"Give This Man Place"

Luke 14:8‑9  •  3 min. read  •  grade level: 8
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“When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him; and he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place” (Luke 14:8-98When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him; 9And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. (Luke 14:8‑9)).
Jesus has extended the invitation to His own—“With desire I have desired to eat  .  .  .  with you” (Luke 22:1515And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: (Luke 22:15)) —and He has promised to be with His own— “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:2020For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20)). What a precious privilege to be where He has “placed Himself at table” (Luke 2220Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. (Luke 22:20) JND)!
This passage in Luke suggests a vital, moral principle regarding the spirit in which we remember Him. We are to come to this feast rightly valuing the One around whom we gather. Thoughts of self—our faithfulness, our gifts, our abilities, our attainments—have no place in His glorious presence. If occupied with self, are we not, in principle, sitting down in the highest room? If self is the chief object of our thoughts, we morally take a place of prominence above the Lord Jesus.
But Jesus alone has title to the highest room. God reminds our hearts that we are in the presence of a greater than Solomon (Matt. 12:4242The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. (Matthew 12:42))—an infinitely more honorable man than he sits at this feast.
How often must the Spirit prod our self-centered hearts with those words: “Give this man place.” Jesus is presently seated at the right hand of the Father, crowned with glory and honor (Heb. 2:99But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. (Hebrews 2:9)). He who will be displayed as “King of kings and Lord of lords” is “the Son of His love.” He is the Creator, the spotless Lamb of God upon whom heaven opened with the words, “Thou art My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1:1111And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Mark 1:11)).
What a privilege and delight it is to the worshipping heart to “give this Man place”! May we unsparingly judge anything that would intrude into that place of prominence of which He alone is worthy.
We are instructed to “examine” ourselves (1 Cor. 11:2828But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. (1 Corinthians 11:28)) before we come collectively into His blessed presence. In doing so, grace will be given to take the very lowest place—the place morally suited to us. Then we will offer to this most honorable Man—One to whom all place is to be given—“the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name” (Heb. 13:1515By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. (Hebrews 13:15)).
Jesus Thou alone art worthy
Ceaseless praises to receive;
For Thy love and grace and goodness
Rise o’er all our hearts conceive.
With adoring hearts, we render
Honor to Thy precious name,
Overflowing with Thy mercies,
Far and wide Thy worth proclaim.
(Little Flock Hymnbook, #82)
Adapted from ministry