Connected in The Word 8-27-25
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Luke 14:11
Exalting yourself is never a good idea. Proverbs 16:18 reminds us that, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall”. The verse above says that those who humble themselves will be exalted. Jesus says to take the lowest seat at the wedding feast and when the host arrives, he might move you up to a better seat. Once again, we see that the Bible is full of good advice. It’s generally not a good idea to put someone on a pedestal, but it’s never a good idea to put yourself on a pedestal.
But in this section of Luke Jesus isn’t giving you pointers on how to get a good seat at your friend’s wedding. Jesus is speaking about something much bigger and much deeper. When we stand before God, our only option is to humble ourselves. Not because we are looking to get a better seat in the Kingdom, but because the Spirit has opened our eyes to see the horrific depth of our sin. Before our God, we fall to our knees and cry out for mercy because we know we don’t deserve to have ANY SEAT at the wedding feast.
This is where God finds us in Christ! Crushed by the guilt of our sin through the revealing mirror of God’s Holy Law, God comes to us and clothes us with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He forgives our sin, heals our brokenness, and reconciles us to Himself. He exalts us to a place won and prepared for us by Jesus – NOT because we deserve it, but because He loves us enough to execute His judgment on Jesus instead of us. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” James 4:10
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