Luke 14:8
"When you are invited to a wedding banquet, do not sit in the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited.
When you are invited
The Greek word for "invited" is "καλέω" (kaleō), which means to call or summon. In the context of a wedding banquet, this invitation is not merely a casual request but a significant social event. In ancient Jewish culture, weddings were grand occasions, often lasting several days, and being invited was a mark of honor and inclusion in the community. This phrase sets the stage for a teaching on humility and social conduct, reminding us that our presence in God's kingdom is by His gracious invitation, not by our merit.

to a wedding banquet
The term "wedding banquet" in Greek is "γάμος" (gamos), which refers to a marriage feast. Weddings in biblical times were deeply symbolic, representing the covenant relationship between God and His people. The imagery of a wedding banquet is often used in Scripture to depict the Messianic feast, the ultimate celebration of Christ's union with His Church. This context elevates the teaching beyond mere social etiquette to a spiritual principle about our place in God's eternal celebration.

do not sit
The instruction "do not sit" uses the Greek verb "κατακλίνω" (kataklinō), meaning to recline or take one's place at a table. In the cultural setting of the time, seating arrangements were a reflection of social hierarchy. Jesus' admonition here is a call to humility, urging His followers to resist the temptation to seek self-exaltation. This principle echoes throughout Scripture, where humility is consistently portrayed as a virtue that aligns us with God's will.

in the place of honor
The "place of honor" refers to the most prestigious seats at a banquet, often reserved for guests of high status. In Greek, this is "πρωτοκλισία" (prōtoklisia), literally meaning the first or chief seat. Jesus challenges the societal norms that equate worth with status, teaching that true honor comes from God. This reflects the biblical theme that God exalts the humble and humbles the proud, as seen in passages like James 4:10.

in case someone more distinguished than you
The phrase "more distinguished" translates from the Greek "ἐνδοξότερος" (endoxoteros), meaning more honorable or esteemed. This highlights the reality of social dynamics where others may be deemed more worthy of honor. Jesus' teaching here is a reminder of the transient nature of human accolades and the importance of valuing others above ourselves, as Paul writes in Philippians 2:3.

has been invited
The repetition of "invited" underscores the theme of divine invitation. The Greek "καλέω" (kaleō) again reminds us that our place in God's kingdom is not self-assigned but granted by His grace. This serves as a call to trust in God's sovereign arrangement of our lives, knowing that He places us exactly where we need to be for His purposes.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus
The speaker of this parable, offering wisdom on humility and social conduct.

2. Wedding Banquet
A social event symbolizing the Kingdom of God, where guests are invited to partake in a celebration.

3. Guests
Individuals invited to the banquet, representing believers and followers of Christ.

4. Host
The one who invites guests, symbolizing God or Christ in the context of the Kingdom.

5. Place of Honor
A seat of distinction, representing human desire for recognition and status.
Teaching Points
Humility in Social Settings
Jesus teaches the importance of humility, especially in social gatherings. We should not seek to elevate ourselves but allow others to recognize our worth.

Kingdom Values
The parable reflects the values of the Kingdom of God, where the last will be first, and the first will be last. It challenges worldly views of status and honor.

Self-Examination
Believers are encouraged to examine their motives and attitudes. Are we seeking recognition from others, or are we content with God's approval?

Trust in God's Timing
Trust that God will exalt you in due time. Our focus should be on serving faithfully rather than seeking immediate recognition.

Practical Humility
In daily life, practice humility by putting others first, listening more than speaking, and being willing to take the lower place.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the cultural context of a wedding banquet in Jesus' time enhance our understanding of this parable?

2. In what ways can we apply the principle of humility in our modern social interactions?

3. How does the teaching in Luke 14:8 challenge our natural inclinations towards seeking recognition and honor?

4. Can you identify a situation in your life where you need to practice the humility described in this passage? How might you do so?

5. How do the teachings in Proverbs 25:6-7 and Matthew 23:12 complement the message of Luke 14:8, and how can they be applied together in your life?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Proverbs 25:6-7
This passage offers similar advice about humility and not exalting oneself in the presence of the king, emphasizing the value of being called up rather than being demoted.

Matthew 23:12
Jesus teaches that those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted, reinforcing the principle of humility.

