Luke 14:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place.

NIV: If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this person your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place.

NASB: and the one who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then in disgrace you will proceed to occupy the last place.

CSB: The one who invited both of you may come and say to you, 'Give your place to this man,' and then in humiliation, you will proceed to take the lowest place.

NLT: The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!

KJV: And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.

NKJV: and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.

While preparing to eat at the home of a Pharisee, Jesus notices the other guests choosing where to sit. The guests are dealing with two standards of honor: the seats and their own. The higher their honor in their cultural setting, the nearer the host they should sit. It's a bit of a game, however. Everyone wants to be as close to the host as possible, but they can't overstep. If they get settled and a latecomer with a higher social rank arrives, someone is going to have to move. The shame of being told that you do not deserve the honorable seat you took and must take a lower position would be socially horrifying.

Jesus doesn't lend depth to those sorts of human social standards: "God shows no partiality" (Romans 2:11). James will write, "But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors" (James 2:9). Jesus is teaching the guests how to act godly within this broken culture. Jesus is more interested in teaching people to reject social rank and put on a spirit of humble service. In the next parable, He will encourage the host to invite the poor, blind, and injured next time: those who can't pay him back. God's rewards in heaven are far more valuable than earthly reputations (Luke 14:12–14).

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.