Whoever Exalts Himself will be Abased: A Meditation on Luke 14

And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden,

when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them,

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;

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.  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. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased;

and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

There are few things more common to the human condition than pride, and it doesn’t take much introspection to find it in one’s self.  Not far beneath our exercises in fashion, accessories, or personal image creation is the pride which wants to be valued and celebrated by others.  Who doesn’t choose their clothing with the specific intent of looking better, or projecting a specific image?  Some present themselves as powerful, others wealthy, others intelligent, others seductive, others cool… and many blend these approaches depending on the outing or event they are heading into.  If I dress for work, I try to present myself a certain way that is far different than I might if I am heading out for a motorcycle ride with friends, or drinking beer at the local pub, or going out on a date with my lovely wife, or visiting my children’s schools, or attending Sunday morning church services.  From the way I trim by beard to the kind of boots I wear, almost everything I do reflects my own pride in who I am, and how I want others to view me.  I hide from others the weakness and faults I don’t want them to see, and show them only the best I can manufacture or spin to my benefit.

Of course, our pride goes far deeper than just our appearances—it also extends into how we act among other people.  Even subconsciously, most people act differently when they are mixing with people of different social or economic standing, cultural or racial background, academic or philosophic persuasions, and those differences in the way we present ourselves also reflect something about our pride.  From social justice warriors storming the campuses on which they study, to the folks gathered in the church fellowship hall around the latest pot luck feast, people tend to order themselves and present themselves according to the pride they have in who they are.  Our pride infects all our thinking and doing in every sphere of our lives, and the more we meditate on our thoughts, words, and deeds—things done and left undone—the deeper we find the effect.  This shouldn’t surprise us, since pride was at the root of our first parents’ fall into sin, when the human race succumbed to the devil’s suggestion that though we be creatures, we should presume to be like God our Maker.  Ever since, no one has been able to escape our fallen nature, and the pride which twists it into demonic, self-absorbed contortions.

Jesus often warned those around Him about the dangers of pride, and no less in the Gospel reading this week from Luke 14.  The parable He offers describes a scene where a benefactor calls a banquet, and the seating is assigned based upon the honor given by the host.  Any guest who presumes to honor himself by taking a higher seat is humiliated by the host who sends the prideful guest to the lowest seat in the disdainful presence of all their peers, while the humble are elevated by the host to the place he has given for them to the aplomb of those same peers.  As in many passages of Scripture, Jesus warns once again through this story that God will knock down the people who present themselves high and mighty, even as He lifts up and honors those who are humble or humiliated by others.  He reminds everyone who will listen that human presumptions to pride and honor are meaningless before God, who alone is worthy of honor and worship, and who alone gives His gifts of honor and grace to whomever He will. God alone is the measure of what has enduring value and honor, and God alone gives that blessing of value and honor to His creatures according to His divine will in creating them.

While this warning should rightly deflate our self-assigned prideful assumptions about ourselves (particularly when we presume to elevate ourselves over each other, or over God and His Eternal Word,) there is also a Gospel blessing contained in it for those who will repent and believe.  Rather than relying on our own prideful assessments of our value which are destined only to bring us dishonor and infamy in the Day of Judgment, God gives to His people by His grace alone the dignity of His created image, His redemption through the blood of His Son, and the promise to be co-heirs with Jesus of His Eternal Kingdom.  This honor and blessing is given fully apart from what we deserve as fallen, twisted, prideful creatures, and can only be received rather than worked for.  As a gift of grace which we could never earn, it can only be clung to by faith—a faith which lets go of the empty promises of our pride, and instead embraces the forgiveness of our sins, life, and salvation in Jesus Christ alone.  For those who leave behind the filthy rags of their own merit and honor, and receive instead the free gift of grace in Jesus Christ by faith, there is no longer any room for pride, boasting, or presumption.  Among all those saved by grace through faith in Christ alone, there are only poor miserable sinners who humbly gather together around Jesus to receive His Word and His Means of Grace.  As Luther’s famous last words on his death bed remind every Christian who will hear Jesus’ Law and Gospel:  we are all beggars before the throne of God’s grace.

Where does Jesus’ Word meet you this day?  Regardless of what trappings of pride you have wrapped yourself in, Jesus calls you to exchange the worthless baubles of man’s self acclamation for the eternal blessings of His grace, mercy, and salvation.  There is no certificate, no wardrobe, no position, no wealth, no race, no politics, nor anything else promoted by the minds of prideful men which endure before the throne of God, and no appeal to the works or accolades of man which withstand the consuming fire of our just and righteous Judge.  Only the most holy Blood of Christ, shed upon His holy Cross, which washes the sinner clean with His Justification and Righteousness, can avail before the Judge of all the universe.  Only Jesus’ Gospel of grace, received by faith and lived out in humble, loving repentance, gives the honor and blessing of God’s favor, lifting the penitent, faithful, humble sinner to the place of redemption in His Eternal Kingdom.  Hear the Word of the Lord call to you this day, that you might lay down the false riches and honors of sinful men, and receive by His grace through faith the true riches and honors of His blessed fellowship forever.  Amen.