Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Luke 14:1, 7-14
Pastor: Pastor Berg
Sermon Date:  September 22, 2019

It’s amazing how a single word in English can mean so many different things! Take the word “football” for example. In one context it can refer to an oblong ball with helmets and touchdowns and in another, a round ball with goals. How about the word “shotgun?” Perhaps your mind thinks of turkey hunting or trap shooting? Maybe you think about the kind of snap from the center to the quarterback? But that word, “shotgun” has another connotation, doesn’t it? It can refer to riding next to the driver in the front seat of the car. In the days before car seat laws, when our parents didn’t love us as much as we love our children today–I’m kidding of course–it was a daily competition to see who could sit in the front seat of the car. And unless you grew up as an only child, no doubt you know what I’m talking about. Maybe you didn’t use the same word, but I know that all of us have experienced the same situation. If you were the first to call “shotgun,” the seat was yours. It’s possible that you didn’t play by those rules or they didn’t work. For you, it was whoever got to the door first. It was a fight to the death, knockdown, brawl, pushing and shoving all the way to the car. Quite the advantage for those of us who were the oldest and biggest of the siblings. But, I’m guessing if your family was anything like mine, the “shotgun” battle royale didn’t last very long. It wasn’t long before my parents tired of the daily argument and whining and crying that went with trying to sit in the front seat. And so they made up a schedule so that everyone would get the same amount of time to ride in the front seat. Looking back, maybe the car seat law isn’t such a bad thing.

Anyway, what’s the point of that little trip down memory lane? Sitting in the front seat was and still is a huge deal for children. Sitting in the front seat is like sitting in the place of honor. It’s sitting in the important place. And the competition that we all joined in to get that seat immediately pops into my head when I hear this story about Jesus and the dinner party. Can’t you picture all of these Pharisees pushing and shoving, scratching and clawing, plotting and scheming to get the places of honor, just like a bunch of kids trying to sit in the front seat? We chuckle to ourselves about the silliness of it all–but it’s not really that big of a deal, is it? What does it matter where we sit? It’s just a childish attitude right? Or is it more? Does our ability to relate to the Pharisees attempts to get the places of honor reveal in our own hearts a much deeper spiritual problem?

The problem it reveals is an “I” problem that has nothing to do with our vision. The problem is that we are constantly looking inwardly to ourselves. The most important person in the world is me. The most important thing to do is to elevate myself above everyone else. I need to be important. I need to feel important. I need everyone else to see that I’m important. We have an “I” problem. And Jesus puts our “I”problem on full display as he deals with the Pharisees today. Luke tells us, “One Sabbath day, when Jesus went into the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat bread, they were watching him closely.”

When I was in high school, I had the honor of being chosen as a rotary “student of the month.” That meant I got to get out of class and go enjoy a catered lunch with the rotary club. I got to sit with important business people from all over Fond du Lac. It was a big deal. I imagine this dinner party at the Pharisees house had the same kind of feel. It was at one of the leader’s home. All the other important religious leaders would be there. It should have been a big deal for Jesus–at least in the eyes of the Pharisees. But Jesus had been invited under false pretenses. He was only invited so the Pharisees could watch him so intently that they’d be able to pounce on even the smallest of mistakes. It was a classic case of bait and switch. But the Pharisees had an “I” problem. And their “I” problem had them so focused on themselves and their plans of watching Jesus that they forgot that Jesus–God himself–was actually watching them. And isn’t that the same problem we have? When we become so focused on ourselves and our own selfish intentions, we tend to lose sight of what’s really going on.

“When he noticed how they were selecting the places of honor, he told the invited guests a parable. “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. 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. “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. “Yes, everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

While the Pharisees were supposed to be watching him, Jesus turns the tables on them. He noticed how they jockeyed for the best positions at the table. In New Testament times, the closer you sat to the host, the higher you stood on the social ladder and the more attention and invitations you would receive from others. Naturally, many people rushed to the “head table” when the doors were opened because they wanted to be important. So Jesus says, “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. 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. Jesus’ advice was completely contrary to the world’s way of doing things. But Jesus isn’t talking about earthly table manners, is he? And you’ve probably guessed that he’s not talking about and earthly wedding feast either. No, Jesus is talking about the wedding banquet in heaven that everyone has been invited to. Can you imagine going to a wedding of a friend or relative and getting to the reception and deciding that it would be a good idea to sit at the head table when you weren’t in the wedding party? Can you imagine the embarrassment and shame you would feel as you were ushered down from the table when the best man showed up to take his seat? That’s the picture Jesus uses here to describe this deep spiritual “I” problem.