Philippians 2:3-4
Paul encourages believers to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than themselves, aligning with the teaching in Luke 14:8.
Table-Talk of JesusR.M. Edgar Luke 14:1-24
Amongst the LowlyT. T. Lynch.Luke 14:7-11
Christ's Great Text BookJoseph Parker, D. D.Luke 14:7-11
Christ's Table-TalkLuke 14:7-11
Christ's Word on ModestyW. Clarkson Luke 14:7-11
Friend, Go Up HigherS. Cox, D. D.Luke 14:7-11
God the True Disposer of MenC. Kingsley.Luke 14:7-11
Humility a SafeguardLuke 14:7-11
Humility Allied to ModestySunday Teachers' TreasuryLuke 14:7-11
Humility ExaltedLuke 14:7-11
Humility not the Way of the WorldC. Kingsley.Luke 14:7-11
Humility the Essence of ChristianityLuke 14:7-11
LessonsJ. Thomson, D. D.Luke 14:7-11
Lowliness Allied to LovelinessT. Secker.Luke 14:7-11
Of HumilityS. Clarke, D. D.Luke 14:7-11
On the Vice of PrideRepertorium Oratoris Sacri.Luke 14:7-11
Pride and Humility Before the Divine PrinceM. F. Sadler.Luke 14:7-11
Pride East DownLuke 14:7-11
Promotion not to be Sought Apart from AbilityT. T. Lynch.Luke 14:7-11
Take the Lowest RoomJ. Vaughan, M. A.Luke 14:7-11
The Gospel Inculcates Good MannersE. Johnson, M. A.Luke 14:7-11
The Inferior Seat PreferredLuke 14:7-11
The Outward Place Reacting Upon the Inward SpiritM. F. Sadler.Luke 14:7-11
True HumilityJ. Vaughan, M. A.Luke 14:7-11
People
Jesus, Disciples
Places
Road to Jerusalem
Topics
Anyone, Banquet, Best, Bidden, Chief, Couch, Distinguished, Eminent, Feast, Guest, Haply, Highest, Honor, Honorable, Honourable, Honoured, Important, Invited, Invites, Lay, Lest, Marriage, Marriage-feasts, Mayest, Perhaps, Recline, Request, Room, Seat, Sit, Someone, Table, Thyself, Wedding
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Luke 14:1-14

     4438   eating

Luke 14:7-11

     2036   Christ, humility
     5554   status
     5699   guests

Luke 14:7-15

     4410   banquets

Luke 14:8-10

     5742   wedding

Luke 14:8-14

     5355   invitations

Library
October 26. "Go Out into the Highways and Compel them to Come In" (Luke xiv. 23).
"Go out into the highways and compel them to come in" (Luke xiv. 23). In the great parable in the fourteenth chapter of Luke, giving an account of the great supper an ancient lord prepared for his friends and neighbors, and to which, when they asked to be excused, he invited the halt and the lame from the city slums and the lepers from outside the gate, there is a significant picture and object lesson of the program of Christianity in this age. In the first place, it is obvious to every thoughtful
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Excuses not Reasons
'They all with one consent began to make excuse. --LUKE xiv. 18. Jesus Christ was at a feast in a Pharisee's house. It was a strange place for Him--and His words at the table were also strange. For He first rebuked the guests, and then the host; telling the former to take the lower rooms, and bidding the latter widen his hospitality to those that could not recompense him. It was a sharp saying; and one of the other guests turned the edge of it by laying hold of our Lord's final words: 'Thou shalt
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

The Rash Builder
Which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?'--LUKE xiv. 28. Christ sought for no recruits under false pretences, but rather discouraged than stimulated light-hearted adhesion. His constant effort was to sift the crowds that gathered round Him. So here great multitudes are following Him, and how does He welcome them? Does He lay Himself out to attract them? Luke tells us that He turned and faced the following
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

The Lessons of a Feast
'And it came to pass, as He went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath day, that they watched Him. 2. And, behold, there was a certain man before Him which had the dropsy. 3. And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day? 4. And they held their peace. And He took him, and healed him, and let him go; 5. And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Why the Divine Invitation is Refused.
(Twentieth Sunday after Trinity, 1831.) TEXT: LUKE xiv. 18-20. "And they all with one consent began to make excuse; . . . I pray thee have me excused." WE need no more than these few words to recall to us the whole parable from which they are taken. From the different accounts of this parable in the gospels we must conclude that the Saviour often repeated it. Its substance is that an invitation was issued to a great supper, and the guests at first promised to appear; but when the appointed hour was
Friedrich Schleiermacher—Selected Sermons of Schleiermacher

