In Luke 14:7-11, Jesus teaches the “parable on places of honor.” There are two parts in this parable: the first part has to do with the guests to a wedding banquet, and the second part has to do with the host.
In the first part of the parable, Jesus teaches that when you are invited to a banquet, do not take the seats of honor; instead, take the lowest seat. The reasons for doing this is two-fold: first, to avoid embarrassment, just in case the host asks you to move to a lesser table; and second, to enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table, just in case the host asks you to move up to a more important table. Jesus said, “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11) God exalts those who are humble, and how does God do this, you may ask? It is unlikely that God will appear in front of you and give you a pat on the back; ordinarily, God’s exaltation comes through other people; e.g., when your host comes, he may say to you, “My friend, move up to a higher position.” (Luke 14:10) The first part of the parable teaches humility from the point of view of the “invited.” Blessed are you if you are the kind of person who does not seek places of honor.
In the second part of the parable, Jesus teaches that when you are hosting a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors. Why, you may ask? Is it not customary for people to invite their friends, relatives or neighbors? The reason that Jesus gives for doing so is because they might invite you back and you will have repayment. But isn’t that good? Isn’t that what decent people do? From the point of view of the world, that is something good and decent. But from the point of view of the Kingdom of God, you can do something even better: Therefore, Jesus goes on further and says, “When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.” (Luke 14:13-14) Why will you be blessed if the people you invited cannot invite you back? Jesus gives the reason: For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous (Luke 14:14). The second part of the parable teaches humility from the point of view of the “inviter.”
Some people feel resentful if the people they invited to lunch or dinner, do not invite them back. They wonder all the time, “Why hasn’t so-and-so invited me back?” Sometimes, they even regret having invited people in the first place. But instead of wasting time and effort thinking about superficial things, we must pay attention to what Jesus is teaching us – that Jesus makes hosting a lunch or a dinner an opportunity for blessedness; in other words, do not just do a good deed of inviting your friends, relatives or neighbors – do an excellent deed of inviting people who cannot repay you back, such as the poor, the crippled and the lame. This teaching is not necessarily limited to inviting the homeless and the destitute, but it does cover anyone who may, intentionally or unintentionally, not get the chance to thank us or to repay us back. The excellent deed is also not limited to inviting people to lunch or dinner; ordinarily, the excellent deed can be any secret help or favor that we can do for others without them even knowing it – like doing good deeds without blowing your trumpet for attention or acknowledgement. Blessed indeed are those who do good deeds only for God to see, because “your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” (cf. Matthew 6:4, 6, 18)