Encountering God and World in Scriptures

Light of Truth

Lectio Divina – 31

Fr Martin Kallunkal

Reading    “He then told the guests a parable, because he had noticed how they picked the places of honour. He said this, ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited, and the person who invited you both may come and say, ‘Give up your place to this man.’ And then, to your embarrassment, you will have to go and take the lowest place. No, when you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place and sit there, so that, when your host comes, he may say, ‘My friend, move up higher.’ Then, everyone with you at the table will see you honoured. For everyone who raises himself up will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be raised up.’ Then he said to his host, ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relations or rich neighbours, in case they invite you back and so repay you. No; when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; then you will be blessed, for they have no means to repay you and so you will be repaid when the upright rise again” (Lk 14:7-14).

Reflection    One might think that Jesus is  simply drawing on His common-sense wisdom concerning etiquette when He instructs His hearers about taking places at the table. One might also identify its source in the book of Proverbs: “In the presence of the king do not give yourself airs, do not take a place among the great; better to be invited, ‘Come up here,’ than be humiliated in the presence of the prince” (Prov. 25:6-7). Does Jesus teach anything more than the OT wisdom and the norms of general etiquette? Yes, Indeed; Jesus’ warning against taking place of honour is not a banal wisdom saying. Let us read these verses once again closely to see what exactly is Jesus doing here. Note that Jesus is parodying the wisdom of the world in the first part of the passage. Nevertheless, by the close of the passage, He is subverting the wisdom of the world by a radical demand of the kingdom. How does Jesus do that? First, Jesus makes up His parable by combining the OT proverbial wisdom cited above with the Hellenistic ideas of shame and honour. When He does this, He is aware that shame and honour are two strong motivations for action in His time, and that His hearers, who consider humility as a vice, always carry in their hearts a fear of being lowered. And yet, second, Jesus states the lesson of the parable emphatically and unambiguously: “everyone who raises himself up will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be raised up.” The passive voice used here indicates that it is none other than God who is going to humble the one who raises oneself, and raise the one who humbles oneself. Here Jesus is not only liberating humility from its social stigma but also clarifying that it is a distinctively Christian virtue, which later He also proved concretely with His own life – “He was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8). Finally, after having enthroned humility as the queen of all virtues, Jesus redefines hospitality as care for the outcast. Conventional patterns of reciprocity are blatantly challenged. Once again, over against the OT ban (Lev 21:18), Jesus urges His hearers to invite and include the lame, the blind and the crippled in their parties.

Prayer    Jesus, my Master, very often, I miss the uniquely distinctive point that you gently make in your parables and exhortations. I notice that the host in your parable addresses the one who makes his way to the lowest seat “friend!” Yes, Lord; I learn that it is humility which makes one a friend of God. You look with favour upon the humiliation of your servant (Lk 1:48). Lord, give me the courage to practice the heroic virtue of humility by consciously humbling myself and accepting humiliations.

Contemplation    Jesus, my Lord and  God, is meek and humble of heart. Recall that blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Meekness and humility embrace us as we grow in the continual awareness of the presence of God and the acceptance of others and ourselves with limitations.

Action    Reach out to some differently abled people around you and listen to their stories. Practice humility in speech by abstaining from self-praise and being a silent listener.

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