As sinful human beings, we buy into that American motto that we can do everything ourselves. And it’s not just an American motto, it has roots in the sinful nature of everyone. Every single person has this inborn sinful idea that they can fix their own problems, even their sinful problems. They think that if they just do enough, try hard enough, if they offer their good works to God, that there’s no way that God can deny them a spot at the head table in heaven. But if we actually tried that, we’d quickly realize that our works aren’t good enough. We’d know immediately that we couldn’t possibly enter the heavenly feast on our own merits. If we tried to enter heaven, we’d be thrown out before we even got through the door. But unfortunately, that’s what our “I” problem just can’t see. It’s blind to this truth because our sinful nature lacks humility.

Humility is an elusive quality, even in the life of a Christian. Constant are the encouragements from the prophets and the apostles to be humble; to clothe yourself in humility. And they need to repeat it often because humility is extremely hard to produce. Why is that? Why is it so hard? Humility is completely opposed to our human nature. Humility is not merely thinking of others before yourself or thinking less of yourself. Humility is not thinking of yourself at all! Notice how Jesus made that clear to the Pharisees.

“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. “But when you make a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. Certainly, you will be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous.” What is Jesus saying here? We can’t have lunch with our family or our relatives? No, of course not! Again, he’s not really talking about lunch etiquette. He’s talking about humility. He’s talking about our “I” problem. The Pharisees would only invite people to dinner who they knew would invite them in return. In other words, they only invited someone who could repay them. They only did it if there was something in it for them. True Christian humility doesn’t think about what’s in it for me. True Christian humility serves without any expectation of personal gain. True Christian humility is only born out of love for a Savior who is the perfect model of humility. 

Jesus modeled true humility by not thinking of himself at all. Jesus humbled himself by being our Savior. There was nothing in it for him. He’s God! He’s perfect! He had no reason to come to earth and live in a sinner’s world. He had no reason to set aside his heavenly power and glory and be hungry and thirsty and in need. There was no benefit for him to subject himself to God’s law. He wasn’t thinking about himself as he made his way to Jerusalem. He wasn’t thinking about himself as he allowed his own creation to insult him and ridicule him and beat him. He wasn’t thinking about himself as he hung on the cross. No, Jesus was the perfect model of humility in saving the world because he never thought about himself–he thought only of you!

And it’s because of Jesus’ humility that we do have an invitation to the heavenly wedding feast. But we don’t get there by thinking of ourselves and promoting ourselves and offering all of our good works as payment. No, Jesus warns us, “Yes, everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever   humbles himself will be exalted.” The only way to the heavenly wedding feast is by humbling ourselves. It’s not thinking of ourselves at all, but only thinking of Jesus who solved our “I” problem by taking us out of the equation. As the hymn writer says, “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.” It’s Jesus and his cross that gives us entrance into the heavenly wedding feast. And it’s the humility that Jesus modeled that we want to put on as we live out our lives. It’s in the spirit of true Christian humility that we share the good news with everyone, even with those who could never do anything for us in this life, because it’s not about us! It’s about Jesus. It’s the humility empowered by Jesus and his humble acts of salvation that will think of the needs of others and what’s best for the kingdom of God instead of what’s best for me. It’s the humility born from God’s gift of faith that will allow us to give without recognition, serve without being noticed because we know our glory is found in Christ. And he promises that we will be rewarded at the resurrection. Not rewarded because of our service or our giving, but rewarded because of what he’s given us.  

The path to heaven includes a life of humility. May God help us to overcome our “I” problem and emulate our Savior. Because in the end, it’s not about us, it’s all about Jesus. Amen.