Luke 14: 7-14 7
When he saw how they chose the first seats at the table, he gave a description to the visitors and said: 8 When someone invites you to a union, do not sit in the first place, so that no one more prominent than you is invited by him 9 and the one who invited you now let him come and tell you: Make cause for this; and then you start with self-consciousness to take the last place. 10 But when you are a visitor, go and sit in the last room, so that when the one who invited you will say: Friend, go up higher; then you will be honored in front of those who sit at the table with you. 11 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled; and whoever humbles himself will be honored. 12 And he said to the one who invited him: When you run out of sustenance and all the provision, do not call your friends, neither your brothers, nor your relatives, nor your rich neighbors; so that in turn they invite you to come back and you will be rewarded. 13 But when you have a great feast, summon the hungry needy, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 and you will be blessed; because they cannot reward you, yet you will be rewarded in the establishment of the righteous.
Reflection:
This parable occurs when Jesus went to eat at the house of an important Pharisee on a Saturday (Luke 14: 1-6), the guests chose the best places, they looked for an important position, because they were used to the greatest. positions of honor close values. The Pharisees liked to occupy the first places for men, they liked to enlarge themselves. Jesus had already told them on another occasion: Woe to you, Pharisees! that you love the first seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces (Luke 11:43), then tell them the story of the wedding guests.
The main theme of the parable of the wedding guests is humility, Jesus wanted them to learn from him, as he said: Take my yoke and learn from me, I am humble and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:29).
Jesus says that when someone is invited to a wedding, he does not sit down first, because if there is someone of importance who has also been invited, but because of his rank he must go there, the host must tell you to give him the invitation. place that person of honor, and you should go to the last place with shame, rather it says that when they invite you, go to the last place, then the one who invited you will tell you: Friend, go higher; then you will have glory before those who sit with you. The next Jesus says: For whoever exalts himself will be humbled; and he who humbles himself will be exalted, like the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18: 9-14).
Why is humility so important in the kingdom of God? Humility is against pride, against presumption, we are his creation, and we must recognize him as the creator God of the universe, for him it is all praise and glory; Taking a boastful attitude in the eyes of God is not to your liking. Every subject in the kingdom of God must be humble, there is a change in the heart that is saddened and can be molded by Jesus Christ with the power of the Holy Spirit. The humble person recognizes daily dependence on God, does not strive to be exalted. We must be very careful, because a false humility can lead us directly to hypocrisy. Jesus addressed this teaching of humility in various contexts, but we highlight the occasion when the disciples asked Jesus who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And he came and put a child for example, and said to them: Truly I say to you, that if you do not turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. So whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18: 1-5).
In vs. 12 to 14 the parable had already finished in v. 11, but Jesus now turns to the one who invited him to dinner and says: When you prepare lunch or dinner, do not call your friends or your brothers or your wealthy relatives or neighbors; so that they in turn invite you to return and you will be rewarded. Better when you make a dinner invite the poor, crippled, lame and blind, because it will be blessed, because from them you will not receive a reward except in the resurrection of the just. The same thing mentioned in the parable of the great supper (Luke 14: 15-24).
This is another call to help those in need, those who cannot reward you in the same way, but God tells us that it is a blessing to do so. We tend to think so much about the reward in this life that we forget the true riches we have in Christ Jesus; when he comes from heaven for his children. We are to win treasures in heaven, as mentioned in this parable of the rich fool (Luke 12: 16-21) and the crafty steward (Luke 16: 1-15).