Lesson #10 - The Seats of Honor at the Banquet
Main Point: Humble yourself, and God will lift you up in His time.
PowerPoint: Luke 14:7-11
7 Jesus noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table. So he told them a story. 8 He said, "Suppose someone invites you to a wedding feast. Do not take the place of honor. A person more important than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come to you. He will say, 'Give this person your seat.' Then you will be filled with shame. You will have to take the least important place.
10 "But when you are invited, take the lowest place. Then your host will come over to you. He will say, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. 11 Anyone who lifts himself up will be brought down. And anyone who is brought down will be lifted up."
Say This: Watching people clamor for the “best spot” can almost be amusing. Watch people in the parking lot of the mall at Christmas; observe parents coming into the school auditorium to watch their kids perform; look at people in a restaurant. Everyone wants the best place.
Say This: In Israel, where this story takes place, the meal table was a very important place. It was important to the family, and it was also important in community. When you invited someone to your house, you not only were showing hospitality but also protection!
PowerPoint:
The meal table also showed people your level of importance. If you’ve ever seen a musical band play, you’ve probably noticed that the chairs are in a particular order. Being selected as “first chair” is a great honor in the band.
PowerPoint
It was the same way at a Jewish meal table.
The Pharisees thought that it was important to have the seat of highest honor, and sometimes, they would do whatever it took to get that #1 seat. Imagine what it must have looked like as they all clamored for that special seat – musical chairs!!!
PowerPoint
Say This: In this story, we see the wrong and right response to being invited to a special event. The wrong response is to think you are special and deserve to sit in the best place. The right response is to recognize that you are not special and not sit in the place of honor. Let the host move you up if he sees fit.
If you try to promote yourself, God will humble you.
Ask: Wouldn’t you rather humble yourself and let God raise you up, than be put in your proper place?
Say This: One of the primary things that sets us up for shame is being proud.
God’s ways are not our ways. The way UP is down. Humble yourself, and God will exalt you –lift you up - in His time.
Main Point: Humble yourself, and God will lift you up in His time.
Note to Teacher: Additional lesson could include the time when the mother of James and John asked Jesus for her sons to be seated next to Him in the kingdom.
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