention from your peers, serve those who can grant no return to you, for your return will come from God.

HUMILITY LESSON #3 Do not live for gain from others, but submit as a servant expecting reward from God.

Discussion Questions

How do we make sure we don’t think to highly of ourselves?

How can we be more content with the life God has given us?

How do you live for the attention of others in your life? How can you reorient yourselves to serving others and honoring God?