Friday 01 June 2012

Background

The Gospel of Luke provides a distinct insight into the life ofJesus. Unlike Matthew who provides his readers with the detailedgenealogy and culture-rich history of Jesus' life, Luke draws usinto Jesus' conversations and you'd be forgiven for thinking thathis attention to detail in his accounts read more like awell-constructed legal brief. The encounters recorded in Luke 14continue in that vein and in today's passage Jesus draws yetanother valuable life lesson while observing the seatingarrangements at a Sabbath meal. This time, it was a lesson onhumility.

Is it embarrassing to have to move seats? 'Not really', you mightsay, or 'depends on the reason'. Here, Jesus was not knocking theawareness of others which motivates someone to give up their seaton the bus or train for someone who is less able to stand. Nor wasJesus getting at the goodwill of a person who agrees to swap seatsso that a couple or family can sit together as they travel. No,Jesus was tackling the thorny issue of pride; pride which honoursitself, expects to be honoured (and probably honoured first), withlittle or no regard for others; pride which precedes that fallingfeeling (also known as humiliation). Did the rush for the best seatat the dinner table spark off an attitude check? Maybe, but Jesusturned it into a parable to show that humility is better thanhumiliation.

The writer of Proverbs 16:18 says that "pride goes beforedestruction and a haughty spirit before a fall". The apostle Paul,writing much later, picked up on the same issue, and in Romans12:3 he says, "[Do not] think of yourself more highly than youought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each accordingto the measure of faith God has assigned". Like Jesus, Paul'scommitment to a healthy self-esteem and appropriate self-confidenceis clear - think highly of yourself, but not higher thanyourself.

To Ponder

How do you demonstrate humility when you are in afamiliar environment?

How do you demonstrate humility when you are inan unfamiliar environment?

Think of someone who demonstrates humility well.What can you learn from them?