Uncontrollable Diners

Just before this story of a Sabbath meal, Jesus heals another person on the Sabbath¹. Not only does Jesus heal on the Sabbath, he upsets widely held social values. It seems you just can’t take Jesus anywhere without him causing a stir. You can’t take Jesus anywhere where he doesn’t embody and invoke the kingdom of God.

On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the Sabbath, they were watching him closely.

When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host, and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner do not invite your friends or your brothers and sisters or your relative or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. BUt when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:1, 7-14 NRSVue

While this story takes place on the Sabbath and in the house of a leader of the Pharisees, there were societal norms and practices that transcended religious affiliations, particularly around banquets and dinner parties. Which is to say, please don’t interpret this story as Luke (and Jesus) simply condemning “Jewish legalism”. This is both a critique of social practices in the Empire and an invitation into a different way of life.

It’s important to understand what those widely observed cultural and social rules for social meals were in the first century. Society was highly structured. Everyone knew their place in the social hierarchy and so did everyone else. Where a person was seated at the table was a public acknowledgement of one’s social status and honor. Meals displayed and confirmed the social hierarchy. In Roman banquets, what one ate also reflected one’s social status. Higher status people even got better food. Reciprocity was important. Roman society had a organized system of gift and obligation. People invited other people to dine based on who they “owed” and who could reciprocate the invitation. If you were invited to a meal, you were expected to reciprocate. If you couldn’t it was socially embarrassing. According to Joel Green, “..Where one sat (as assigned or allowed to sit) at a meal vis-a-vis the host was a public advertisement of one’s status; as a consequence, the matter of seating arrangements was carefully attended and, in this agonistic society, one might presume to claim a more honorable seat with the hope that it (and the honor that went with it) might be granted.”²

In those days, people tried to get the “better” seats at a meal. Yet Jesus says, not to, because that strategy might backfire. In Proverbs, it says, ” Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence or stand in the place of the great, for it is better to be told, ‘ Come up here,’ than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.”³ At first look this seems like unusually self serving advice from Jesus. Jesus even seems to not question receiving greater honor. Is he just talking about strategy? Be smart as you navigate the world of the Empire. There are a couple of clues to help us sort this out.

Jesus doesn’t advise the people seat themselves just a little bit lower. He doesn’t say, “Seat yourself in the middle of the table, don’t be too humble. Stay among the respectable folks.” He says “…sit down at the lowest place…” Go sit with whoever is the lowest, the most humble at this meal. That’s not much of a strategy for advancement and honor.

Then he says, “For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Does that sound familiar? In chapter 13 Jesus said, “Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and take their places at the banquet in the Kingdom of God. Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”⁴ Luke’s audience would remember this. And they would remember the Sermon on the Plain.⁵ ” Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets. …If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?…If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?… If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive payment, what credit is that to you?”⁶

Luke’s readers would remember Mary’s Song. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant…He has shown strength with his are; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.” Luke 1:46,47; 52-53 NRSVue

What Jesus has to say about places of honor is a consistent and persistent theme.

Then, perhaps just in case he has been too subtle, Jesus says quite clearly. Do not invite people who can repay you. In fact, intentionally invite people who cannot. Doing this, is completely counter to accepted social practices. Doing this completely tears down the social hierarchy and social honor and rewards system.

And now for the uncomfortable part. Social hierarchies and honors and rewards exist in many ways and places. Sometimes they are big and obvious. Sometimes they are small and not that noticeable. Think about all the places there are “membership levels” or “perks”. Preferred parking. Supporter gifts and bonuses. I suspect that often there is not an intent to reinforce social hierarchies or to shut some people out. I suspect that because this is “just the way things are done”, no one gave it much thought.

In larger ways this ideology shows up as designating some people as deserving and others as undeserving. “Makers and Takers” as some say. In our society this often looks like discrimination against the not wealthy (which is most of us). Health insurance for those who can afford it. Housing for those who can afford it. The blaming and shaming of those who cannot afford it. The increasing attempt of voter suppression, which is based on the idea that only some citizens deserve to vote. The attacks on birthright citizenship, and the increasing calls for “all” immigrants to be deported no matter their legal status. The organized push of Christian Nationalism to privilege a certain set of alleged Christian values and its adherents.

Large actions matter, of course, but smaller things matter also. Who we eat with, and who we spend time with matters. How we treat each other in our society matters. How we treat each other in our personal lives also matters. We don’t have justice in large things without justice in smaller things. No act of kindness, no act of justice is wasted. From offering someone a glass of water to working for clean drinking water in our communities and our nation- all of it matters. Find and do the things that you can do. We won’t and can’t all do the same things. Each of us can resist unjust structures in some way. Each of us live with greater love. Each of us can be uncontrollable in some way. Look for your opportunities to be uncontrollable. Just like Jesus.

1. Luke 14:1-6 ↩︎
2. Green, Joel B. The Gospel of Luke, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1997,page 550 ↩︎
3. Proverbs 25:6-7 NRSVue ↩︎
4. Luke 13:29-30 NRSVue ↩︎
5. Luke 6:17-49. The so called, Sermon on the Plain is Luke’s shorter version of the Sermon on the Mound found in Matthew’s gospel. ↩︎
6. Luke 6:26,32,33, 34 NRSVue ↩︎