On the Words of the Gospel, Luke xiv. 16, "A Certain Man Made a Great Supper," Etc.
Delivered in the basilica Restituta. [3472] 1. Holy lessons have been set forth before us, to which we should both give ear, and upon which by the Lord's help I would deliver some observations. In the Apostolic lesson thanks are rendered unto the Lord for the faith of the Gentiles, of course, because it was His work. In the Psalm we have said, "O God of hosts, turn us, and show us Thy Face, and we shall be saved." [3473] In the Gospel we have been called to a supper; yea, rather others have been
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

The Sin of Omission.
Matthew xix. 20.--"The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?" The narrative from which the text is taken is familiar to all readers of the Bible. A wealthy young man, of unblemished morals and amiable disposition, came to our Lord, to inquire His opinion respecting his own good estate. He asked what good thing he should do, in order to inherit eternal life. The fact that he applied to Christ at all, shows that he was not entirely at rest in his
William G.T. Shedd—Sermons to the Natural Man

Compel them to Come In
Hear then, O ye that are strangers to the truth as it is in Jesus--hear then the message that I have to bring you. Ye have fallen, fallen in your father Adam; ye have fallen also in yourselves, by your daily sin and your constant iniquity; you have provoked the anger of the Most High; and as assuredly as you have sinned, so certainly must God punish you if you persevere in your iniquity, for the Lord is a God of justice, and will by no means spare the guilty. But have you not heard, hath it not long
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859

The Holy Communion.
2nd Sunday after Trinity. S. Luke xiv. 16. "A certain man made a great supper." INTRODUCTION.--When the fulness of time was come, God the Eternal Father said: "In burnt-offerings and sacrifices for sin, I have no pleasure." Then said the Son, "Lo, I come." He came that He might take away the valueless sacrifice, and establish the one full and perfect propitiation for the sins of the world. And indeed it was time. All creation was groaning and travailing in pain, and waiting for redemption, then
S. Baring-Gould—The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent

Of the Oblation of Christ Upon the Cross, and of Resignation of Self
The Voice of the Beloved As I of my own will offered myself unto God the Father on the Cross for thy sins with outstretched hands and naked body, so that nothing remained in Me that did not become altogether a sacrifice for the Divine propitiation; so also oughtest thou every day to offer thyself willingly unto Me for a pure and holy oblation with all thy strength and affections, even to the utmost powers of thine heart. What more do I require of thee than thou study to resign thyself altogether
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

Dining with a Pharisee. Sabbath Healing and Three Lessons Suggested by the Event.
(Probably Peræa.) ^C Luke XIV. 1-24. ^c 1 And it came to pass, when he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a sabbath to eat bread, that they were watching him. [The Pharisees were an unorganized party, hence their rulers were such not by office, but by influence. Those who were members of the Sanhedrin, or who were distinguished among the rabbis, might fitly be spoken of as rulers among them. The context favors the idea that Jesus was invited for the purpose of being
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Cost of Discipleship must be Counted.
(Probably Peræa.) ^C Luke XIV. 25-35. ^c 25 Now there went with him great multitudes [he had hitherto spent but little time in Peræa, and the people were availing themselves of this opportunity to see and hear him]: and he turned, and said unto them, 26 If any man cometh unto me, and hateth not his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. ["Hateth," as used here, is an example of phenomenal speech,
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Increasing Progression of Enthusiasm and of Exaltation.
It is clear that such a religious society, founded solely on the expectation of the kingdom of God, must be in itself very incomplete. The first Christian generation lived almost entirely upon expectations and dreams. On the eve of seeing the world come to an end, they regarded as useless everything which only served to prolong it. Possession of property was interdicted.[1] Everything which attaches man to earth, everything which draws him aside from heaven, was to be avoided. Although several of
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

The Excuses.
"Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: and sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore
William Arnot—The Parables of Our Lord

The Presbyter
Salt is good; but if the salt have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?--Luke xiv. 34. The next morning, however, threw a lurid light on the visit of Rufinus to Antioch. He had glutted to the full his private enmity. Lucian, Count of the East, Governor of Antioch, had been arrested by his order in his own palace, and, after the merest mockery of a trial, beaten to death, on the neck, with the frightful whips laden with knobs of lead known to the ancients by the name of plumbatæ.
Frederic William Farrar—Gathering Clouds: A Tale of the Days of St. Chrysostom

