truth – Page 3 – Alaska Bible Teacher

Your Shepherd is Speaking

John 10:1-6, The Message

^1-5“Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you, know he’s up to no good—a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice.”

“He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it.”

⁶ “Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about.“

For context: 10:7-18

What joy can be found in our Shepherd’s care, and to hear his voice. Nothing really can match this wonder. We follow as he leads. The voice is an integral part of this passage and the foundation of authentic discipleship. You really can’t walk with him unless you hear him. We belong to him. We’re his flock that he keeps and provides for.

He knows our name! That’s the intimacy found in these verses. We’re never forgotten and he will never overlook us. To think otherwise is slander and an attack on his present-day ministry. Jesus is our good shepherd. He always will be.

“Intimacy with God comes in whispers, not shouts.”

Woodrow Kroll

He sometimes whispers, and this world can’t hear him. To be perfectly honest, my ‘busyness’ silences him. I suppose that the real issue isn’t with him, but with myself.

“And after the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, there was the sound of a gentle whisper.”

1 Kings 19:12

The gentle whisper to a man afraid. This fits the Father’s m.o. He doesn’t speak through a windstorm, earthquake, or fire. He chooses to speak very quietly, and that’s a problem for me. In the original Hebrew, the word for “whisper” can be translated as calm, silence, or something gentle. He speaks this way if only we shut up for a little while.

If we are to recognize God’s voice, we must belong to Him. We hear His voice when we spend time in Bible study and quiet contemplation of His Word. The more time we spend intimately with God and His Word, the easier it is to recognize His voice and His leadership in our lives(.

(Perhaps Psalm 23 should be brought in at this point?)

The flock hears the shepherd, and it’s that voice that breaks through our cluttered-up life. We can hear, and it’s that communication that encourages us to walk through life—one day at a time. Just today. That’s all you must do.

There are so many other voices. You must ignore them.

So many are speaking, and so many want us to hear and follow them. But in reality, they want us to leave the Shepherd and his flock behind.

But we can’t allow this, we must learn to listen to him alone.

(Art by Eugène Burnard)

Becoming a Little Christ

Luke 9:1-6, Amplified

Now Jesus called together the twelve [disciples] and gave them [the right to exercise] power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.

Then He sent them out [on a brief journey] to preach the kingdom of God and to perform healing. And He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey [that might encumber you]—neither a walking stick, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have two tunics apiece. ⁴Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city [to go to another]. ⁵And as for all those who do not welcome you, when you leave that city, shake the dust off your feet [breaking all ties with them] as a testimony against them [that they rejected My message].”

So they began going from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing the sick everywhere.

A disciple’s perspective:

Jesus called the twelve of us together that day for a reason–He wanted us to start doing His work, which, I admit wasn’t really in my thinking. But this was His plan, and He knew exactly what He was doing. I didn’t feel remotely competent, and the thought of doing what Jesus did seemed a bit sacrilegious.

I was intimidated by all of this.

But now I can see that was what He intended all along, to push us into the supernatural–preaching, healing, and exorcising demons. He wanted us to touch people, to meet the needs of the desperate, and by doing so, extend the kingdom of God.

We were all skeptical, obviously. We weren’t Jesus, not by a long shot, and we had no right or ability to do miracles. On our own, I we were still fishermen and tax collectors. And honestly, what Jesus was asking (or commanding?) was for us to leave what we felt was comfortable and to step into His sandals. He wanted us to be just like Him.

He gave us His authority and power–it was His to give.

I suppose that this was the key to it all. We had witnessed fantastic miracles, stunning things that pretty much undid us. Jesus repeatedly defied the laws of nature—with just a word. And we’re His disciples, so I suppose that meant we needed to step out and touch people just like He taught. I guess that was Jesus’ plan for us all along. We just thought it wouldn’t happened this quick.

So the power and authority was given and we became “little Christs.”

Two by two we went in different directions to discover for ourselves what would happen. The needs we encountered were substantial. The world was a needy place that made its home in the pain and darkness of the demonized and the desperate. It seemed overwhelming. I think we all felt weak and very inadequate.

