Jesus Adjusts Our Attitude
August 31, 2025
Pastor John Hering
Luke 14:1, 7-14
Luke 14:1, 7-14
One Sabbath day, when Jesus went into the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat bread, they were watching him closely.
7 When he noticed how they were selecting the places of honor, he told the invited guests a parable. 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline in the place of honor, or perhaps someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him. 9 The one who invited both of you may come and tell you, ‘Give this man your place.’ Then you will begin, with shame, to take the lowest place.
10 “But when you are invited, go and recline in the lowest place, so that when the one who invited you comes, he will tell you, ‘Friend, move up to a higher place.’ Then you will have honor in the presence of all who are reclining at the table with you.
11 “Yes, everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
12 He also said to the one who had invited him, “When you make a dinner or a supper, do not invite your friends, or your brothers, or your relatives, or rich neighbors, so that perhaps they may also return the favor and pay you back.
13 “But when you make a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. Certainly, you will be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous.”
There is a phrase that older people are using more and more because I’m hearing it more and more. It goes like this: “People just don’t know how to act anymore.” This phrase can apply to our American Flag, or how to behave at work, at a restaurant or even at home. Of course now we can go to Pinterest, or YouTube or Google to learn how we should act. However, before all of this there was a famous lady who wrote a book about 100 years ago. Her name was Emily Post and her name was synonymous with etiquette. In her book entitled, “Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics, and at Home,” (Available on Amazon $17, https://a.co/d/2zuqBeC) set the standard for titles of respect, appropriate dress, and proper table manners. If you want to know which fork to use or which way to tilt the soup bowl, you may consult Emily Post’s book.
At first glance, today’s gospel seems like Jesus is giving us a lesson in etiquette. He speaks about banquets, seats of honor, and invitations. But Jesus is not concerned with which seat you choose or how you hold your cup. He is concerned with something far deeper—the etiquette of the heart. He speaks to our pride, our opinions of ourselves, and our treatment of others. May the Holy Spirit guide our thoughts and open our hearts as
JESUS ADJUSTS OUR ATTITUDE
Toward genuine humility
Today is a good day to accompany Jesus. “One Sabbath day, [when] Jesus went into the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat bread” On the surface, it seemed like a gracious gesture. But Luke tells us plainly: “They were watching him closely.” This was no friendly invitation. It was a trap. They wanted to catch Jesus in his words or actions. Yet while they were watching him, he was watching them. And what did Jesus see? A mad scramble for the best seats.
In those days, people reclined on cushions at low tables arranged in a U-shape. The host sat at the base of the U; the closer to him, the greater the honor. So the Pharisees, puffed up with pride, scrambled to claim the best places. That’s what pride always does—it pushes, jostles, and demands recognition. After all, “Who could be more important than a Pharisee?!
Jesus told them a story:
“7 When he noticed how they were selecting the places of honor, he told the invited guests a parable. 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline in the place of honor, or perhaps someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him. 9 The one who invited both of you may come and tell you, ‘Give this man your place.’ Then you will begin, with shame, to take the lowest place. 10 “But when you are invited, go and recline in the lowest place, so that when the one who invited you comes, he will tell you, ‘Friend, move up to a higher place.’ Then you will have honor in the presence of all who are reclining at the table with you.”
His point was not about good manners but about the heart. Pride of the heart seeks its own honor; humility of the heart waits on the Lord.
But don’t misunderstand. Jesus is not giving us a clever trick to gain honor by false modesty: “I’ll take the lowest seat so that I’ll be moved up.” That’s just pride in disguise. His point is clear:
“Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
While we don’t have the same traditions of seating arrangements as Jesus’ day, I did wonder about those seating charts that are posted at weddings. When you look for your name/table, do you start looking around the head table, or start from the tables that are the farthest away? This might be a window into our own hearts! And since we were born with the sinful desire to put ourselves first, I would suspect that we all have to admit that sinful pride has shown itself in our lives. For this we don’t deserve a high seat at the heavenly banquet, but at the lowest seat in hell. James wrote,
“10 In fact, whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles in one point has become guilty of breaking all of it”
James 2:10
And when we seriously realize what we deserve, this is where the gospel shines brightest. What could we do to earn God’s favor? Nothing. On our own, we deserve only the lowest place—condemnation. But Jesus humbled himself in our place. He took the very lowest seat—death on a cross—so that you and I might be lifted up to the highest place: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. James also teaches us,
“10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up”
James 4:10
So, genuine humility is not weakness. It is not thinking you are worthless. It is knowing what you are by nature—sinners deserving nothing—and what you are by grace—God’s redeemed children, worth the blood of his Son. Talk about self-worth! Jesus directs our attitude by first pointing us what we deserved if left to ourselves—that’s reason for humility! But, then he points us to who we are in God’s sight through faith in Jesus and all he has done for us—that’s humility! When Jesus Adjusts Our Attitude, that gives us true confidence as we strive for Genuine humility and
Unselfish Love
I do find it very interesting that Jesus was invited to the house of this prominent Pharisee. They recognized that Jesus was a force to be dealt with. But, then Jesus turned from the guests to the host.
“12 He also said to the one who had invited him, “When you make a dinner or a supper, do not invite your friends, or your brothers, or your relatives, or rich neighbors, so that perhaps they may also return the favor and pay you back. 13But when you make a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. Certainly, you will be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous.”
Jesus is not outlawing family dinners or friendships. His point is this: if our kindness is given only to get something back, it is not real kindness at all. Lobbyists wine and dine politicians hoping for votes in return—that’s not love, that’s business. So when Jesus says, “invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,” once again he is working on attitudes! Kindness given with an eye on something in return is not genuine kindness. Unselfish love gives, with no thought of return. It mirrors Christ’s own love for us. As Paul wrote:
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you… Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us”
Ephesians 4:32–5:2
Or as John put it simply:
“We love because he first loved us”
1 John 4:19
And here is the promise: “You will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Not that we show genuine love to others SO THAT we will be rewarded on the Last Day! No, these rewards in heaven are rewards of God’s grace! However, your unselfish love for others gives testimony to your love for Jesus! Let’s be clear, our works will not be the reason we enter heaven or result in blessings in heaven—only Christ’s blood opens that door and unwraps those blessings. Yet Jesus assures us that every humble, unnoticed act of unselfish love will be remembered by him. What the world forgets, God remembers. So don’t love to be loved back. Don’t give so that others will notice. Love because God loved you first.
So, for day to day etiquette, you may consult Emily Post. But for an attitude pleasing to God forever, go to Jesus. It’s easier to change outward actions than inward attitudes. But Jesus not only gives the lesson—he is also the power. By his Spirit working through Word and Sacrament, Jesus Adjusts Our Attitudes. He replaces pride with Genuine Humility. He replaces selfishness with Unselfish Love. In Jesus Christ you will have the best seat at the wedding banquet of the Lamb in Paradise! Amen!
