Luke 14:1, 7-14 Pentecost 12 C
Pastor Ron Koehler
Grace-Tucson, AZ
August 28, 2022
If I ask you right now to think about what it must have been like to be Moses, what comes to mind? Maybe something like this: “What an amazing thing to see a burning bush and hear God speak through it!” “How sweet would it be to raise your hand, and the water of the Red Sea parts!” “Oh, to be the object of God’s attention after you smashed his handwritten Commandments on the ground—not good!” Those would be great choices, but because of today’s lesson, I’m thinking of this from Numbers 12: Now the man Moses was very humble, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth (v.3). That’s in the book of Numbers. Let’s see, the first books of the Bible are…Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Do you know who wrote those? Moses. Moses wrote Numbers! Moses wrote: Now the man Moses was very humble, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth. Now, if you don’t know how Moses tried desperately to get out of being the leader of God’s people and how he pointed out his own flaws, you might think him to be the most arrogant, not the most humble! I’m wondering how the humblest man felt about God making him write that. Did Moses argue? Did he fight it? Did he secretly write something else only to find that the divine eraser was taken to it, and he had to start over? I imagine that it was absolute torture for the truly humble Moses to record for all of history that he was more humble than anyone on earth! Moses was the man that the Jews—and especially the Pharisees—absolutely revered! Isn’t it interesting then that these Pharisees we encounter this morning had zero humility?! They couldn’t have been more opposite from their hero! Sadly, they didn’t realize it. But the dinner invitation they extended to Jesus gave them the opportunity to learn a lesson in humility, a hard truth: Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Looking in on the dinner party gives us the chance to learn too. The Lessons in Humility today are those taught to the Pharisees, the one taught by looking at Christ, and the lessons for our lives. Lessons in Humility 1. In Humility, the Pharisees Were to Put Others First The Pharisees were the super-religious—not priests, but laypeople burning with zeal for God’s law, knowledgeable about it, and meticulously living it. They truly felt that they were special because of this and better than everyone else. And they put that passion and devotion on display for everyone to see. So, when a leader of the Pharisees—the highest-level follower of Moses and Scripture’s laws invites you to dinner, it is a high honor! You might wonder how Jesus got an invite, because they didn’t like him—not even a little. What they were doing, they had done before—watching him closely to see what he would do and say and trying to trap him in his words. But Jesus was watching them too.
Jesus, true God, put himself there in the middle of what some might call some of the worst people—because they made a big show of how holy they were, but the reality was that inside, they were a rotting with sin and didn’t even have an accurate understanding of God’s law—the very thing they were claiming to excel at! Jesus humbled himself to even be there! He also put them first by trying to teach them, to help them change their legalistic attitudes, their sins of pride and a lack of humility, and favoritism. Jesus wasn’t simply looking to condemn them, he wanted them to realize that they weren’t saved by what they did and to see him as their Savior from sin. On several occasions, Jesus spoke about the Pharisees’ desire to grab the very best places at the table, ahead of others. Now, once again, Jesus watched as they quickly made their way to the best spots before someone else took them. The only humility in that room was found in the one taking this all in and telling a little story about choosing your place at a wedding. If Jesus’ mention of people reclining to eat caught you off guard, it is helpful to know that at the time, people didn’t sit on chairs at a table, they reclined on cushions around a low table. The best seat was at the far left end of the table because you had full view of the rest of the people. The lowest place was at the other end where you needed to turn back a bit to see everyone. Naturally, it was an honor to sit near the host or others of great importance. Jesus presented two possibilities: A person could take a prominent place. But they could be humbled when asked to sit somewhere else—maybe even the worst spot, if the other guests have taken their places. OR a person could, in humility, put others first by taking a lesser place. It’s possible that they would be invited to take a better, more important seat. That person would be honored in the eyes of those there. The other, of course, would be looked at with shame for presuming that they were that important. Jesus then shares a general truth, the point of the parable: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Genuine humility is respected by most people, and conceitedness and arrogance not so much. But more important than what people think is what God thinks. The Bible tells us this: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6) What Jesus said also sounds a lot like a verse from Proverbs: A person’s arrogance will humble him, but a humble spirit will attain honor (29:23). The many times God talks about this subject tells you that it is important to him. He cares about humility in his people. This was an awful hard truth for the religious elite. Jesus later told the parable of The Pharisee and the Tax Collector, which pointed out the extent to which this pride could go—a person trying to justify themselves before God because of how good they are. That kind of self-exaltation and self-reliance for salvation leads right to the ultimate humiliation of hell.
