Tag: humility

“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 the 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.  For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”  Luke 14:8-11

My Summary & Reflection

In this parable, which Jesus gave at the house of one of the chief Pharisees, he talked about a man who upon being invited to a wedding, sits in a high place of honor at the wedding.  The host of the wedding then goes to the man and lets him know that he has taken someone else’s place and needs to sit in a less revered spot.  The invitee is then embarrassed.  Jesus says that the man should sit in the less revered spot from the beginning and allow the host to invite him to sit in a higher place of honor.  He closes by saying that whoever humbles himself will be exalted, and whoever exalts himself will be put to shame.

In today’s language, the man in the parable came to a wedding reception and sat at the family table, even though he was not a member of the family.  He assumed, maybe because of some external status that he had, possibly as employer or minister or politician, that he deserved to sit at the highest places of honor with the family.  The host, however, had to let the man know that he had overstepped his welcome and needed to move to somewhere less prominent.  Jesus is saying that no matter what your rank or status is in society, no one is more important than anyone else, and you should always approach interactions as such, or else someone else will bring you down.

This story reminded me of a funeral I attended as a young girl.  A close family member died and we lined up to enter the church as members of the family.  As we entered, the deceased’s former employer who was a very wealthy and well-respected member of the community, fell into line and sat with the immediate family on the front row of the church.  I was a young child and had no idea who this man was.  This man was not asked to leave, but I remember afterwards that the son of the person who had died was upset by the man’s actions.  This man was not a member of the family nor was he even especially close with the family, yet he presumed that he would be welcome to sit on the front row with the immediate family.  Although no one corrected him during or after the service, he revealed himself to the family to be a man who exalted himself, therefore he was lessened in the eyes of the family.

This parable is all about humility.  Jesus sees humility, or the ability to see yourself as no more important than anyone else, as a virtue.  “Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.”  Matthew 5:5 So, don’t allow pride to make you believe that your importance is more than any others.  Instead, with humility, appreciate others and what they have to offer, and you in turn, will be appreciated.

 Your Reflection

• Do you exalt yourself above others?
• How can you learn to live with humility?
• Is boastfulness a symptom of pride or of fear?

“Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”  Luke 18:10-14

My Summary & Reflection

In this parable, Jesus tells us of the prayers of two men, one a Pharisee and the other a publican.  A Pharisee was a strict adherent of Jewish law and a respected member of society.  A publican was a tax collector, which was an occupation looked upon with scorn as the taxes were collected for the Romans under whose empire the Jewish people lived.  First, the Pharisee stood and offered up his prayer to God.  He thanked God that he was better than the sinners of the world, including the publican.  He also noted to God, how faithful in his observance of law that he had been.  Next, the publican, with lowered eyes, offered up his prayer.  In it he prayed for mercy for himself and called himself a sinner.  Jesus then tells us that the publican who humbled himself will be looked upon more favorably than the Pharisee who exalted himself.

I think that this parable is about the dangers of being self-satisfied.  As a religious adherent in a world filled with sin, it’s easy to look around at those who we feel are under performing and say to ourselves, “Well, at least I’m not a thief or at least I’m not an adulterer,” as the Pharisee did.  Or to pat ourselves on the back for our tithe, or our fast, or our attendance at church services.  But what Jesus is saying is that our prayers to God are not about comparing ourselves to one another as each of us has our own flaws, but in comparing ourselves with that which is not flawed, which is God.  As Jesus says in Luke 18:19, “...none is good, save one, that is God.”  Because as faithful as each of us is, we are all flawed and all are in need of God’s mercy.

This parable is also about the dangers of looking down on someone else’s spirituality.  In his prayer, the Pharisee thanked God that he wasn’t like the publican.  Meanwhile, the publican was praying for forgiveness and for mercy from God.  As the scripture notes, those who humble themselves will be exalted.  The publican saw his own flaws and, prayed with the humility of a sinner seeking mercy.  The publican was self-aware in a way that the Pharisee wasn’t.  The publican was able to view himself critically, while the Pharisee was not.  And for that, Jesus says, the Pharisee in his boastfulness will be made low.

Your Reflection

• Are you tempted to compare yourself favorably to those around you?  If so, why?
• How can you look at yourself more critically, and pray for mercy for your own flaws?
• How can you start to look at others with compassion instead of competition?