Proper 17.C.25
Luke 14:1, 7-14
Melanie L. McCarley

In the Gospel lesson for today we find Jesus at a sabbath meal at the home of a leader of the Pharisees—and he notices something peculiar about human nature. Many of those who have been invited are busy jockeying to find the best places to sit at the table. Certainly that kind of behavior is not unique to sabbath dinners—or most any banquet, soiree, cocktail hour, office luncheon or even clergy convention to which we may have been invited. People like to locate themselves in proximity to power; to be seen with the “right sort”; to appear to be with the “in” crowd, to be among those with influence and are decision makers.

Into this gathering Jesus tells a parable—designed to make many of the guests squirm. He says: “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at 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 the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Before you begin wondering if Jesus has suddenly styled himself as some first-century version of Emily Post, the reading continues. Jesus now admonishes his listeners not to take into account the social payoff or reward of their invitations and hospitality. Instead, Jesus says we should invite the outcasts—the poor, the sick, the socially undesirable, and more. And here’s the thing. I think he means it.

Jesus here is inviting us to consider how our hospitality mirrors living in the kingdom of God. Which causes me to wonder about the nature of the heavenly banquet of Our Lord. What does God’s table look like? Who gets to sit there…and specifically, where are they seated?

Most of us, when we think of a banquet, we picture a long table with narrow ends. There is the “head” of the table, where the important people sit, then there are the seats on the sides. The “least” place would, no doubt be the location most distant from the power seat at either end. If you have two important hosts, then the worst place would be whatever is equivalent of the fifty yard line. Then, of course, there are the servers, dressed in splendid array, standing at attention and finally, the kitchen staff and janitors, whom we neither see nor hear from.

That’s a picture of a splendid banquet—and I think it is the image that more than a few people have of what we are hoping awaits us in the Kingdom of Heaven. But I wonder.

Perhaps the banquet table of our Lord isn’t rectangular, but resembles something more like a circle. Remember King Arthur’s Table—round, so that no one could sit at the head, all were equal—no seat was more honored than another. At God’s table, I imagine that every place would be the same. Unlike the world in which we live – and which too often our faith mirrors, perhaps God’s kingdom doesn’t place importance upon where people sit. Instead, the goal is simply that everyone has a seat…together. In other words, at God’s table we wouldn’t expect God to hobnob only with those who are more worthy than others—instead, we would understand that God’s measure of membership and value at the banqueting table of our Lord has everything to do with how God sees us and not how we see ourselves.

And about the food. There would always be enough to go around. But where would it come from? And here too—I wonder. Perhaps the banquet that we are invited to in the Kingdom of God is not provided by heavenly minions—but is, in fact, more of a pot-luck. It is what we bring of ourselves. Not our position, prestige, money, power or influence, but the qualities which matter most. Those of the heart and the fruits of the Spirit. And perhaps the goal of this banquet, isn’t to sit back and be served—but is instead to participate in a wild and joyous round of serving others. A banquet where the greatest joy is not in what we get, but sharing with others what we have to give. To get the full picture, imagine children playing “house”. In watching children play—there is joy in the action of making the dinner, of setting the table, of feeding others and even being fed. In play, what we are witnessing is not a chore, but more the thrill of being involved—of participating in something joyful, beautiful and meaningful.

Remember how Jesus ends his parable by encouraging his host to invite—all sorts of people—particularly those who cannot repay the gift of hospitality. What our Savior is doing here is calling out our propensity towards transactional living—doing something in expectation for what we will get in return. Here, Jesus is offering us an alternative vision—not simply of heaven, but of the Kingdom of God here on earth as well.

It’s Labor Day weekend, a fine time to remind ourselves of the importance of ensuring that all people are given a seat at the table. Everyone—from the person who sows the seed, to the individuals who pick the harvest; from the person who makes the cheese, another who sews the tablecloths to the people who set the plates, send out the invitations and others who cook the meal and still more who run the companies that provide jobs for people to work. What might that mean, for us to mirror in our lives and work ethic not the principle of a Top-down business, where small numbers of people live extraordinarily good lives at the expense of others; but a fine life for everyone—one where the banqueting table of the Kingdom of God and that of the Kingdom of Heaven are very much the same. In Jesus’ name. Amen.