Jesus’ other lesson was a direct command aimed at the host. He told him that they were not to cater to (literally!) people from whom they could expect an invitation to dinner in return. His instruction was to seek out and serve those from whom they would not at all expect anything in return. Inviting those in a position to repay was so selfserving! But what a different heart beats within the person who looks to provide for those who don’t have the means to give something in return! That love for others and humble service is what God is looking for. 2. In Humility, Jesus Put Sinners First Is this not exactly what Jesus did? He is as rich as rich gets—a rich beyond imagining because all things in heaven and on earth were created by him and for him! He is rich with power and perfection and wisdom! And human beings are completely the opposite—powerless before him, imperfect because of sin, devoid of divine wisdom. Yet, what did Jesus do? In Humility, He Put Sinners First. But it is not just his willingness to break bread with sinners. It is not just his patience and willingness to teach sinful people. Jesus put sinful human beings ahead of himself in a much bigger way! Looking at Jesus’ life is a lesson in humility: Our celebration of Christmas reminds us that true God came into this world in a humble way to humbly serve sinners. The actions of Jesus that play out on the pages of the gospels show how he kept every word of the law with the right attitude before his Father with the goal of gifting sinners with that perfection. He put us first by doing that and enduring the ultimate humiliation—suffering at the hands of sinners and dying on a cross. Then the One who humbled himself to the extreme was exalted as he rose from death. This is the strongest lesson—to see how In Humility, Jesus Put Sinners First. You know there isn’t a better lesson in humility. And you love Jesus for it because with all that, he was more than an example of humility, he paid for your sins with his humility. You and I are not better than the proud and legalistic Pharisees, and we know it. We humbly acknowledge that we need the forgiveness Jesus earned, and how grateful we are that he put us ahead of himself. 3. In Humility, We are to Put Others First So, you value the lessons the words and actions of Jesus provide too. As sinners healed of the spiritual damage of sin and brought close to our Savior, we naturally want to be like Jesus. We naturally want to do the things our Savior wants us to do. So, we listen closely to an account like this. We know this wasn’t recorded just to make the Pharisees look bad because of their rudeness toward others and their self-worship. This was put here because we certainly need to learn the same lessons they did!
You know that this lesson for us is not strictly about chair choices when Jesus cuts to the chase: “Yes, everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” You know that this lesson for us is not merely about invitation lists when he talks about the motives of the heart and not expecting our favors to be returned. God watches not only our actions, but our hearts. He knows whether you truly love others enough to put them first or whether yours is a false humility. And he sees—and is pleased—when you have and live this humility. From my pastor seat, I see this all the time. Some of you send cards and notes to encourage those who need it and to celebrate with those who are blessed. You think nothing of giving up some time to serve others in the congregation. You do it when you offer or say yes to a request to serve on the Ministry Board or a Site Ministry Team or as an usher, a greeter, an altar prep person, a host for fellowship, an artist, a singer, a musician, a caring friend, a pastor-encourager, a Sunday School or youth teacher, a parent who serves their children by getting them to church and Sunday school as well as taking care of their physical needs, the husbands and wives who help each other… My list is getting long and there are so many other things I see! I can’t read hearts though, so I pray that you do these things with humble, servant hearts. And I think that is mostly true for you and me. Some may really be challenged with selfish-pride like the Pharisees…or the urge to push and shove to get that respected or highlighted service or position…or looking down on others…or expecting favors because of what they do—at church or at home or work or school. Whether these are your struggles or not, it is impossible for any of us to keep that out of our hearts and minds entirely. When it creeps in, as it invariably does in even the humblest among us, we must repent and not let it take over. A reminder of the forgiveness we have from Jesus heals and humbles us. His perfection and his blood cleanses us and make us righteous. It is the humble ones who are humble because of faith in Jesus who will be exalted in the end. They will be find honor at the resurrection of the righteous as they are welcomed into the great heavenly banquet and called up to the highest place with our Savior for all eternity. Amen. Now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.