It’s funny, but we suddenly saw all these people through His eyes–it’s like we never had seen them before. We were now cloaked in Jesus’ very own power. When we laid hands on people astonishing miracles began to happen. All at once there were needs all around us. And the people kept coming.

I began to understand what it really meant to love people. We had left the relative safety of learners and had now became doers. I suppose we realized that there was an incredible difference between the two. We were all astonished by what we saw, at that moment we had few doubts about what was happening inside of us.

It changed us like nothing else could!

Being made into “little Christs” now made perfect sense. We saw fantastic miracles and dramatic victories over dark demons. The things we had seen Jesus do were now the things we were doing! Suddenly everything came together and we understood many of the words that He had tried to drill into our thick skulls.

From village to village we went–we stayed with whoever wanted us. The needs we saw were staggering, from sunrise to sunset people came. Wherever we turned there seemed to be somebody else, but Jesus’ own authority was always present, it never diminished or weakened. It was like a bubbling spring that never once ran dry.

I suppose what happened inside me was just as much a miracle as we had seen Him do for others.

I was astonished–up to now I never realized how exciting it was to follow the Lord Jesus. What a joy to see the face of a man or woman who was set free. It was such a thrill to touch a little boy’s dead eyes and suddenly realize that he could see!

So this is what it honestly means to be His disciple!

“Truly I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.”

John 14:12

Spiritual Sloth

Matthew 25:1-13

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. ²Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³When the foolish took their lamps, they didn’t take oil with them; ⁴but the wise ones took oil in their flasks with their lamps. ⁵When the groom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶“In the middle of the night there was a shout: ‘Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him.’

⁷“Then all the virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸The foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’

⁹“The wise ones answered, ‘No, there won’t be enough for us and for you. Go instead to those who sell oil, and buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰“When they had gone to buy some, the groom arrived, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. ¹¹Later the rest of the virgins also came and said, ‘Master, master, open up for us!’“

¹²“He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you!’“

¹³“Therefore be alert, because you don’t know either the day or the hour.“

There were three stages in every ancient Jewish wedding.

Engagement–when fathers got together to make sure that it would be a good match.
Betrothal—a ceremony in which formal promises were made by the lovers.
Marriage—a surprise arrival, usually a year later, by the groom at the home of the woman.

Each was incredibly important. There couldn’t be any short-cuts; one just didn’t jump into this. It wasn’t a Las Vegas approach to just getting hitched. This parable was an extension of the previous verses in Matthew 24:36-51 and had to do with being prepared.

We can extract this from the third step of marriage. The groom would show up at night, and torches were used to light their way, (apparently the flashlight hadn’t been invented yet). Within Jesus’ parable was the idea of suddenness or surprise.

But no one knew exactly when the groom would show up.

Hence there is an emergency feel to this story. The text states in verse 5:

“Five of them were foolish and five were wise.”

The story hinges on this sentence. Readiness is the issue here. Everything of any significance must take on the sudden arrival of the groom’s entourage. The virgins, apparently, would go out to meet him—the torches mingling their light, and drive out any darkness. (It seems that 10 was the acceptable number for a proper rabbinical ceremony).

The problem was that only 1/2 of them were ready. It’s interesting to note that everyone was sleeping. Obviously, that didn’t mean anything for it was the availability of “oil” that would make the difference. The idea was a surprise visit.

The oil was the key. And for us, it represents the Holy Spirit.

Sleep is not the whole issue here, but being prepared is. Five girls were foolish, they were simply not ready. They realized their error and tried to finagle oil from the others, but ultimately that would short everyone in their group. There was an idea that a trip to the local oil merchant would work. It was an idea anyway.

But it was already too late!

The door was closed. The five simply missed it. They stood outside knocking and calling, but they didn’t enter in on time. Reading between the lines, I sense they were desperate. Verse 12 is meant to penetrate and reveal the price of tolerating spiritual sloth.

