This morning in Luke 14:7–14, Jesus uses a dinner party to teach us a powerful lesson about humility and the dangers of power. He notices how guests scramble for the best seats and reminds them that those who exalt themselves will be humbled, but those who humble themselves will be exalted. Then He turns to the host and says not to invite people who can repay the favor, but to invite those who can’t—the poor, the crippled, the blind—because that’s what real generosity looks like. Jesus is showing us that God’s Kingdom isn’t about status, influence, or power—it’s about humility, service, and grace. Power can corrupt us if we chase it, but humility draws us closer to Christ. So today, let’s choose the lowly seat, give without expecting anything in return, and trust that in God’s time, He’ll lift us up in the way that truly matters.

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Good morning! It’s good to be with you on this Thursday morning. It’s great to be together as we continue studying God’s Word in Luke.

Yesterday, we saw Jesus healing on the Sabbath. Remember, he was at dinner with one of the Pharisees, and it almost felt like he healed that man just to make a point — not to start a fight exactly, but to test how people would respond. He healed the man, then said, “If your ox or your child fell into a well, wouldn’t you pull them out, even on the Sabbath?” Of course you would! Jesus was showing that mercy always comes before legalism.

Today we pick up right where we left off, still at that dinner, and now Jesus starts noticing how the guests are behaving — and he’s got something to say not just to them, but also to the host.

Here’s Luke 14:7–14 (NRSVUE):

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 or your relatives 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.”

So first, Jesus looks around the room and sees everybody jockeying for the best seats. You can just picture it — people trying to sit near the host, trying to be seen, trying to be important. It’s like they’re angling for the courtside seats or the 50-yard line, or maybe trying to squeeze into the owner’s box.

And Jesus says, “Don’t do that.” He says, “Be careful, because as the great theologian Qui-Gon Jinn once said in Star Wars, ‘There’s always a bigger fish.’” You might grab that prime seat — but what happens when someone more important shows up and the host tells you to move? Talk about embarrassing.

So instead, Jesus says, sit in the humble seat. Take the lower place. Because when the host sees you sitting there, he might say, “No, no, friend, move up higher.” Then you’ll be honored.

And that’s when Jesus gives the principle that sums it all up: “All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

That’s the Kingdom of God right there. The world says, “Go higher. Get more. Gain power.” But God’s Kingdom flips that upside down. God’s Kingdom isn’t about power — it’s about humility.

Remember what Mary sang in the Magnificat? She said God brings down the mighty and lifts up the lowly. Same thing here. Jesus says, “Don’t chase the head of the table. Sit in the humble seat, and let God do the exalting.”

Now, that’s not just about table manners — it’s about the heart. Because power is tempting, isn’t it? The trappings of power and status can look so good, so shiny. But they can destroy us if we’re not careful.

You know, the older I get, the more I appreciate The Lord of the Rings. It might be one of the greatest moral stories ever written. That whole idea of the Ring of Power — it’s brilliant, because we all have our own little “ring of power,” don’t we? Something that whispers in our ear, telling us to compromise our integrity or our values for the sake of influence or control.

And what happens to everyone who gets the Ring in that story? It corrupts them. Every single time. That’s what power does when it’s not held in humility.

So Jesus calls us to humility because he knows power is one of our greatest temptations. He knows how easily it can twist us.

Then Jesus turns to the host. He says, “When you throw a dinner, don’t invite the folks who can repay you. Don’t just invite your friends or rich neighbors. Invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind. Invite those who can’t do anything for you in return.”

Why? Because that’s the heart of Christ.

When we give, when we serve, when we show hospitality — why are we doing it? To get something back? To earn influence? Or are we doing it because it’s the way of Jesus?

If we give to get rewarded now, sure, maybe we’ll get that recognition. But that’s all we’ll get. If we give for love’s sake — for Christ’s sake — then the real reward comes from God himself.

So this passage comes full circle: it’s about humility, not power. Be careful of chasing status, influence, or the approval of others. Be careful of that little whisper that says, “You deserve more.”

Instead, walk in humility. Follow the way of Christ. Because when we humble ourselves, that’s when God lifts us up.

Like the prayer of St. Francis says, “It is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”

So today, be careful of power — and in all things