7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 14:7-11)
Here we see that the Lord Jesus was invited and saw that the guests picked the places of honor, then He told this parable. He advised people not to sit in the place of honor when invited, but to sit in the lowest place, saying: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” God gives grace to the humble. One who exalts himself will be humbled; one who humbles himself will be exalted.
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14)
This passage is the prayer of the Pharisee and the tax collector. The Pharisee, self-righteous and looked down on everyone else, exalted himself but was humbled. The tax collector, knowing that he was a sinner before God, humbled himself and was justified before God. The tax collector humbled himself and was exalted.
May God bless you and your family!
