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1 On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely. 7 When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. 8 "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; 9 and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, "Give this person your place,' and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, "Friend, move up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. 11 For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." 12 He said also to the one who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." (Luke 14:1, 7-14 NRSV)
Happy Wednesday, dear Friend! Welcome back! And thank you for your kind and generous prayers for me. I saw Dr. Box this morning and my healing is on track! I had hoped the uncomfortable brace would come off, but it's the primary instrument of healing pre-therapy so I need to keep it on for about four weeks. It will be next week when the sutures come off and therapy will begin in about a month. I am so thankful for your prayers and thankful to God for His mercy and patience shared with me. I'm so thankful to my bride for her loving care and patience with me and her willingness to take up driving again to get me to the doctor's office! I love you, Nellie!
The Bible is an honest book. The Bible is a book of geography. The Bible is also a book about meals. The meals shared with us serve deep purposes; celebrations, remembrances, vision-setting, etc. etc. Some of the meals in the Bible mirror ours on earth, where someone invites another to eat, and in response they invite each other back, etc. In fact, the Bible closes with a celebration meal where all who lived and died in the Lord will rejoice in His presence as eternity opens and the earthly ends.
You and I have been blessed to have been seated at numerous meals where we were blessed by the company, the invitation, the actual food, and the honor of being in the company of those who hosted. I have sat with with a friend who shared his last two slices of whole wheat bread, the last tablespoon of natural peanut butter, and two eggs at a time when I had no food in my cupboards and believe me it was a banquet and a feast! I've also sat at tables where the price of the meal was $650 a plate, and I was the recipient of six free tickets so that Nellie and our girls could join us in an exclusive meal in Washington, D.C. I've also been told that it was time to eat and that I should leave. I have also been fed in homes where the family was sharing a part of what little they had for the rest of the month. As a pastor I have been seated at tables of honor and at tables near the kid's table.
Jesus notices at a meal to which He has been invited at the home of the leader of the Pharisees that on the Sabbath how the other guests acted when it was time to be seated. The other guests chose the places of honor, so He responded with a parable. It was about humility. "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, 'Give this person your place,' and then in disgrace you would have to take the lowest place.'" Jesus teaches that if one starts with humility and willingly seats themselves at the lowest place so that the host may come and invite you to move up to the place of honor. The lesson Jesus says, "For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." Boom!
But Jesus doesn't stop with personal humility. He pushes deeper, challenging the very motivation behind our generosity: "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid."
This hits uncomfortably close to home. How often do we give strategically? How frequently do our acts of kindness come with subtle strings attached—expecting gratitude, reciprocation, or at least recognition?
Jesus calls us to something revolutionary: generosity without guarantee of return. He challenges us to extend our table to "the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind"—those who cannot enhance our social status, advance our careers, or repay our kindness.
This is kingdom mathematics: when you give expecting nothing back, you receive everything that matters.
The beauty of Jesus' teaching is that it offers both immediate freedom and eternal reward. When we stop chasing human approval and start seeking God's approval, we discover a peace that the world's ladder-climbing can never provide. When we give without expecting return, we tap into the inexhaustible joy of participating in God's own generous nature.
But let's be honest—this is countercultural and challenging. Our society rewards self-promotion and strategic networking. We're told to "look out for number one" and "leverage our relationships." Jesus asks us to trust that God's way, though it appears foolish to the world, leads to true blessing.
The question isn't whether God's way works—it's whether we'll have the courage to try it. This passage confronts our tendency to treat relationships as transactions and generosity as investment. Jesus reveals that when we serve those who cannot serve us back, we discover the heart of God Himself. We find that the blessing isn't in what we receive but in becoming the kind of people who give freely.
This doesn't mean abandoning friendships or neglecting family. It means expanding our circle of care beyond those who can benefit us. It means looking for opportunities to serve without recognition, to give without reciprocation, to love without conditions.
PRAYER: Loving God, You always show us the better way; forgive us for thinking we know better or could do better. Grant us hearts to love others, even the ones no one else wants or even sees. Grant us your eyes to reach all; this we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Instead of seeking the place of honor, intentionally choose to serve behind the scenes. Instead of only spending time with those who can benefit you, reach out to someone who cannot repay your kindness—perhaps through volunteering, visiting someone lonely, or simply showing unexpected generosity to a stranger. Notice how it feels to give without expecting anything in return, and discover for yourself the blessing Jesus promises to those who live by His radical love.
I love you and I thank God for you!
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