“He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you!’“

The purpose of this parable is the ending line that stresses alertness in a society that dulls everything. The temptation is to act like you’re spiritually aware when you’re not. It’s one of our greatest sins. We assume our lamps are lit when the reality is that our oil (the Holy Spirit) is running close to zero. When our sloth gets mixed with hypocrisy it’ll surely destroy us.

We’re snoring our way to spiritual death.

We must resist slumber and slothfulness. Jesus asserts that his virgins must be prepared and ready for his coming. We must be ready, we must—the price of our unreadiness is high indeed.

“Take care of giving up your first zeal; beware of cooling in the least degree. Ye were hot and earnest once; be hot and earnest still, and let the fire which once burnt within you still animate you. Be ye still men of might and vigor, men who serve their God with diligence and zeal.”

Charles Spurgeon

Art by Eugène Burnan

Sharp Knife Worship

In biblical hermeneutics, the “Law of First Mention” states that the initial occurrence of a word or concept in scripture determines its subsequent understanding. Obviously the book of Genesis is a main source of these initial mentions.

In Genesis 22, we have the story of Abraham and Isaac on Mt. Moriah.

Abraham has tied his son on an altar to offer him as a sacrifice in obedience to God’s direction (v. 2). His faith is tested to the ultimate extreme. Abraham shows us how to enter into real worship.

“Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. ⁵And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”

Genesis 22:4-5

This is the first time in scripture the word “worship” is used.

It sets the singular tone for all the scriptures on this subject. I guess what’s really interesting is that there are no musical instruments involved. There were just these needful things:

stones
wood
rope
fire
a knife
and Isaac, (the would be ‘lamb.’)

When the Hebrew word for ‘worship’ was used for the first time, it was infused with the idea of a sacrifice. Abraham is the first ‘worship leader’ and he has no guitar. No piano, or drums either. No musical instruments whatsoever. No amplifier, no overhead lyrics to speak of.

Just a handmade altar, and a very sharp knife.

In the end, as Abraham raises that knife, and he is suddenly stopped, (to the relief of us all). His faith has withstood the test, and he has genuinely ‘worshiped.’

“But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

Gen. 22:11-12

Principle One:

There really can’t be worship without sacrifice.

Sometimes we think that only talented and gifted people should lead worship, and maybe they should. But in reality, we all must worship, regardless of our talents or skills. Let’s remember that worship isn’t about impressing others, but it’s about expressing our devotion and commitment to God. But in the long run, there needs to be a sacrifice of some sort. It may be something small, but it’s always dear.

Principle Two:

The first worshiper didn’t use a guitar, but a knife.

This difference keeps the idea of sacrifice in its definition. I truly believe that there can’t be real worship without sacrifice. The knife thrust he was ready to use wasn’t backed up by drums or piano. Yet Abraham understood worship every step he took to Mt. Moriah with the knife in his belt.

Jesus is my Isaac, my sacrifice. He died so I now live.

We must realize our sacrifice is the Lamb of God. It’s His blood on God’s altar for our sin. As believers, our faith firmly rests in this spiritual fact. It’s a sacrifice, and He did it for us. We of all people have cause to really worship.

“God wills to be displayed and known and loved and cherished and worshiped.”

John Piper

The Five Crowns

In the New Testament crowns are given to certain believers. They’re more than a reward, they’re recognition of a Christian’s life and character. Keep in mind that each one given is pure grace. They are not rewards that we earn, but recognition of God’s blessing. We can do nothing unless He gives us His grace. You must understand this.

We find that there are five. But understand, these are not given as recompense or compensation. A crown is never earned, and it’s never given as an achievement for exceptional behavior. All are received by His grace and kindness. (And, we’re not in any competition on who can receive the most.)

Here’s a list which I hope is complete.

the Victor’s Crown
the Crown of Rejoicing
the Crown of Righteousness
the Crown of Life
the Crown of Glory

The Victor’s Crown, which is also called the Martyr’s Crown. We can read it in James 1:12 and also in Revelation 2:10. The Church of Smyrna is promised by Jesus, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer…the devil is about to throw some of you into prison…Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

The Crown of Rejoicing, is described in 1 Thessalonians 2:19 and in Philippians 4:1. This crown is given to those dedicated to evangelism or the mission field. Paul receives this crown for his work with the Thessalonians. “Therefore, my brothers,whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.”

