Humility

One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, `Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, `Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." (Luke 14:1, 7-14)

The president of the Ellingsworth National Bank decides to throw a party. It’s been about a year since the last one he hosted, so it’s his turn again. He doesn’t need to think about whom to invite; it’ll be the usual group. Edward, the surgeon; Marlys, the attorney; Carl, the owner of the golf course; Frank, the mayor; and so on. No, the question isn’t who to invite, it’s what to serve and how to decorate. Perhaps a delicate chicken cordon bleu, with truffles? No, Gene had that at his party back in April. Hmm, maybe shrimp balls wrapped in extra-lean bacon strips, with chilled lobster tails? Yes, that should do. As to the rest, the caterer can decide on appropriate choices. Now, about the ice sculpture centerpiece…

The night of the party arrives. Every one is there. Overall, it is a splendid evening. The bank president got a bit of a chuckle watching everyone jockeying for seats near the head of the table; he had deliberately ‘forgotten’ to have name tags put on each person’s plate. He enjoyed finding out who most desperately wanted to be the envy of everyone there; such a weak person could be a useful tool in the future. The only thing that marred the party was the homeless man who the caterers caught rummaging through the garbage cans, looking for food; unpleasant, having to deal with that type of person. Still, a successful party; Frank will have his work cut out for him, trying to top it next month…

In today’s lesson, Jesus was invited to attend a snooty party like this. The host was a prominent Pharisee. Pharisees were Jewish men of higher education, who devoted their lives to being respectable. They thought of themselves as the elite, because they followed the Laws of God so carefully. They figured, if anyone deserved to go to Heaven, it was they. Most common folk respected the Pharisees, for the holy lives they led, as an example to others.

The Pharisees recognized that Jesus was also a man of superior education, but they were puzzled by Him. Jesus didn’t want to be a part of their group. Instead, He spent much of His time fraternizing with the poor, the sick, and those who worked in dirty, degrading jobs. So a prominent Pharisee invited Jesus to a party with his friends. They wanted to see how Jesus would handle Himself when He was with His equals and His betters. They hoped to find out why this educated man of God wasted His time with sinful people.

Jesus took this opportunity to teach the Pharisees, not only about Himself and His heavenly kingdom, but also about themselves. Jesus taught His fellow guests about how guests should conduct themselves, and He taught His host how hosts should throw their parties. Common to both is Jesus’ teaching on pride and humility, and the rewards that God gives for each.

Jesus’ fellow guests were guilty of pride. When they came to the banquet, each of them competed for the seats close to the host, because only the most favored were allowed to sit near the master of the banquet. Their reasons for wanting these seats were purely selfish. Some wanted to be able to influence the wealthy man who was hosting the party; today, many businessmen broker important deals over lunch, where the fellowship of eating helps bring people together on a more personal level. Other guests at the Pharisee’s party wanted to gain the respect of others by being seen as a favorite of the influential host; today many teenagers crave the respect that could come if they were accepted by the popular group of kids at school. For the guests at the Pharisee’s banquet, pride either made them desire influence over others that they did not deserve, or seek to gain respect in a shallow way.

Jesus’ host was also guilty of pride. When he threw his party, he was seeking to impress his friends with his wealth and good taste. The host was proud of what he had and believed that ‘if you have it, flaunt it.’ Today people flaunt their wealth by buying expensive cars, wearing designer clothes, or by bragging about their jobs. For the influential Pharisee who hosted the party, pride made him want to buy the companionship of others through extravagant spending.

Jesus criticized prideful behavior. He did this because pride is a sin, and serves to separate us from God. Every human being needs to be appreciated. But pride makes us believe that we deserve to be appreciated. Pride makes it impossible for us to recognize that sin has made us unacceptable to God, and that nothing we do can please God. We are like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day when we perform an act of kindness or charity and then smugly think ‘I did good’ or ‘Now God will be happy with me.’ Pride prevents us from understanding Jesus’ words (spoken in Luke 6:32 and Luke 17:9-10): “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even `sinners' love those who love them” and “Would (a master) thank (his) servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, `We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.' "

Pride also makes it impossible for us to receive God’s grace. Everything God gives us is an undeserved gift. But pride wants us to believe that we receive good things from God because we are entitled to them, that God is obligated to bless us and take us to heaven. Pride says that ‘God made me this way, so I am good enough just as I am.’ Pride prevents us from seeing that we need rescue from our sins, that we need a Savior. Pride won’t accept gifts; when Jesus says that forgiveness of sins is free, pride wants to earn Jesus’ favor by doing something to ‘pay off’ the transgression. A person struggling with pride does not want to admit to dependence on anyone or anything, because he fears that being dependent will cost him the respect of others.

Solomon, by God’s wisdom, said “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). This echoes Jesus’ words “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled.” But it would be wrong of us to read these words as a divine threat. The prideful are not brought low because God is punishing them, but because He loves them. Jesus knows that, as long as pride rules our hearts, we cannot see that we need Him as our only way to enter Heaven. Jesus knows that, if our pride is left unchallenged, we will die without a Savior and will spend eternity bitterly regretting our foolishness. So Jesus promises us that the prideful will not go through life unchallenged; at a time of His choosing, God grabs us by the shoulders and forces us to take a good, hard look at ourselves in the mirror of His Law. A time comes when nothing we can do helps us to escape the hole we’ve dug ourselves into. At that time, when our pride has been dealt a crippling blow, Jesus comes to us again with His words of promise: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:28-29). And the Holy Spirit, working faith in our hearts through Jesus’ words, removes our sinful pride and helps us to beg forgiveness for our arrogance. Then Jesus gives us the undeserved gift of forgiveness, and welcomes us as one of God’s children.

As one of God’s children, our sinful pride is replaced with God-pleasing humility. Humility is the opposite of pride. Where pride wants us to have selfish influence over others, humility recognizes that we are all sinners, imperfect and in need of God’s wisdom and leadership. Humble Christians speak their minds, but realize that their ideas may be flawed because of sin, and are willing to accept the wisdom of others. Humble Christians always include in their prayers, ‘Thy will be done, O Lord.’

Where pride wants us to gain the respect of others by being part of the ‘in’ crowd, even if that means hiding our Christian values, humility realizes that because of our daily sinning, we are not worthy of respect. Humble Christians look for friends who, like them, know that they are imperfect and need forgiveness daily. Humble Christians treasure friends who are willing to forgive their mistakes, because Christ has first forgiven them.

Where pride wants us to buy the love of others through extravagant gifts, humility knows that true love is a gift; it cannot be purchased or earned. Humble Christians give God thanks for their material blessings, and pass on what they can to the poor, the suffering, the weak. Humble Christians don’t blow money on the most expensive or most trendy things; they spend money carefully for the purpose of showing genuine care and concern for those who they love.

Jesus was born in a manger and wrapped in inexpensive cloth. He grew up a carpenter’s son. Jesus never owned more than He could carry with Him as He walked the dusty roads of Galilee, Samaria, and Judea, teaching about His Father’s heavenly kingdom. Jesus washed His disciple’s feet before He was put do death, an innocent man condemned for our transgressions against God. Jesus lived the life of humility that God expects of us. While we try and beat down our selfish pride, we often fail. When we do fall victim to pride, we beg Jesus for forgiveness; since our sin could not keep Jesus in the grave, His resurrection gives us the proof we need that He can forgive us for our sinful pride. Pray that Jesus will forgive your pride and give you the gift of a humble heart; thank Him for living the life of true humility, on your behalf, that God had expected of you