Teachings on Humility

Scripture Reading: Luke 14:1-35, Proverbs 29:23, Romans 12:16

There’s got to be at least one of us who can relate. You know that awkward little calculation of walking into a room and wondering where to sit? There are physical considerations, sight lines, things happening in the room—all factors we assess in an instant. If I’m too far back, will they think I don’t care? If I’m too close, will I seem presumptuous?

We hardly speak of it, but we often quietly measure where we belong. This wasn’t the case for a group of men two thousand years ago who were comfortable in the pride of their place.

To set the stage: Clearly Jesus’s reputation had gone before Him. He was already drawing crowds and had been warned about Herod’s curiosity. One wonders about the dynamics in the room when this “troublemaker” was invited to an intimate evening with not just the ruling class but a ruler of the ruling class. Luke details that the Pharisees “were watching him closely,” no doubt with a critical eye (Luke 14:1).

What was happening was that a man was in their midst—clearly afflicted with a painful physical condition. After asking the Pharisees if it’s lawful to heal on the Sabbath, Jesus healed the man and sent him on his way. Why, when asked if they would offer their own children help on the Sabbath, were the Pharisees stunned silent?

The way these men were reclining in their speechlessness showed they did not understand what Jesus wanted them to hear. They would not lift an elbow off a cushion to serve a man in need, but they sure were eager to eat the bread of the kingdom of God!

Here’s where a surprising insight is found. Everyone at this dinner party was needy but only some people knew it. The sick, poor, and hungry? Of course they recognized their need, and they received what Jesus offered. After all, it’s in His nature to care for the lowly. But He also confronts the assumptions of the haughty. Jesus uses the imagery of a banquet to teach us about being meek, not weak. The Pharisees could not see their own neediness, and they did not understand that humility is part of God’s nature. Jesus put Himself last so that we could be first. He modeled what it looks like to give up one’s life for the sake of another.

How would these Pharisees willingly bear a cross when they couldn’t even spare a word? Jesus shows us the answer. His example of service and way of challenging prideful assumptions demonstrate how precious grace is. We all have needs—the indigent, the honored guest, the host, the crowds. The way we respond to Jesus’s invitation to a life of humility will reveal the measure of our vanity. The proud use tables to argue their status while the humble see them as a way to extend God’s grace to all.

Can we do the same? When reflecting on these things, consider: Where do I sit when I walk into a room? Who gets invited to the events I host? How well do I handle interruptions? What are the excuses I make?

What does following Jesus actually cost? In the end, He is worth it.

Written by Canaan Chapman