Saturday 08 June 2013

Background

A few verses after this parable of the seating of the weddingguests, we read of the rich man who invited his rich friends tocome to a dinner party and how in the end he had to invite thepeople from the street because his first choice guests did not come(Luke 14:16-24). And today's passage is precededby Christ healing on the Sabbath and challenging the Phariseesabout what is right to do on a holy day (Luke14:1-6). So Christ is turning the social mores of his dayupside-down in order to describe what his kingdom values are forthe gathered company.

Sadly society today still has a pecking order. The BBC recentlyran a survey about social class and found there tobe more than the traditional three. The boundaries between classdivides are perhaps more blurred in these new categories but bylabelling people there is an almost automatic response for a personto try and move out of any designation.

In this parable Christ is recognising the way some people alwaysseem to respond to hierarchy by placing themselves at the top andthen everyone watches them fall. So rather than behaving withself-importance begin at the bottom and allow others to determinewhat your rightful place might be. Christ reflects that when otherssee what the hosts have done, moving you up the seating order, theywill notice the respect in which the hosts hold you.

Whilst we are encourage to love ourselves as much as we love ourneighbour, in this passage we are encouraged not to valueourselves, but to let others do the valuing for then we will berespected.

To Ponder

• Are we right to have a seating order at social gatheringstoday? Are there some social orders that are important to retain?How do you justify keeping some and not others?

• Should the Church, as a national institution, do more to putitself at the top of the social order so that its voice can beheard? Why (or why not)?