TWENTY SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDIARY TIME C

[cappie]

There is a lot of watching going on in the gospel lesson today. Jesus was invited to eat at the house of the leader of the Pharisees, and the Pharisees were watching him. Jesus was watching them back and noticed that the guests were scrambling to occupy the premium seats. Based on his comment to his host, Jesus also observed that his host has invited the who’s who in that community. Jesus, knowing that the seats people choose and the guests they keep reveal not just their social and economic standing but more importantly their inner selves, took the opportunity to teach the guests and the host about humility and hospitality.

To the guests, Jesus tells a parable of a wedding banquet that seems to describe exactly what was going on in front of him. He tells them that it is wiser to sit in the lowest place and wait for the host’s invitation: “My friend, move up higher.” He goes on to say, “ For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.” The parable echoes the first reading, which says, “The greater you are, the more you should behave humbly, and then you will find favour with the Lord.”

Jesus is not just teaching about table manners and practical advice to avoid embarrassment here. He is also not saying that we should not sit in premium seats. He is teaching humility. 

While self-promotion is the accepted way to get ahead in the world, humility is the way to please God. Those who exalt themselves tend to think they are better or more important than others. The humble think less of themselves and make room for others.

Jesus then tells his host that when he throws a dinner party, he should not invite those who can invite him back: his friends, families, and affluent neighbours. Instead, he should invite  those who could not invite him back so that he will be repaid at the resurrection.

 It can be easy for us to judge the guests at the Pharisees’ dinner  as arrogant and pathetic social climbers. But the truth is,  pride and the desire to exalt oneself are part of fallen humanity. We all have this desire to be better, to be admired. We see this in the Garden when Adam and Eve gave in to the temptation to be like God. The story of the Tower of Babel where people wanted to build a tower to reach heaven to make a name for themselves is another example of human desire for attention. The people of Israel took pride and privilege of their “Chosenness” as People of God and Jesus’ disciples often quarrelled as to who among them was the greatest.  

Indeed, many of us prefer to sit in premium seats and share the same guest list as the host of Jesus.   And just like in the time of Jesus, we do what is easy and automatically invite families, friends, and respectable members of the community to our dinner parties

This desire to exalt oneself is connected to our need for love, admiration, and attention. There is nothing wrong with wanting to excel and achieve and be loved or admired. But this can be destructive and self-defeating. The gospel challenges us to “fix” this need to exalt ourselves for the sake of being loved by being humble. This is like one of those paradoxical teachings of Jesus, like “Those who save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.” In other words, Jesus is saying in the gospel that the way up is down.

Jesus invites us to review our guest list, especially those we do not welcome. Who is the equivalent of the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind who are not usually invited to our parties?  

Consider this as you ponder your list: if you do not invite these people, might you be saying that Jesus is not welcomed at your table?

 Consider the saying  attributed to William Temple. He concluded his outstanding career by serving as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1942 to 1944. “The Church is the only institution,” he said, “that exists primarily for the benefit of those who are not its members.”

  We are to welcome not only one another but outsiders in abundance and plenty of people waiting on the margins, and especially those who seem so unsuitable. The invitation to this banquet must be inclusive, with no exceptions; it must comprehensive, featuring a welcome to share in the ministry of Word and Sacrament, as well as the many other ways that the church enriches people’s lives.

When we give a banquet in the name of Jesus, all the doors must be open.

Finally , by God’s grace, we have seats of Honour at God’s table. It is a wonder that we get welcomed, though we cannot reciprocate God’s hospitality. How are we to respond to the gracious generosity of God? We reciprocate by opening our lives to those who are different from us and those with whom we would not normally associate.