Alesaggio
07-18-2006, 06:16 PM
Do You Know Which Seat is the Best Seat?
Read Luke 14:7-11
There is an innate desire within the human nature to want to sit in the best seat. This desire for the best seat shows itself in many ways. Observe the circling cars in a parking lot as they pass by the distant spots and eagerly search for that prize spot closest to the front door.
Those people who job it is to seat the assorted individuals at some important diplomatic or political event spend many hours getting the seating just right so that dignitaries are afforded proper honor by the placement of their chairs.
Two disciples, James and John, sought the "best seats" when Jesus asked them "What do you want Me to do for you?" And they said to Him, "Grant that we may sit in Your glory, one on Your right, and one on Your left." They wanted the best seats in the kingdom - the places of honor and prestige. It seems to be such a natural thing for the natural man.
You probably recognize from Luke 14:7-11, that what Jesus taught there is the opposite of nearly everything we hear today about success. It is not easy advice easy to take, because according to Jesus:
The Best Seat is the Last Seat.
Verse 10 says, "But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place…"
I think it’s fairly obvious that Jesus had more in mind here than seating arrangements at weddings. Luke tells us that this was a parable. The lesson of the parable is, "For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted."
If you want to force yourself into the first seat, you’ll be humbled. If you willingly take the last seat, you’ll be exalted. That goes against the grain of our nuture!
Elsewhere, in Mark 9:35, Jesus said, "If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all."
Our culture says, "go for first!" Our Lord says, "go for last." "Seat yourself at the last place," Jesus said. Then, when you’re asked to move up, it will be an honor.
The best seat in the house, according to Jesus, is the last seat. Also:
The Best Seat is the Least Desired Seat.
The seats with less honor associated - the ones left when they had all been picked over is the best seat according to Jesus.
Like the guests at the wedding feast Jesus is describing, they want to emphasize their rank over others and be noticed for it. They want to push themselves as high as they can, even if it means stepping on others to do it. It’s the law of the jungle. It’s survival of the fittest. It’s eat or be eaten. But it’s not what Jesus is teaching here.
The Best Seat is the Student’s Seat.
Most of us want the “tassel” without the “hassle.” We want the graduating position without the learning posture. The often long trip from the bottom, through the school of hard knocks and common tasks, isn’t desired by the average seat seeker.
Rather than seeking to be the instructor we must learn to learn! Take the student’s seat and “learn” of Him. Jesus said “Come learn of me.” Far too many seek to teach when they have never sat in the student’s seat first.
Humble yourself and be exalted. Exalt yourself and be humbled.
The very illustrative story about the young preacher who came up to the pulpit, very self confident and smug. He was immaculately dressed. He knew he had what it took. He began to deliver his “crowd-pleasing” sermon but when he started to speak, the words simply wouldn’t come out. Humiliated, he ended up leaving the platform, obviously humbled with head down. There were two old veteran preachers sitting in the front row and one remarked to the other, "If he'd come in like he went out, he would have gone out like he came in."
"For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted."
Paul said in Romans 12:3, "I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment…"
Desiring to be used in the kingdom is a good thing. Just let others do the promoting. Let your works speak well of you, not your mouth. The idea is that the host of the party sees your unselfish labor and humble attitude, comes to you, and says, what Jesus said in verse 10: "Friend, move up higher."
Philippians 2:3- 8 says,
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself;
4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
Take the humble seat as the best seat because it was our Lord’s seat!
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Read Luke 14:7-11
There is an innate desire within the human nature to want to sit in the best seat. This desire for the best seat shows itself in many ways. Observe the circling cars in a parking lot as they pass by the distant spots and eagerly search for that prize spot closest to the front door.
Those people who job it is to seat the assorted individuals at some important diplomatic or political event spend many hours getting the seating just right so that dignitaries are afforded proper honor by the placement of their chairs.
Two disciples, James and John, sought the "best seats" when Jesus asked them "What do you want Me to do for you?" And they said to Him, "Grant that we may sit in Your glory, one on Your right, and one on Your left." They wanted the best seats in the kingdom - the places of honor and prestige. It seems to be such a natural thing for the natural man.
You probably recognize from Luke 14:7-11, that what Jesus taught there is the opposite of nearly everything we hear today about success. It is not easy advice easy to take, because according to Jesus:
The Best Seat is the Last Seat.
Verse 10 says, "But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place…"
I think it’s fairly obvious that Jesus had more in mind here than seating arrangements at weddings. Luke tells us that this was a parable. The lesson of the parable is, "For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted."
If you want to force yourself into the first seat, you’ll be humbled. If you willingly take the last seat, you’ll be exalted. That goes against the grain of our nuture!
Elsewhere, in Mark 9:35, Jesus said, "If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all."
Our culture says, "go for first!" Our Lord says, "go for last." "Seat yourself at the last place," Jesus said. Then, when you’re asked to move up, it will be an honor.
The best seat in the house, according to Jesus, is the last seat. Also:
The Best Seat is the Least Desired Seat.
The seats with less honor associated - the ones left when they had all been picked over is the best seat according to Jesus.
Like the guests at the wedding feast Jesus is describing, they want to emphasize their rank over others and be noticed for it. They want to push themselves as high as they can, even if it means stepping on others to do it. It’s the law of the jungle. It’s survival of the fittest. It’s eat or be eaten. But it’s not what Jesus is teaching here.
The Best Seat is the Student’s Seat.
Most of us want the “tassel” without the “hassle.” We want the graduating position without the learning posture. The often long trip from the bottom, through the school of hard knocks and common tasks, isn’t desired by the average seat seeker.
Rather than seeking to be the instructor we must learn to learn! Take the student’s seat and “learn” of Him. Jesus said “Come learn of me.” Far too many seek to teach when they have never sat in the student’s seat first.
Humble yourself and be exalted. Exalt yourself and be humbled.
The very illustrative story about the young preacher who came up to the pulpit, very self confident and smug. He was immaculately dressed. He knew he had what it took. He began to deliver his “crowd-pleasing” sermon but when he started to speak, the words simply wouldn’t come out. Humiliated, he ended up leaving the platform, obviously humbled with head down. There were two old veteran preachers sitting in the front row and one remarked to the other, "If he'd come in like he went out, he would have gone out like he came in."
"For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted."
Paul said in Romans 12:3, "I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment…"
Desiring to be used in the kingdom is a good thing. Just let others do the promoting. Let your works speak well of you, not your mouth. The idea is that the host of the party sees your unselfish labor and humble attitude, comes to you, and says, what Jesus said in verse 10: "Friend, move up higher."
Philippians 2:3- 8 says,
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself;
4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
Take the humble seat as the best seat because it was our Lord’s seat!
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