The Crown of Righteousness, this is given to believers who steadfastly look for Jesus’ Second Coming. It seems it’s also given to those who seek after an intimacy with Jesus. We can read of this in 2 Timothy 4:8. “There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

The Crown of Life, this is given to those who have laid aside all the things this world offers and are committed to a life that is eternal. “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. “They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” (1 Cor. 9:25.)

The Crown of Glory, given to the pastoral servants who have prayed and served the Church, “And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” According to 1 Peter 5:2-4 this crown is given to those who have served the flock faithfully as His shepherds and teachers.

These five crowns are freely given, by grace, to each who deserves them. In each and every case it’s Jesus who coronates each believer. We’ll watch and we’ll agree with His decision. We will not vote to see who is worthy but we will understand His gracious wisdom of that person’s trials and challenges.

None of these crowns will not be worn very long. There will not be any reason to show them off to other believers, “Look at me, I’m wearing two, how many crowns are you wearing?” No. Rather, in love, we return each crown to Him who gave it to us.

A crown is temporary and is given back to Him who loved us so much.

“The twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”

Revelation 4:10-12

“If you had a thousand crowns you should put them all on the head of Christ! And if you had a thousand tongues they should all sing his praise, for he is worthy!“

Willian Tiptaft

Modern Idolatry, Plain and Simple

“The human heart is an idol factory.”

John Calvin

The definition of idolatry, according to Webster, is “the worship of idols or excessive devotion to, or reverence for some person or thing.” Idolatry is real, and it’s really a challenge to the believer, and it’s seldom mentioned today. In almost 40 years of following Jesus, I honestly can’t remember one real sermon on idolatry. That’s sad.

In fact, one of the first commandments given by God is in Exodus 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before me.” This has never been rescinded. It’s not obsolete or old-fashioned. The unredeemed human heart remains a factory of idolatry. Nothing has changed.

“An idol is anything that replaces the one, true God. The most prevalent form of idolatry in Bible times was the worship of images that were thought to embody the various pagan deities.”

As I looked at the topic of idolatry I was surprised that it was mentioned over 200 times. Most references are in the OT, that is true, but, some are in the NT. For one of these, John, the writer of 1 John ends his epistle, rather abruptly:

^“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”

1 John 5:21

So what is modern idolatry –what does a modern idol look like?

To help clear that up, Nicholas McDonald wrote a letter to you from the perspective of your very own, personal idol. (The last line is definitely a whopper.)

Hello. I am an idol.

Don’t be afraid, it’s just me. I notice you’re turned off by my name: “Idol.”

It’s okay. I get that a lot.

Allow me to rename myself.

I’m your family.

Your bank account.

Your sex life.

The people who accept you.

Your career.

Your self-image.

Your ideal spouse.

Your law-keeping.

I’m whatever you want me to be.

I’m what you think about while you drive on the freeway.

I’m your anxiety when you lay your head on the pillow.

I’m where you turn when you need comfort.

I’m what your future cannot live without.

When you lose me, you’re nothing.

When you have me, you’re the center of existence.

You look up to those who have me.

You look down on those who don’t.

You’re controlled by those who offer me.

You’re furious at those who keep you from me.

When I make a suggestion to you, you’re compelled.

When you cannot gratify me, I consume you.

No—I cannot see you, or hear you, or speak back to you.

But that’s what you like about me.

No—I am never quite what you think I am.

But that’s why you keep coming back.

And no—I don’t love you.

But I’m there for you, whenever you need me.

What am I?

I think you know by now.

You tell me.

To help clear that up, Nicholas McDonald wrote a letter to you from the perspective of your very own, personal idol.

I hope this helps. And I hope God gives you understanding.

alaskabibleteacher.com

He’s Inside of You

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,”

Ephesians 3:14-18

Prayer often does what preaching can’t. Some need a reminder. This idea of being “rooted and grounded in love” is crucial to growing up Christians. And it most often happens when the preacher is driven to his knees by a sticky situation.

