The Heavenly Seating Chart
Luke 14:1 One Sabbath,
when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being
carefully watched. 7 When he noticed how the guests picked the
places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8
"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. 9
If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this
man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important
place. 10 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 your fellow guests. 11
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself
will be exalted." 12 Then Jesus said to his host, "When
you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or
relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so
you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor,
the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed.
Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the
righteous."
On my mom’s side of the
family, I was the oldest of eighteen grandchildren. Every other Sunday all the
aunts, uncles and cousins would get together at my grandparents’ home after
church. The meals were something else – feeding seventeen adults, plus eighteen
children. The adults would sit to eat at the dining room table or at the two
folding tables set up in the living room. All the children sat at the kids’
tables … down in the basement.
And that was fine and fun …
when I was a kid. But when I became older and was a big-time high schooler, I
didn’t want to sit with the kids anymore. So, it was a big deal to be the first
of the grandchildren to be asked to sit upstairs at the grown-ups table.
When you hear Jesus’
instructions in the home of the Pharisee, it sounds like He’s only talking
about what a big deal it is to sit in the places of honor at the feast. But His
words have much more meaning than simply giving instructions on banquet
behavior or mealtime manners or dinner decorum.
For there is a much deeper
meaning to Jesus’ words. Whenever Jesus mentions a bridegroom in His teaching,
He is most often referring to Himself. When He speaks of a bride, it is usually
a reference to His Christian Church. And when He tells us of a wedding feast,
He is usually referring to the great celebration of heaven, when He and His
bride are finally and fully united in “the wedding supper of the Lamb”
(Revelation 19:9).
“One Sabbath Jesus” was
invited “to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee.” That sounds nice.
Polite. Kind. But then we read, “Jesus was being carefully watched.” His
enemies had arranged this banquet and attempted to orchestrate this situation
hoping that Jesus would say or do something which they could pounce on and
shout, “See! He is not the Messiah!” Interestingly, while they were watching
Him, He was observing them.
And the first thing Jesus
couldn’t help noticing was their scramble for the best seats at the banquet.
Keep in mind the dining customs of those days. Dinner did not take place around
a big, long table under a chandelier with the host on one end, his wife on the
other, and the guests sitting on chairs facing each other. In those days
people didn’t sit at the table. They reclined at the table on cushions or
low couches, propped up on one elbow. Teenagers today would love this eating
style. The tables were arranged in a U-shape. The host took his place at
the bottom of the U, and the best places were closest to him – not way out in
the Uecker seats. Jesus observed a mad scramble by those Pharisees for the
choice seats, for the front row!
Jesus was not angry about that. We misunderstand this
parable if we think so, and presume that Jesus was trying to teach the
Pharisees some manners here! We’ll also probably get moralistic in our
interpretation and application to ourselves, thinking that Jesus just wants us
to be good mannered little boys and girls. ... No, rather, Jesus wants us to
realize that the heavenly seating chart is going to hold some surprises. Worldly
etiquette and heavenly etiquette are not the same thing. The way we do things
here is not the same as they are done in heaven. Who gets to sit where may turn
out to be a big surprise. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and
he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Rank and privilege and honor here
on earth hold no weight in heaven. The wealthy businessman, the Hollywood
starlet, the elite athlete – those we honor in our society as being special –
they may end up being brought low by Jesus. Then we may see Jesus taking the
lowest of the low – the prostitute, the murderer, the terrorist, the man who
left his wife and children for his secretary, and other great sinners like you
and me – and bring us up to the front, and asking those who took the chief
seats to please get up and move.
The very real temptation for
us is to think that even though we aren’t perfect, we are pretty good, at least
better than most. As senior citizens, we may think that we don’t have much
opportunity to sin, so we are better than those young whippersnappers. As young
adults, we may look at other parents in the stands, and pat ourselves on the
back because we are better parents than they are. As church-going Christians,
we may look down on the gang bangers in the inner city, or those having
children out of wedlock, or those that are golfing on Sunday morning instead of
worshiping. We may think we deserve the better seats by the bridegroom of
Jesus.
Jesus promises, “Those who
exalt themselves will be humbled.” Better to humble yourself than have Jesus
humble you. Get down on your knees in repentance, so Jesus may lift you up with
His forgiveness. Stand with your head bowed in debasing shame so Jesus may lift
up your head to see the glories of heaven. Admit that you are a sinful wretch
so that Jesus may call you His saint, His brother or sister, and a precious
child of God.
