The Judge in presence

The Guests reproved. Of true Hospitality.

(The Gospel History, Section 107)

And he spake a parable unto those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief seats; saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any man to a marriage feast, sit not down in the chief seat; lest haply a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him, and he that bade thee and him shall come and say to thee, Give this man place; and then thou shalt begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest place; that when he that hath bidden thee cometh, he may say to thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have glory in the presence of all that sit at meat with thee. For every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Commentary by J. R. Dummelow

Lk14:7–11. On places of honour at feasts (peculiar to Lk, but a similar discourse occurs in the ‘Western’ text of St. Matthew, 20:28, q.v.). It is probable that the dropsical man was healed before the dinner began, and that there then ensued an unseemly struggle for places, which gave occasion for the ‘parable’ following.

Lk14:7. A parable] An elastic word. Here it means a piece of advice, inculcating humility.

Chose … the chief rooms] RV ‘seats,’ i.e. places on the couches: Mk 12:39: If there were three on a couch, the chief guest lay in the middle. If there were two on a couch, he lay on the right side. A good illustration of the pride of the rabbis is the conduct of Rabbi Simeon ben Shetah, who when invited to dinner by king Jannæus (104–79 b.c.), placed himself between the king and queen, saying, ‘Exalt wisdom and she shall exalt thee, and make thee to sit among princes.’ But such conduct was not universally approved, and with the advice which our Lord here gives may be compared the more spiritual teaching of other rabbis. Rabbi Akiba said, ‘Yield up thy place, and go down two or three seats, and sit down, until they say to thee, Go up higher. Go not higher of thyself, lest they say to thee, Go down lower, for it is better that they should say to thee, Go higher, than Go lower. Thus the son of Hillel used to say, ‘My humiliation is my exaltation, and my exaltation is my humiliation.’ ii. Cp. Mt 23:12; repeated Lk 18:14.

The Judge in presence

(The Saviour of the World, Vol VI Book IV Poem LXV)

Now had that Pharisee been aware
That th’ Judge of all men would be there,
When dainty meats he spread that day,
And bade his friends meet honour pay
To his lavish hospitality,—
Would he have ventured, wonder we,
To add, ingredient to his feast,
The company of One, not least
In all men’s curious thoughts? He asked;
Christ came; and lo, those men were tasked
With that they thought and that they did;
Proud host, vain guests, were equal chid!

First, saw they truth as in a glass,
That poor man’s case being made to pass
Before them as a near concern
From which they might not careless turn:
Forth came the judgment from the Lord
With Whom it rests to give award.

As you and I scarce bear to see
A hungry wretch beg charity
Nor haste to feed, so Christ perceived
Men, of this grace, or that, bereaved,—
His bowels of compassion burned
For him, anhungred; straight He turned,
And ministered, or bread or health
Or that more precious spirit’s wealth
He only gives: He marked those men
Asked to the feast; perceived that when
Each chose his seat, he urged and strove
To place himself the rest above;
Pride ruled the guests, and all their care,
Their own importance to declare.

Perchance the kind Lord saw as well
Some grace of heart that yet might dwell
In those proud men; so did not scorn
The guests of their offence to warn
In word so plain that never, sure,
Did child more straight rebuke endure.
“When thou art bidden of a man
To marriage feast, make not thy plan
By might or craft the chiefest place
To take; lest comes a swift disgrace:
How know’st thou but some other one
Greater than thou is fixed upon
To fill that seat? ‘Give this man place,’
Thou hear’st and art ashamed of face.
But what if thou hadst meek begun,
If when the master’s eye had run
Over his guests, to each to assign
The place most fitting him, benign,
He sees thee low, and bids thee high,
Is quick thy merit to espy
The more that thou in naught proclaim
A worthiness men should acclaim:
‘Friend, go up higher,’ will he speak
To him who no high place doth seek;
And all the guests are glad to see
The lord of the feast thus honour thee.

······

Bethink you that the ways of men
Fulfil God’s will in this; note, then,
How God the man who boasts brings low;
The humble soul, He raiseth, so
That all men wonder at the state
Of him they had not known for great.
Perceive thou, ’tis no chance award;—
Thou art rebukéd of thy Lord,
That day before thy friends thou’rt chid
For offence of pride may not be hid:
Thy Lord’s ‘Well done,’ falls on thine ear
That day men urge thee to appear
In place of honour all unsought;
God for the humble man takes thought.
Behoves all men to understand
That God retains His high command;
The lofty brow shall be brought low,
The humble shall in honour go,—
Behold the law shall rule your times,
Throughout the ages, in all climes!”

St. Luke xiv. 7–11.

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