After over 30 years I’m starting to see that my teaching has certain limits, but prayer on the other hand, always drives discipleship home.

You must settle on this spiritual fact, only a disciple can make a disciple. Too many preachers are believers themselves who don’t have a real prayer life. They end up using the pulpit (and the worship) as their sole ‘means of support.’ I can guess you can see how tragic this becomes.

A prayer meeting is almost unheard of lately, but I still believe that there are small groups of Christians who believe that both doctrine and prayer are God’s way of growing us up into His image. These two must be blended before real growth can begin.

“Strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.”

Prayer is Paul’s way of building up the Ephesian church. In my personal opinion, he was locked up in a Roman prison for a couple of good reasons–the first is that he would discover he could disciple at a distance. And second that his prayer was an exceptional way to build the Church. Paul starts to understand this, and he rediscovers a new way to pray.

Paul’s prayer becomes a tool of considerable force.

Ephesians 3 papyrus from c. 275 A.D.

from wikipedia.org

The “inner being” is what he’s aiming at, and it’s Paul’s way of touching the heart of anyone the Holy Spirit is dealing with. Mr. Dry Eyes will never reach the hearts that the Father is working in. Rather Mr. Crying Tears does the Father’s work. It’s not impeccable logic or great theology that completes the work, but the deep, deep cry of the heart.

“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,“

The immense power is Jesus living inside of us. Faith is God’s own key that He gives. Love is our root; it helps us grow. It gives us stability which is critical living in a confused and fallen world.

“Salt, when dissolved in water, may disappear, but it does not cease to exist. We can be sure of its presence by tasting the water. Likewise, the indwelling Christ, though unseen, will be made evident to others from the love which he imparts to us.”

Sadhu Sundar Singh

How to Die Well

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Psalm 23:4, ESV

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”

Psalm 116:15

“Death is like my car. It takes me where I want to go.”

Pastor John Piper

Our generation simply doesn’t know how to die well. There are many conflicting messages and attitudes which have steered us away from the reality of dying. Much of it is the natural development of unbelief. Our pop culture develops this and gives it momentum. We are trying to convince ourselves that “death is impossible, my life will not end.” But we’re escaping into a delusion. And it only intensifies as we age.

We are running from what is real.

There is a Latin phrase, Ars moriendi (“The Art of Dying”) which the Church practiced in past generations. In the past, Christians would be buried as close as possible to a Church building. Many would be interred within the very walls of the Church. The understanding was that the dead were part of the congregation. That there was only a thin veil that stood between the living and the dead.

The dead didn’t just vanish. They still live. We just don’t see them.

Our generation is confused. We have forced death to wear a mask. We insist on a significant camouflage to hide the reality of sickness and death. No one really ever talks about it, and so no instructions are given on how to die well. So we don’t, and we die poorly–often in ICUs. We die sedated, separated and unable to process dying. We never help our families process it.

For many, the fear of dying is intense and paralyzing.

It’s time for the Church to step up and guide us to our next step. Our pastors and elders have got to prepare us to die well. It is a part of being a disciple. It is discipleship, and dying is inclusive. We need somebody to prepare us for the inevitable and the certainty that is approaching us. I need someone that will help me face my own death.

You know what? No one escapes.

And the reality of that drives some of us mad, or addicted, or psychotic. The idea of filling a casket up for forever is incomprehensible. We cannot live with this sick idea of dying. It disturbs us on the deepest level possible. It is completely evil.

Psalm 23 has been pure comfort and healing for generations. And it is an excellent starting point for us. Verse 4 develops the idea of traversing death. The writer has incredible insight of passing through death. This verse alone is worth billions of dollars in gold.

Psalm 23 has been pure comfort and healing for generations. And it is an excellent starting point for us. Verse 4 develops the idea of traversing death. The writer has incredible insight of passing through death. Psalm 23 has made me a very wealthy man. His Word has become my rich treasure.

