Sabbath Day hospitality was a significant part of Jewish life. Banquets and other mealtimes provided a casual atmosphere for philosophers and teachers to impart their wisdom. There was nothing unusual about Jesus being invited to a home for a meal after the weekly Synagogue service. Most of the time the host was sincere, wanting to learn more of God’s truth.
However, there were several occasions when Jesus was invited to dinner only so his critics could watch him and find something to criticize. That was the case in Luke 14. Jesus is invited to eat in the house of a leading Pharisee only so the guests could watch him closely and catch him violating some Sabbath rule.
But Jesus turned the occasion into a teachable moment. When they were called to the dinner table, Jesus saw their mad scramble for the places of honor, closest to the head table. Once the guests were seated and quieted by the serving of the food, Jesus began to speak about their lack of humility, and concludes with these words in verse 11, “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
The story is told of a newly promoted, pompous air force officer sitting in his new office. While thoroughly enjoying his good fortune, a worker with a toolbox in hand, walks into his office. Wanting to impress the visitor, the officer picked up the phone, and said, “Yes, General, I will call President Bush this afternoon. No, I will not forget. I understand that the president wants to talk to me.” Then hanging up, the officer asked the young worker, “And what may I do for you?” “Oh,” replied the workman, “I just came to connect your phone.”
We may chuckle, but even today many of us still have the problem of wanting to be the “top dog” – the first in line, the most honored. Somewhere I read that, “Man is the only animal you can pat on the back, and his head swells.” Think about that as you check your humility meter.
During this and other occasions, Jesus teaches that humility is more important than being honored. Jesus upset the popular notion of how to be successful in the eyes of the community. What Jesus said was contrary to the Pharisees’ way of thinking, and their puffed-up egos. They considered themselves good, religious people and thought the community should esteem them as such.
Even the disciples struggled with this new “upside-down” Kingdom thinking. Remember the story of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, asking Jesus for the honor of being seated on his right and left in his glory. On another occasion the disciples were arguing about who was the greatest among them.
Donald W. McCullough writes in his book, Finding Happiness in The Most Unlikely Places, “Often our self-centered aggressiveness comes from not liking ourselves very much. Insecurities push us to prove to others and, most of all, to ourselves that we have value; if only we could get to the top of the ladder of success, we might think, surely, we would feel more worthwhile.”
We like and crave honor, but humility, well, that does not excite us. Why? Probably because we tend to think of being humble as akin to being weak and of little worth. Some would call it being like a doormat.
However, humility is not about putting yourself down as a worthless nobody. Being humble is not a denial of value or ability, a minimizing of who God created us to be. In fact, as recorded in Psalm 139, God looks on us as being very precious.
To be humble is to acknowledge our finitude, our inability to save ourselves, our complete dependence on God’s grace. So, when we say “yes” to God’s love in Jesus Christ, we can say “no” to the old games of fighting for prestige and security. What Jesus did on Calvary’s cross validates our worth.
Humility is an honest evaluation of ourselves, an acceptance of who we really are in Christ Jesus. It is knowing that even while we were yet sinners, God has forgiven us our past, put a robe on our shoulders, a ring on our finger, and sandals on our feet, and has exalted us by inviting us to the wedding feast.
The humble person habitually feels that he/she owes all their gifts and accomplishments to God, and that they have been the recipient of underserved redeeming love. To be humble means that we are in earnest about God’s glory rather than our own. Humility is a fruit of seeking to glorify God in our lives.
To the Roman Christians, the apostle Paul writes, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has distributed to each of you.” (Romans 12:3).
And because we no longer are trying to be “top dog” in our community, we are freed to ease the pain, want, and hurt in our community by sharing what God has so generously given us, that is, His amazing, awesome love.
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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – July 20, 2022
Ray M. Geigley
Healing Rays of Righteousness 
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