I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers and sisters,
so that you will not become wise in your own estimation
There is a similar temptation for us as there was for these early Roman followers of the Messiah whom Paul addressed. That temptation is to think highly of ourselves for discovering the truth of salvation and to think less of those on who "a hardening has come" as if the difference between them and us is a matter of our intelligence, our cleverness, or our superior moral character.
He told a parable to those who had been invited,
noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.
We have been invited to the great banquet of salvation, a true heavenly feast. But when we come into the feast with a sense of deserving and entitlement, when our place in the guest list causes us to see ourselves as better than others, we are then taking for ourselves places of honor to which we are not entitled. We become wise in our own estimation, which was exactly what Paul warned his readers not to do.
A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,
and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say,
‘Give your place to this man,’
and then you would proceed with embarrassment
to take the lowest place.
For those early converts to Christianity the temptation would have been to see themselves as superior to the part of Israel that was hardened and unable to recognize the Messiah. But that sense of superiority would miss the point of how their inclusion was not simply for their sakes, much less because of their merit, but was precisely so that all of Israel could be saved. So too for us. We are not invited to the banquet merely to relish the places of honor, but rather in order that we ourselves may become vehicles by which the message is spread, by which the full number is brought in.
a hardening has come upon Israel in part,
until the full number of the Gentiles comes in,
and thus all Israel will be saved
Seeking places of honor at a banquet may not seem particularly tempting to us in our own day. But we all have ways, varied and subtle though they be, by which we try to broadcast why others should consider us worthy of honor, why we are valuable, or even why we are, so we imagine, superior to them. The trouble is that true value is not something which we can originate within ourselves by our efforts. It can only come as a gift.
Rather, when you are invited,
go and take the lowest place
so that when the host comes to you he may say,
‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’
We are afraid to take the lowest place because we are afraid that we will go unseen, that we will remain unloved, and that we will be finally considered worthless. But- and here is the secret- the host sees clearly everyone at his table, and he delights to bestow blessings on those who are open to receive them, whereas he can not do so on those who are already overfilled with their own pride.
Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.
It is a great blessing to be able to take the lowest place. We do not enjoy the feast, or those with whom we share it otherwise. It is immense freedom when we no longer need to prove our worth, or to sell ourselves in the highly competitive market of what other people think. The only true exultation, the only value that lasts, is that which the host himself gives freely. He gives it to all who are open enough to receive it. May we be among those whom he calls.
Were not the LORD my help,
my soul would soon dwell in the silent grave.
When I say, “My foot is slipping,”
your mercy, O LORD, sustains me.
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