“Some day you will read in the papers that D.L. Moody of East Northfield, is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now; I shall have gone up higher, that is all, out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal- a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint; a body fashioned like unto His glorious body.”

D.L. Moody

The School of the Prophets

“For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.”

Amos 3:7, ESV

The phrase “the School of the Prophets” has been identified as the ‘naioth’ or “dwellings” in Ramah in 1 Samuel 19:18-24 where the fellowship or “school of the prophets” assembled to worship, pray, and ask God for wisdom. The idea of ‘naioth’ described an idea of community. They seemed to live in a commune of sorts.

An older prophet became the teacher. They would be drilled into the Law. Much of the character of God was talked about, and this would become the core of these new prophets. They learned to seek His anointing, and also humility of heart and mind. The older prophet would emphasize these two things. He was understood as the foundation of any real ministry.

I wish there was more given to us.

We can only emphasize and extrapolate out of a few verses. Even so, I must believe that the Holy Spirit was profoundly involved in speaking deliberately and honestly to the nations of Judea and Israel. These prophets would be sent out into ministry as needed.

I believe that there were many who spoke the heart of God. And yes, there were the majors: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. The minor prophets would carry a shorter ministry, at least in the written sense, but were not regarded as lesser ministries.

So what does this mean for you?

If your ministry is a specialized one, community becomes key. In this place you will learn about God, in a way that you’ll never ever learn on your own. A prophet is not a prophet unless he learns from a brother. When you fail (and you will) that dear-hearted brother will confront and teach you where you went wrong.

You must recognize the authority of God in the words of a true prophet. You must also understand the treacherous voice of the flesh and the demonic. You must discern, and as a believer that is paramount. You must listen, and hear the Voice of Jesus. “And many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.” Matthew 24:11.

We recognize you, and ask you to do your New Testament work. Yes, we will test you to determine if you’re real. We need you, but only if you are genuine. We demand authenticity. But please come and shape us into the image of our Lord Jesus. We wait humbly for your ministry.

Amen.

Lower Seat Christians

Luke 14:7-11

“Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, ⁸“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, ⁹and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. ¹⁰But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you.

¹¹For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Choose your seat carefully. In Jesus’ day, there was a definite seating order to a wedding feast. It wasn’t first come, first served. There was a strict protocol, where one’s importance mattered. Honored people got honorable seats–close to the front as possible. Average people got average spots; but no one wanted be at the bottom, having to sit at the “kids table.”

Jesus was watching, and what he saw was a spiritual principle of His Kingdom.

Jesus often teaches out of the things we encounter–real life events. Spiritual truth often hits us from those things we actually see. If you want to know what God is doing in your life, all you need to do is look around at the “practical” things, and start to see the spiritual lessons inside them. We learn from real-life. That’s how he often teaches us, he combines the Word with what we’re experiencing.

Our natural inclination is to move higher up.

We often think that we’re deserving, and so we take our “rightful” positions. That’s the way humans think. We all want to sit in the best possible place, and so we end up wheedling our way up front. We can fall into the subtle trap of self-promotion. But that’s not how discipleship works.

Jesus corrects, advising us to take the lowest place. I think verse 11 is the key to figuring out this seating arrangement. We’re starting to see a physical situation become a spiritual lesson. There’s much to learn. Here’s verse 11 in the Amplified version:

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled [before others], and he who habitually humbles himself (keeps a realistic self-view) will be exalted.”

Verse 14, Amplified Bible

This translation injects some realism into our lives, especially in how we see ourselves. It’s something quite foundational. It lays down a principle that is always true in his Kingdom (1 Peter 5:6). If we don’t accept and implement this, we’ll suffer a definite deficiency in our discipleship. It stunts the growth of many believers. And that is tragic.

The whole scene lays out how life in the spirit really works, and it seems terribly paradoxical.

Our human logic asserts that deliberately choosing the lesser is foolish, things really don’t work that way. We think (falsely), that we’ll only advance by asserting ourselves. But Jesus, quite aptly, clarifies the ways of the Kingdom–true maturity will only come if we decide to take the lowest place.

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

James 4:10