It is certainly not that Jesus
approves of any sinful behaviors.
Rather Jesus is pointing out that it is not the high, powerful and
self-important whom Jesus and the angels rejoice over – they rejoice over the “one sinner who
repents.” (Luke 15:10) And so the distinguished guests at Jesus’ feast
will be exactly those sinners (even great sinners!) who humbled themselves in
confession and repentance; those who did not claim or expect a place; those who
knew their sin and asked only for mercy and forgiveness; who asked only to be
let in the door and to have a seat in the back, by the kitchen, even at the
worst table imaginable – the kids’ table! For in this Jesus rejoices! Not in
how good we are or claim to be, but that we believe His Word that convicts us,
and rely on His promises which save us. He exalts those who so humble
themselves. You have His Word on it.
Now some think that’s pretty
scandalous. The Pharisees certainly did. They called it unfair. Jesus calls it
mercy. It is the mercy that all of us need.
But this surprising seating
chart is not only true of the heavenly wedding feast that awaits us, it is true
also of the feast that is set before us already here and now. Or as we
sometimes say in the liturgy, “the
foretaste of the heavenly banquet that you have given us to eat and drink in
the sacrament”. For here at this feast, at this table, it is again not
those who claim anything for themselves who are the guests of honor. It is
rather those who claim nothing. Those who come with their sin weighing heavily
on them. Those who have failed and fallen short of God’s expectations. Those
who ask for nothing other than God’s mercy and forgiveness. Or in other words,
if you are a sinner, this feast is for you! It is not for those who do
not sin, or claim some goodness or righteousness of their own. The guests of
honor here are sinners. Sinners who come in confession and repentance, to
receive what we have no right to expect, but which Jesus Has promised to give
and to give abundantly – His forgiveness and acceptance.
Again, it is not that
Jesus is pleased with us when we sin! As St. Paul
wrote in Romans, “Shall we go on sinning so grace (and mercy and forgiveness)
may increase? By no means!” (Romans 6:1-2) No, it is not in sin that Jesus
rejoices, but in faith. The faith that comes to Him, that He might forgive,
renew and strengthen us. That He might exalt the humble, the low, the ones who
are nothing. That He might give us everything, for if He does not give it, we
would not have it. ... And so here already, at this feast, He gives us all that
we need for this life. For we receive here not just a place at His table – we receive Jesus Himself.
This meal seems so humble, so
meager and minimal. A wafer of bread and a sip of wine. Yet it is so much more!
It is the very body and blood of Christ. For He is not only the Host, He is the
Meal. He is Christ the Living Bread from heaven, food for body, food for soul.
Christ the Manna daily given, nourishes, strengthens, makes us whole. What
higher honor and gift could be bestowed upon us than this? And this not just
once, but every Sabbath Day, every Sunday. For every time we gather here, He invites
you, and He calls to you to come up higher. And there is nothing that pleases
Him more than to do so, and to feed you with Himself. You have His Word on it.
But again, some think this is
pretty scandalous. Jesus calls it grace. It is the grace that all of us sinners
need.
And so with the parable
complete, Jesus turns to His host and says, therefore “When you give a luncheon
or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich
neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But
when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at
the resurrection of the righteous.”
Those words are, in fact, a
summary of what Jesus did. He took the lowest seat. Although He was everything,
He came and became nothing. He humbled Himself to take on human flesh, waited
nine months in a womb and was born in a stable and laid in a manger. He ate
with those no one else would eat with – sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes,
lepers, criminals. He even allowed Himself to be treated as a criminal, being
arrested, tried, convicted, and crucified, and having Barabbas selected as more
preferable than Him! Yet because He did, God exalted Him by raising Him from
the dead, raising Him into heaven, and seating Him at His right hand. And now
enthroned as King of all, Jesus invites all to share His kingdom. He still
comes and eats with sinners. He brings to Himself those people who can do
nothing for Him in return. And this He has done for you and me. It is why we
are here. Because He has called us; He is here for us; and He is here to give
to us.
This heavenly seating
arrangement seems so unfair, but Jesus considers it compassion. It is not
manners, but God’s mercy that allows us to sit, not where we deserve, but where
He has placed us. It is His grace that exalts the humble. It is His kindness
that allows us to sit in the front row, at the grown-up table, next to the
King, the Host, our Lord. Amen.
What a fantastic article! You are very clear and it was great to read. If we don't meet in this life, I look forward to worshipping our Lord with you in the next life. =)
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