Please read Luke 14:7-14

Jesus observed something happening.

Guests were choosing, on their own, the places of honor at banquets to which they were invited.

This brought on a parable.

In the parable he speaks of his followers not choosing the  places of honor near the host.

But it is more than that.  The seminal idea that is found in the parable is this. We should not think too highly of ourselves, our opinions, our social position, our place in the world.

We do think of ourselves as wanted by the Creator and loved immeasurably.  That brings us up as equal to all the others who are created by the Creator and loved immeasurably. Our primal status is as the beloved of God.  All of us.

Why then would we believe that we deserve places of honor and glory, especially those places granted by our own high opinion of ourselves.

To automatically elevate ourselves above others because we believe ourselves, our opinions, our position, is superior, are offending God who calls us back to reality and says take the lower seat at the banquet.

Now, inevitably, some will be asked to sit in the places of honor. You may be one of those. Hopefully, for the purposes of this parable, you may be asked to sit up front because you have a profound understanding that all are the beloved of God.

What a true honor that would be.

Moving to the deeper places,
Jeff