Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jesus says that according to justice in the Kingdom of God, those who serve others and are kind to others will receive their reward. Thus, he placed humility, service and obedience to God’s will at the center of the virtues required to inherit eternal life.
Gospel according to Luke 14:1,7-14
On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the Sabbath, the lawyers and Pharisees were watching him closely. When Jesus noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. 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 whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbled himself will be exalted. Jesus said also to the Pharisee who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.
Reflections
Today’s Gospel reading teaches us about the virtues of humility, service, generosity, and obedience, which are necessary for participating in God’s glory. Its message could be summarized in one phrase, the last verse of this section: “…for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke 14:14). The paragraph implies three things: First, that humility is a pleasing virtue in the eyes of God, second, that nothing that we give and do for others goes unnoticed in the eyes of God; and third, that even when we experience injustice, we can count on the righteous justice of God.
The setting in which Jesus expands on these ideas is a banquet and a feast, a prefiguration to being invited to the heavenly celebration.
Why is Jesus partaking in this meal? He has been invited by the leader of the Pharisees to join a Sabbath meal. The Sabbath meal follows a ritualistic pattern with the lighting of candles on Friday evening, blessings over the wine and the challah bread, songs and prayers before eating a multi-course meal, with the purpose of fostering family and community spirit. (1) The Sabbath in Jesus’ time as is now, is a special day, marked by the commandments to rest, strive for holiness, and share joy. (2) The table is already set, the best cutlery meticulously arranged, and the house smells of delicious food. As the guests arrive one by one wearing festive clothing, they are curious to meet Jesus and his companions who are already present.
Jesus observes the guests. As family and friends arrive, and among them several prominent community leaders who are friends of the host, they strive to find the best place from where they can hear and see the host perform the rituals and feel close to him. They pick and choose the seats, establishing a sort of hierarchy of who is to have which space according to merit, or seniority, or even boldness and audacity, while those who arrive later, or are considered less important in this small community are pushed to the periphery. Without prearranged placement, the scene can be a bit chaotic as people scramble to make arrangements and compete for the limited places of honor. “Better seats” mean higher prestige, more respect and prominence. “Worse seats,” mean lower prestige, less significance, and importance. Jesus uses this opportunity to teach something about how to practice the virtues of humility to fit ourselves for the heavenly banquet.
Comparing the scene to a wedding banquet, where those closest to the head according to kinship ties or prominence are seated, and to the heavenly banquet, where those closest to God are drawn near Him, we see that one discrepancy in this scene is that merit according to heavenly measures is not dependent on earthly success, or prominence. God is in charge of assigning places according to merit pleasing in His eyes, and like a host, invite someone to come closer. It is useless to push forward, or to claim a desired position, as God is the one who assigns the positions according to his judgement. Like a host, who can approach a guest and say, “Give this person your place,” (Luke 14:9) or “Friend, move up higher,” (Luke 14:10) God is the ultimate judge of merit, not according to earthly success, rank or position, but being fit for a place for whom God prepared it. Jesus clarified this when the mother of James and John asked Jesus if her sons could sit at His Right and left in His kingdom. Jesus replied that these positions are not His to give but reserved for those whom the Father has prepared them for (i.e., Matthew 20:23 and Mark 10:40).
As if from a two-dimensional space to a three-dimensional space, and from immanence to transcendence, Jesus observes the completion of the assembled guests to snatch the best seats and declares that this is not the way to enter the Kingdom of God: “For all that exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11). Jesus says that according to justice in the Kingdom of God, those who serve others and are kind to others will receive their reward. Thus, he placed humility, service and obedience to God’s will at the center of the virtues required to inherit eternal life. Indeed, here we could insert His teaching of the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit…Blessed are the meek…Blessed are the merciful…Blessed are the clean of heart…Blessed are the peacemakers…Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10-11) for God will honor and reward them in His kingdom.
Jesus teaches an important point about generosity: serving others cannot be self-serving for the sake of profit, or recognition. It really counts when it is offered selflessly for the sake of others and not expecting personal favors in return. He declares to the Pharisee hosting the banquet, “Invite the poor, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Jesus’ message emphasizes letting God to be the supreme judge of our actions and offering our service to the least ones on this earth, the lame, the poor, the blind, the vulnerable, in His name. That way, our reward will be great in heaven.
The extension from the invitation to this feast to the wedding feast in heaven implies that everyone is invited to the heavenly banquet, especially those who are poor, who are lame, or blind, therefore those who suffer. A foretaste of this celebration is Jesus’ invitation to receive the Eucharist and welcome Him in our hearts. There is where we create our sacred space and welcome Him together with our loved ones and all those who we lift in prayer to God.
References
- Golding, N. (2025). What to Expect at a Shabbat Dinner. Retrieved from: www.chabad.org. Accessed: August 25, 2025.
- Taylor, P. (2025). The Sabbath Meals. Retrieved from: www.chabad.org. Accessed: August 25, 2025.