Luke 14:7-11

Considering the massive amount of books on leadership and the fact that new books on the topic are published every day, it seems just about everyone is interested in knowing how to lead people in all kinds of settings.

What is the motive driving this thirst for knowledge about leadership? Perhaps there is a desire to earn more money since a position of authority usually comes with a greater income. The motive could be driven by a conviction that a person feels he or she knows more about leading than other people. The desire for a leadership position might even be driven by a desire to be acknowledged as superior to other people.

Christ Jesus was eating a meal in the house of one of the chief Pharisees, and seeing how people looked for places of honor at the table, He spoke a parable about being invited to a marriage feast. When invited to such an event, He said, they should not seat themselves in a place of honor since someone more distinguished might come along and they would have to surrender their place.

Imagine how humiliating it would be for the host to ask you to move to a less honorable place at the table. It is better, Jesus said, to sit in a less honorable place. Then, if the host comes and asks you to move to a higher place of distinction, you will be honored in the eyes of the other guests.

Jesus gave a lesson in humility by saying, “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” But what is the meaning of this?

It is the illustration of a Christian heart, and the result of being born again. It is the attitude a Christian has because he understands he belongs to God. He was once hopelessly lost in sin, yet God gave His only begotten Son to die on the cross for his sins.

A Christian knows it was only because of the blood shed by Jesus that he has received a pardon for his sins. The Christian has been restored, and he knows it. Christ Jesus is the greatest example of humility. He set aside His glory to come and dwell among people.

As for human pride, consider how God “put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.” A good Old Testament example is David. God chose a shepherd boy to become Israel’s king. No one is so powerful that God cannot overrule them and no one is so lowly in the eyes of the world that God cannot raise them up to greatness.

The apostle Paul said, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God” (Philippians 2:5-6). In other words, Jesus did not exploit His equality with God.

Jesus told the Pharisee who hosted the meal that day what he should and should not do in the future when he invited guests into his home. Do not invite your friends, relatives and rich neighbors, said Jesus, because they will have special occasions and invite you to their event to pay you back.

Instead, Jesus said to invited the “poor, maimed, lame or blind.” In other words, invite the people who need a good meal, but never get invitations to eat when there is plenty of food. These are the people who cannot repay you, He said, and “you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

In other words, we should lead the way by taking the initiative to serve people.

“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matt. 25:40).

The Sunday school lesson is written by Ed Wilcox, pastor of Centerville Baptist Church. He can be reached at [email protected].