Jesus then told a parable to the guests, for he had noticed how they tried to take the places
of honor. And he said, “When you are invited to a wedding party, do not choose the best
seat. It may happen that someone more important than you has been invited, and your host,
who invited both of you, will come and say to you: ‘Please give this person your place.’
What shame is yours when you take the lowest seat!
Whenever you are invited, go rather to the lowest seat, so that your host may come and say
to you: ‘Friend, you must come up higher.’ And this will be a great honor for you in the
presence of all the other guests. For whoever makes himself out to be great will be humbled,
and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Reflect
Business advice books will often tell their readers to look out for number one and become
masters of selfpromotion as a way to get ahead at work. But Jesus gives his listeners the
opposite advice, telling them to let others go first and take the highest place. By putting others
first, we follow the example of the Lord who, though he was God, served others and even
died for us on the cross. One way that we can serve our brothers and sisters is through
hospitality, a virtue that pervades the entire Bible. From Abraham in Genesis through the
wedding feast of the Lamb in Revelation, we are presented with many examples of offering a
welcome to home and table. This welcome knows no boundaries of race, class, or
nation. Instead, Jesus asks us to open our hearts and our homes to those who seek a
place to belong. Rather than welcoming only those who can do something to help us, we
extend our hospitality to those who need it most, following Jesus’ loving example. It is good to
remember that to say "I love you" is also to say "I forgive you!" Our God is a God of love!
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