Church Fathers Commentary Luke 14:7-11

"And he spake a parable unto those that were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief seats; saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any man to a marriage feast, sit not down in the chief seat; lest haply a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him, and he that bade thee and him shall come and say to thee, Give this man place; and then thou shalt begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest place; that when he that hath bidden thee cometh, he may say to thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have glory in the presence of all that sit at meat with thee. For everyone that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." — Luke 14:7-11 (ASV)

St. Ambrose of Milan: First, the man with dropsy is cured, in whom the abundant discharges of the flesh crushed the powers of the soul and quenched the ardor of the Spirit. Next, humility is taught when, at the wedding feast, the desire for the highest place is forbidden. As it is said, Sit not down in the highest room.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: For to rush hastily toward honors that are not fitting for us indicates rashness and casts a slur upon our actions. Hence it follows: lest a more honorable man than you be invited...

St. John Chrysostom: And so the seeker of honor did not obtain what he coveted but suffered a defeat; while busying himself with how he might be loaded with honors, he is treated with dishonor. Because nothing is as valuable as modesty, He leads His hearer to the opposite, not only forbidding him to seek the highest place but bidding him to search for the lowest. As it follows: But when you are bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: For if a man does not wish to be set before others, he obtains this honor according to the divine word. As it follows: That when he that bade you comes, he may say to you, Friend, go up higher. In these words He does not harshly chide but gently admonishes, for a word of advice is enough for the wise. And thus for their humility men are crowned with honors, as it follows: Then shall you have worship.

St. Basil the Great: To take the lowest place at a feast, according to our Lord’s command, is fitting for everyone. However, to rush contentiously for this same place is to be condemned as a breach of order and a cause of tumult. A strife raised about it will place you on the same level as those who dispute about the highest place.

Therefore, as our Lord says here, it is the host’s responsibility to arrange the seating. Thus, in patience and love, we should conduct ourselves, doing all things decently and in order, not for external appearance or public display. Nor should we seem to practice or affect humility through forceful contradiction, but rather gain it by condescension or patience. For resistance or opposition is a far stronger sign of pride than taking the first seat at a meal when we obtain it by authority.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Now, let no one consider these precepts of Christ to be trivial and unworthy of the sublimity and grandeur of the Word of God. You would not call a physician merciful who professed to heal gout but refused to cure a scar on the finger or a toothache. How, then, can the passion of vainglory seem slight, when it agitated those who sought the first seats?

It was fitting, therefore, for the Master of humility to cut off every branch of this bad root. Observe also that when the supper was ready, and the wretched guests were contending for precedence before the Savior’s eyes, it provided the perfect occasion for this advice.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Having therefore shown from such a simple example the degradation of the ambitious and the exaltation of the humble-minded, He adds a great truth to a small one by pronouncing a general sentence, as it follows: For every one who exalts himself shall be abased, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted. This is spoken according to divine judgment, not human experience, in which those who desire glory often obtain it, while others who humble themselves remain without glory.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Moreover, the one who thrusts himself into honors is not respected in the end, nor by all people. While he is honored by some, he is disparaged by others—and sometimes even by the very people who outwardly honor him.

The Venerable Bede: Since the Evangelist calls this admonition a parable, we must briefly examine its mystical meaning. Whoever has been invited to the wedding feast of Christ’s Church, being united to its members by faith, must not exalt himself as higher than others by boasting of his merits. For he will have to give place to a more honorable person who is invited after him, seeing that he is surpassed by the diligence of those who followed him. With shame he then takes the lowest place, for, by recognizing the better qualities of others, he lowers whatever high thoughts he once had of his own works.

A person sits in the lowest place according to the verse, The greater you are, humble yourself in all things. When the Lord comes, whomever He finds humble, He will bless with the name of friend and command him to go up higher. For whoever humbles himself as a little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. It is well said, Then shall you have glory, so that you do not begin to seek now what is kept for you in the end.

This can also be understood to apply in this life, for daily God comes to His wedding feast, despising the proud and often giving the humble such great gifts of His Spirit that the assembly of those who sit at the meal—that is, the faithful—glorify them in wonder. But in the general conclusion that is added, it is plainly declared that our Lord's preceding discourse must be understood symbolically. For not everyone who exalts himself before men is abased by them, nor is he who humbles himself in their sight exalted by them. But whoever exalts himself because of his own merits, the Lord will bring low; and whoever humbles himself on account of God’s mercies, the Lord will exalt.