Luke 14:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But when you are invited, go and sit in 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 table with you.

NIV: But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests.

NASB: But whenever you are invited, go and take the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are dining at the table with you.

CSB: "But when you are invited, go and recline in the lowest place, so that when the one who invited you comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ You will then be honored in the presence of all the other guests.

NLT: Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests.

KJV: But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.

NKJV: But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.

Jesus finishes His parable about banquet seating arrangements. When invited to a formal meal at the home of a Jew, seating depends on social ranking. The higher "ranked" a guest is, the closer they sit to the host. When guests arrive, they need to figure out who sits where. But if someone of a high rank arrives late, one of the people who assumed a seat they did not warrant will be publicly shamed and sent to the foot of the table (Luke 14:7–9).

Conversely, Jesus explains, if someone humbly assumes a seat at the foot of the table, the host may publicly honor the guest and escort him to a higher seat.

Jesus' teaching is not new; it is just applied in a different way. Proverbs 25:6–7 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." While Solomon spoke of standing before kings, Jesus applies this to any social setting.

Jesus is using the culture's honor/shame system to encourage the guests to be more virtuous. Even today, in the East the culture is based on what family or individual or clan is the most honorable and which have been shamed. Ironically, Jesus is using this broken worldview to teach godly humility.

And yet, Jesus doesn't criticize the act of bringing someone to a higher place. It is good to be humble in a group and still know your worth. It's bad to assume glory and honor that hasn't been offered by another, but it's okay if others offer it.

Luke 14:7–11 occurs at a feast given by a Pharisee and is the first of three parables about how people enter God's kingdom. Jesus advises that when attending a banquet, not to assume a place of honor. If someone more important arrives, the host will make you shamefully walk to a seat at the foot of the table. Assume humility and you may be honored by another. Living in God's kingdom requires humility: knowing you don't deserve His blessing but accepting it when He offers. Next, Jesus teaches the Pharisees to bless those who cannot repay. These parables are unique to Luke's gospel.

A Pharisee invites Jesus to a formal dinner. There, Jesus teaches lessons using invitations and feasts as a theme. These emphasize humility and the importance of not making excuses. After the dinner, Jesus warns that those who seek to follow Him will experience hardship. Believers should "count the cost" and understand what aspects of this world they may have to give up.

Luke 14 continues Jesus' doctrinal march to Jerusalem and the cross. Luke 14 and 15 contain the second grouping of one miracle and a series of discussions about the kingdom of God and salvation; Luke 13:10–35 is the first. Next will be a collection of warnings about rejecting God's kingdom (Luke 16:1—17:10) and two more sets of lessons about the kingdom and salvation, each beginning with a single miracle (Luke 17:11—18:34; 18:35—19:27). After this comes Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.