Luke 14:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him,

NIV: When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited.

NASB: Whenever you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him,

CSB: "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, don't sit in the place of honor, because a more distinguished person than you may have been invited by your host.

NLT: When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited?

KJV: When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;

NKJV: “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him;

As the guests of a formal dinner arrive in the home of "a ruler of the Pharisees," Jesus watches (Luke 14:1, 7). He has a critical message to give but places it in a parable about a "wedding feast" to deflect the more direct application of this Sabbath meal.

As the guests arrive, they consider their social standing in comparison to that of the other guests and seat themselves accordingly. The closer to the head of the table and the host, the more honorable the seat. It wouldn't be unusual for the guest of honor to arrive later than the others.

When that happened, if another guest had assumed the seat of honor, the host would have to tell him to find another seat. If everyone had seated themselves as high as possible, the humiliated guest would have to go to the lowest position. Jesus gives practical advice on to how to prevent this shame: simply sit at the foot of the table. It may be that the host will, in front of the other guests, lead that humble person to a higher seat, thus giving public honor.

In God's economy, human rank means nothing. He judges the heart, not the outward experience (1 Samuel 16:7). Those who humble themselves will be honored by God (Luke 14:11).

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.