Exaltation and Humility

17th Sunday in Trinity 2011
“Exaltation and Humility…”

Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
October 16, 2011

Luke 14:1 “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.”

This Sunday’s Gospel selection from St. Luke, chapter 14, contains one of the single most important teachings from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It goes to the heart of what it means to be human, as well as what it means to have successful relationships.

Once again, this preacher is making a mighty big claim. He would not make it if the Word of God were not able to deliver this teaching and much, much, more. In this particular passage, our Lord has entered into one of the chief Pharisee’s house for dinner. He is being watched closely, as usual, while the Pharisees sought some occasion to accuse him. While there, Jesus heals a man who had the dropsy, then delivers one of His very important discourses. John Calvin says this about the passage: “The law of the very sabbath ought not to hinder the offices of charity.” (This is reference to the healing of the man.) In other words, we should never let the conventions of men impede our ability to do some good in this world. This is, of course, what Christ did. As to the place of the meeting, Calvin says that the home belonged to: “Either one of the elders, whom they called the Sanhedrin, or one of the chiefs of the synagogue: for all the Pharisees were not chief men of the synagogue; for this word Pharisee was the name of a sect, though it appears by viewing the whole history of the matter that the Pharisees had much authority.”

Allow me an aside here. Why did the Pharisees invite Jesus again and again? What was it about Him that fascinated them? Was it his reputation for miracles? Was it His amazing preaching? Was it His personal charisma and natural attraction? Just like the dinner guest who responds to the question, ”Would you like peas or carrots” with an unqualified “yes”, the same can be said about the Pharisees. They were fascinated and envious at the same time. Perhaps the old saying, “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer” may have some relevance here. They were always listening and watching him, so as to catch Him in some doctrinal or theological trap. As we are told in Luke 11:53-54 ”And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things: 54 Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.”

As usual, the Pharisees tried and failed. In the scene the man with the dropsy appeared before the group and Christ obviously had compassion on him. He asks the general question, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?” McGarvey and Pendleton mention this about the passage: “But they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go. But they held their peace. If the lawyers and Pharisees declared it lawful, they defeated their plot, and if they said otherwise, they involved themselves in an argument with Jesus in which, as experience taught them, they would be humiliated before the people. Hence, they kept silence, but their silence only justified him, since it was the duty of every lawyer to pronounce this act unlawful if it had been so.” Christ nails the argument shut, so to speak, when he asks them if they would not rescue a domestic animal that fell into a pit on the Sabbath. The Pharisees, as usual, end up speechless and defeated.

Observe, however, one amazing point about the healing described in this passage. It is described without fanfare and without much buildup. Christ simply takes the man and heals him, or in the words of Luke 14:4: “And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;” At first glance, one might be tempted to simply say (or think), “Very Good. Here’s another miracle done by Christ. How wonderful.” To do so would miss a marvelous sub-point about the passage. Christ performs this healing almost casually, even nonchalantly. Now, of course, we would never term any miracle of Christ as such, but that is just the way it seems to be portrayed here. Yet, to conclude that too would be to miss the point.

The reason the miracle is mentioned in just such a way is to emphasize the Lordship of Christ over all Creation. It is shown here in this fashion to emphasize his authority. After all, our Lord created the heavens and the earth; should he not choose to alleviate some negative aspect of it if He chooses? The question following the miracle, addressed to the Pharisees says just that, when Christ says, (Luke 14:5): “And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?” The analogy is obvious. Just as a Pharisee would pull out his ox or his ass from a ditch on the Sabbath, so our Lord can pull us out of our proverbial ditches if He so chooses. How clear this saying was to the Pharisees, at least on the surface, is not immediately apparent, but having the benefit of 2,000 years of Christian history makes it very clear to us.

We are Christ’s creatures; He is our Creator. He is the Lord of this Universe and every other one. Jesus is therefore, declaring that to all in this passage. In short, in doing this miracle in this way, Christ is demonstrating his absolute authority over all things.

Now, as the fascinated (and probably envious) Pharisees watch, Christ drills into the heart of this passage and into the very bone and marrow of the Pharisees’ chief sin, pride. Christ noted how the men chose out the best places to sit, or recline, as was the custom of the ancient world during dinner. He uses this to teach them about the folly and the futility of pride. Jesus tells them that when they are invited to a wedding or to a party, they should not assume the most honorable place, which would be nearest the host, but rather choose a place lower on the table or in the room. The folly of choosing the highest place is the chance they might be asked to give place to man considered more worthy than they. In that case, they would be publicly humiliated and would have to retreat to the lowest place. Instead, Christ says, enter the area with humility and choose the lowest, or least honorable place in the assembly. Then, the host may come to them and say, “Friend, go up higher.” In that case, in the wonderful words of the Authorized Version, (Luke 14:10): “…then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee”

As is typical with our Lord, His teaching comes to an end with a dramatic statement: (Luke 14:11) ”For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”Here is where our Lord teaches us about the futility of pride. We may exalt ourselves and we may extol our supposed virtues to the skies, but in the end, it will bear no fruit. As one of the hymns says, “Our vaunt is stilled.”
Thus, our self-exultation will result in abasement, showing our effort towards self-advertisement as merely futile.

Yet, this raises an interesting point. Why does it seem as if some in this world do exalt themselves and do enjoy the finest things life has to offer, yet seemingly suffer no abasement? Does this mean that Christ’s words are not true?

Far be it from us to think so. We know that Christ always speaks truth. For example, we know this saying is true intuitively, for how many times in our lives have we been feeling pretty good about ourselves and even feel that we are the “cat’s meow”, so to speak, only to have some calamity, major or minor, befall us? When we puff ourselves up, we are certainly asking for some kind of deflation. Can any one of us deny this?

Returning to the seeming flawless people in our society, those for which life never seems to touch, there is a more subtle point to consider. For that, let us consider Solomon, the son of David, the richest and wisest King of Israel. He was fabulously wealthy. He was wise, so much so that many kings and queens of the ancient world came to hear him. Even the famed Queen of Sheba came to him and was amazed. In addition to all this, he had over 1,000 wives and concubines. What more could a man ask for?

Yet, consider the book of Ecclesiastes, which has been credited to Solomon. In the book he is called “the Preacher.” First he says, (Ecclesiastes 1:2): ”Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” After considerable discourse, Solomon concludes: (Ecclesiastes 1:14) “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.” Thus, even those who seemingly have it all, really don’t. They have exalted themselves, but in the very base of their soul, there may lurk an abased spirit, a sense of non-contentment. Once the chase after material and worldly success is finished, what is left? Merely emptiness. This comes, not from a lack of material wealth, but from a paucity of spiritual well-being. On the other hand, happy is the man who loves the Lord and who has been blessed with material abundance. He knows that all that he has comes from God and is blessed by God.
Like Job, he could lose it all and suffer for a season, but if his heart is right with God, all will be well sooner or later.

If we abase ourselves before God and acknowledge our wretchedness in the face of His absolute Holiness, while accepting his gifts of His generosity, all will be well with us. Using our God-given talents and abilities, we pursue our earthly path with perseverance and good will. In His time and in His will, we will be exalted; not only in this life, but in the life to come.

Unlike those who exalt themselves to the exclusion of Jesus Christ, we will be exalted forever with him. As we process through the heavenly gates, garbed in our robe of immortality, we can affirm the words of Christ: (Luke 14:11) “ For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen