Be Humble
Galilee where Jesus walked is one of the most beautiful landscapes of
the entire Middle East region. Upper Galilee has no cities in it. It’s rural,
it’s remote and located in the highest hills of the land of Israel. A very
remote area along the borders and frontiers of modern day Lebanon.
And very high mountains and treacherous terrain.
The sophisticated folk of Jerusalem tended to look down on Jesus and
His followers. They labeled them “unlearned and ignorant men.” The
sophisticated folk just wanted to embarrass Jesus, after all who does
he think he is anyway, with His groupies following him?
Luke 14: 1-6
“One Sabbath when Jesus went to dine at the house of a ruler who
belonged to the Pharisees, they were watching Jesus. And behold,
there was a man before Jesus who had dropsy (fluid buildup in the
body which results in swelling.) And Jesus spoke to the lawyers
and Pharisees, saying, “is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”
But they were silent. Then Jesus took the man and healed him,
and let him go. And Jesus said to them, “Which of you, having an
ass or an ox that has fallen into a well, will not immediately pull
him out on a Sabbath day?” And they could not reply to this.”
This appears to be a cruel passage between the man who was ill and
the exchange between Jesus and those present. Take note, the Pharisees
put more emphasis on rules than on one is who is hurting. Thus on the
Sabbath one is not to do any work and if one is harmed, fighting for their
life, too bad.
Jesus then proceeded with those gathered to tell a parable. The parable of
the Lowest Seat,
Luke 14: 7-11.
“Now Jesus 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 (to be more important) than you be invited by him; and he
who invited you both shall 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 to you, ‘Friend, go up higher’; then you 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.”
Now let’s examine this text, what Jesus was not doing was telling those
present about etiquette. What Jesus was advocating was not for social
events only, but to shape the eternity of our life.
Human nature is we want to sit in the best seat in the house, we want to
be comfortable and sit up close, especially if there is something important.
Our lives are often marked by familiarity and comfort for most people sit in
the same seat, same pew, every Sunday and the holidays for that is where
they are use to sitting and that is their spot! Often its all about Pride.
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is warning us in this scripture to be
against moving into our comfort zone, and thinking we are so important.
Muhammad Ali who proclaimed to the world I AM THE GREATEST
BOXER IN THE WORLD, was flying on a commercial airliner. The flight
attendant advised him to fasten his seatbelt. Ali replied as only he could,
“Superman don’t need no seatbelt.” Calmly the flight attendant replied to
Ali, “Superman don’t need no jet either, buckle up.”
Sadly this great skilled and gifted athlete Muhammad Ali today is now
reduced to a state where he has trouble moving and speaking. By no
choice of his own he has been humbled.
Pride will not get us into heaven, humility will. In the words of the
preacher William Temple.
“When I get to heaven, if I do, I imagine I will be surprised at
three things. First, I’ll be surprised that I’m there. Second, I shall
be surprised at many of the other people who are there. Third,
and most astonishing, will be there surprise that I’m there at all.”
Jesus also said to the man who had invited him, “When you give a
dinner or banquet do not invite your friends or your brothers or your
kinsmen or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you
will be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed,
the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot
repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
I don’t know about you, but if the seats in heaven are assigned by
God’s free gift, we may find heaven a surprising place.
Surprising, for those who live on earth being so vain. If we commit
ourselves here on earth in humbleness, give up the seat for one who is
less fortunate, then we may not find God’s party in heaven to be as big of
a surprise. If we do expecting to be paid in return, to be acknowledged by
the blood of our family, the money and prestige of another we are in for a
big wakeup call one day.
“You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just,” judgment day, for
those with money and prestige cannot help you. Why? Because
Jesus paid it in full at Calvary.
Jesus paid it in full at Calvary and the love of God is a powerful, all
encompassing, unconditional love just because we are His. It’s all about
what you are seeking at the feast. To have the higher chair or to sit in the
lower chair in humbleness. You see in this passage Jesus is not describing
genuine humility. No, Jesus is speaking so as to humiliate the proud.
Humiliate the proud to realize the priorities.
“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who
humbles himself will be exalted.”
Genuine humility is initiated by one’s own change of heart.
Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you. Come near to God and he will come nearer to you.
Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-
minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and
and your joy to gloom. Humble yourself before the Lord, and he will lift
you up.” James 4: 7-10.
You see it happened this week. He holds a powerful position, makes
fabulous money and is really important. He walked into his daughter's
room and said, “Honey its time to get up, get ready and dressed for school.
Come on now, the bus will be here shortly.” As he sat at her bedside he
realized his words would wake her up and he did not want her to wake up.
He did not want her to walk out that door and go off to school. He woke
his daughter up anyway telling her, come on now let’s get up and get
moving. It’s time to get ready for school. He knew she would be fine, he
knew it was the right thing to do. But he was her daddy and he had a hard
time giving her up. God watched this father’s pride and replied, “I gave up
my child fully aware that if you would need me, I would be there. I said
goodbye to my son fully aware that when you would need me the most,
when you have tears of despair, I would be there". The earthly father
thought about what his heavenly father said, and watched his daughter
go to school. Knowing pride will hold her back as it had held him back
for years.
Right now in your life, where are you seated? It is pride that makes
you rush to the head of the line to get the good seat first. Pride keeps “I”
at the center of the universe. Humility has replaced “I” with “Jesus Christ.”
Jesus Christ is the most humble man who has ever lived.
Philippians 2: 3-8
“Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others
better than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interest,
but also to the interest of others. Have this mind among yourselves,
which you have in Jesus Christ, who though he was in the form of God,
did not count equally with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself,
taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being
found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death,
even death on the cross.”
Pride is the ingredient that causes our confidence to become arrogant
and cocky. If we think we can do it ourselves then we stop seeking God.
As we enter into prayer let us hear the words of Dr. Benjamin Mays,
longtime president of Morehouse College:
“The test of true religion is not how we treat the man who holds a high
position in society, but how we treat the man who has no position
to hold; not how we respond to call of the man who wields power,
but how we respond to the man who has not power to command
us. Religion is not how we treat the rich, but rather what
attitude we take toward the poor.” Father, “Religion is
not how we treat the rich, but rather what attitude
we take toward the poor.” May I take the lower
seat and be humble, Father.
Amen
CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 1: 1-2
Leader: Blessed is the man who walks
People: not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners;
Leader: nor sits in the seal of scoffers;
People: but his delight is in the law of the LORD
Leader: and on his law
All: he meditates day and night.
Prayer (in unison)
Lord, I know I’m a Christian in my heart, in my heart. Lord I know I’m a
Christian in my heart, in my heart. Father as I sing these words may I
live these very words in my heart and soul, not just in my mind. May
the words that I sing in my heart, the words that come from my
lips, not be a song, but my lifestyle. Lord I want to be like
Jesus in my heart, in my heart, Lord I want to be like
Jesus in my heart, in my heart. May I be seated in
a humble position in servant hood and
thankfulness. Thankfulness,
for you still love me.
Amen
08/29/2004 JWM
Back To Sermons