The Writings of St. Augustin.
The numerous writings of Augustin, the composition of which extended through four and forty years, are a mine of Christian knowledge, and experience. They abound in lofty ideas, noble sentiments, devout effusions, clear statements of truth, strong arguments against error, and passages of fervid eloquence and undying beauty, but also in innumerable repetitions, fanciful opinions, and playful conjectures of his uncommonly fertile brain. [24] His style is full of life and vigour and ingenious plays
St. Augustine—The Confessions and Letters of St

Epistle xxxiii. To Mauricius Augustus.
To Mauricius Augustus. Gregory to Mauricius Augustus. The provident piety of my lords, lest perchance any scandal might be engendered in the unity of Holy Church by the dissension of priests, has once and again deigned to admonish me to receive kindly the representatives of my brother and fellow-priest Cyriacus, and to give them liberty to return soon. And although, most pious lord, all your injunctions are suitable and provident, yet I find that by such an admonition I am reproved as being in your
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

The Gospel Feast. Luke 14:16Ff.
The gospel feast. Luke 14:16ff. [How rich are thy provisions, Lord! Thy table furnished from above! The fruits of life o'erspread the board, The cup o'erflows with heav'nly love. Thine ancient family, the Jews, Were first invited to the feast: We humbly take what they refuse, And Gentiles thy salvation taste. We are the poor, the blind, the lame, And help was far, and death was nigh; But at the gospel-call we caine, And every want received supply. From the highway that leads to hell, From paths
Isaac Watts—The Psalms and Hymns of Isaac Watts

Divine Love Making a Feast and Calling in the Guests. Luke 14:17,22,23
Divine love making a feast and calling in the guests. Luke 14:17,22,23 How sweet and aweful is the place With Christ within the doors, While everlasting love displays The choicest of her stores! Here every bowel of our God With soft compassion rolls; Here peace and pardon bought with blood Is food for dying souls. [While all our hearts and all our songs Join to admire the feast, Each of us cry with thankful tongues, "Lord, why was I a guest? "Why was I made to hear thy voice, And enter while
Isaac Watts—The Psalms and Hymns of Isaac Watts

Predestination and Calling
Eternal Father, who shall look Into thy secret will? None but the Lamb shall take the book, And open every seal. None but he shall ever unroll that sacred record and read it to the assembled world. How then am I to know whether I am predestinated by God unto eternal life or not? It is a question in which my eternal interests are involved; am I among that unhappy number who shall be left to live in sin and reap the due reward of their iniquity; or do I belong to that goodly company, who albeit that
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859

How to Work for God with Success.
Son, go work to-day in my vineyard.--MATT. xxi. 28. Compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.--LUKE xiv. 23. I am to speak of some needful qualifications for successful labor; and I say:-- First, that there are certain laws which govern success in the kingdom of grace as well as in the kingdom of nature, and you must study these laws, and adapt yourself to them. It would be in vain for the husbandman to scatter his seed over the unbroken ground or on pre-occupied soil. You must plough
Catherine Booth—Godliness

Of Gratitude for the Grace of God
Why seekest thou rest when thou art born to labour? Prepare thyself for patience more than for comforts, and for bearing the cross more than for joy. For who among the men of this world would not gladly receive consolation and spiritual joy if he might always have it? For spiritual comforts exceed all the delights of the world, and all the pleasures of the flesh. For all worldly delights are either empty or unclean, whilst spiritual delights alone are pleasant and honourable, the offspring of
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

Farewell Discourse to Disciples.
(Jerusalem. Evening Before the Crucifixion.) ^D John XIV.-XVI. ^d 1 Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in me. [That one should betray him and one should deny him, that all should be offended, and that the Lord should depart, raised anxieties which Jesus here seeks to quiet. That they should go out as homeless wanderers without the presence of their Lord and be subjected to persecution, was also in their thoughts. But Jesus sustains their spirits by appealing to them to
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

In Reply to the Questions as to his Authority, Jesus Gives the Third Great Group of Parables.
(in the Court of the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, a.d. 30.) Subdivision D. Parable of the Marriage of the King's Son. ^A Matt. XXII. 1-14. ^a 1 And Jesus answered and spake again in parables unto them, saying, 2 The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son, 3 and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the marriage feast: and they would not come. 4 Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them that are bidden, Behold, I have made
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

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