M
mspencer
Guest
After reading the following parable today some questions arose in my mind about its meanings.
“Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he marked how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 'When you are invited by any one to a marriage feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest a more eminent man than you be invited by him; and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”(Luke 14:7-11)
I have never looked at this very closely before, this isn’t simply a parable about humbly taking the last place but instead about aiming at the first place. Why is Jesus encouaging something he discouraged in other cases? (As in Luke 22:24-27)
“Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he marked how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 'When you are invited by any one to a marriage feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest a more eminent man than you be invited by him; and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”(Luke 14:7-11)
I have never looked at this very closely before, this isn’t simply a parable about humbly taking the last place but instead about aiming at the first place. Why is Jesus encouaging something he discouraged in other cases? (As in Luke 22:24-27)