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St. Luke points to one of his most emphatic points in today’s gospel (14:1, 7-14). Jesus, visiting the house of a leader of the Pharisees to share a festive meal with him on a Sabbath where he cures a man with dropsy (a story found only in this gospel, vv1-4), uses the occasion to offer sage advice about banquet etiquette and protocol with a parable, first regarding the attitude of guests (vv7-11),then that of the host (vv 12-14).
Regarding guests, Jesus points to the attitude of being humble. As do the Hebrew equivalents of this term, the Greek verb ταπεινὸω (tapeinoō) and its cognates refer consistently to the action of humbling oneself or being humbled. By castigating the guests who he observed were maneuvering and seeking out for themselves the best places and positions of prestige, he made it clear that real honor will come not from one’s self-seeking choices but what is bestowed on one by another, not from one does on one’s own behalf but on the estimate others have of one (v10). The added wisdom saying using a theological passive (v 11, “will be humbled… will be exalted”) introduces another dimension to it- it is God’s judgement as the source of the honor. Hence the attitude of the Christian disciples should be humility, not status-seeking
In the second part Jesus moves from the guests to the host, from self-seeking ambition to selfish recompense. He suggests that the kind of people one should invite are not the four affluent types who can return the favor (v12), but the four unfortunate types who cannot (v13). Real love and concern never wait for recompense. The reciprocity expected must give way to a return in another, unexpected form- from the graciousness of God himself, which goes beyond all our expectations (v14).
From the prophets to the sages (Is 57:15; Ez 17:14, 21:26; 1 Kgs 21:20; Prov 16:19, 29:23; Job 5:11; Ps 138:6; cf. 1st reading today especially, Ben Sira 3:17-18,20, 28-29), from Jesus to the apostles (Mt 18:4,23:12; 2 Cor 11:7, 12:21; Phil 4:12; Jas 4:10; 1 Pt 5:6), this biblical trait and attitude of being humble had been consistently proclaimed, and those who live it were commended. Of course, the most important example we have is the self-emptying or voluntary humbling of Jesus to the will of the Father (Phil 2:8). May we all be able to do the same. Amen.
