Eschew Haughtiness

Humility charms, wouldn’t you say? You wouldn’t want to be seen as basting in self-importance. It is better to avoid self-promotion. Compliments are for others to give us, unbidden, not for us to give ourselves. It is of course important to know our value and our innate worth, but we leave the voicing of our worth to others in most situations. It is classier and comes from a healthy place of humility.

Jesus gives this basic message to the people gathered for a meal in the house of one of the leading Pharisees near Jerusalem. For a while he watched the guests of the meal trying to secure the places of honor, then he articulated this wisdom: “Should anyone be asked to attend a wedding feast, don’t sit in the place of honor, for what if someone more distinguished is there. What would it be like to be moved to the lowest seat to make room for the one of higher status?” The lesson continues, suggesting that one sit in the lowest seat allowing the possibility for the host to say, “Hey, move up higher, my friend.” Jesus asks his hearers to imagine this more favorable scenario: “Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you.” (Luke 14:10) Take time to read the section from the Gospel itself:

"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; 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. 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.” (Luke 14:8-10)

The principle in this example from Jesus is bigger than wedding etiquette; it is about being other-centered rather than self-centered. St. Paul extolls Christ, reminding us that Jesus, the Son of God, lived this principle in the extreme by giving himself for us. He challenges us to consider what seat on earth was fitting for the Son of God, and what seat he took. Jesus, being God, was due the highest throne earth could identify. But the seat he took was not gold or polished stone and cushions, it was wood. It was not a throne but a cross. Paul puts it like this:

Though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself … he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-8)

We learn as Christians that humility is not merely refusing to put on airs. It is a radical disposition of seeing our value: our relatedness to God in Christ. We are creatures of God, redeemed by the saving work of Jesus. We need not scramble for recognition, nor fish for human accolades. Jesus recognizes us. The lowly position—servant of Christ—is the seat we want. It leaves us free to use our energy to find a higher place for people overlooked by the world. In the wording of our postcommunion prayer:  And now, Father, send us out to do the work you have given us to do, to love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord.