22nd Sun OT-C’16
“Not Humility”
Fr. Jeff Nicolas
I almost made a mistake in our preaching today! I almost prepared a homily on the topic of “humility” because of the combination of the first reading from Sirach (which mentions humility) and Jesus’ words to the audience he is addressing at the dinner party of the leading Pharisees, where he seemingly advises them on humility.
It would have been the same type of mistake I made when I was first ordained and decided to spend my ordination gift money on a new Lazy boy recliner. I looked at some small swatches of materials and selected one that I thought looked good. But when I got the chair I discovered that the small swatch of material did not show the whole pattern, and I ended up with the ugliest chair ever! (I left it at the Cathedral when I moved here!)
Lest I make the same mistake again, we need to step back and look at today’s Gospel story with the bigger picture in mind. If we look at the whole scene we see that these Pharisees invited Jesus to the dinner only to set him up. Just before the part we hear today the dinner guests parade a man with dropsy before Jesus to test him and see if he will break the Sabbath laws to heal the man. When Jesus tries to engage them and asks the question, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” they remain silent. They refuse to engage Jesus. All they are interested in is setting Jesus up for failure. A second time Jesus asks the dinner guests a question, “If one of you has a child or an ox that has fallen into a well, will you not immediately pull it out on the Sabbath day?” And for a second time they give him no word of response. They are so wrapped up in their little world-view (wrapped up in their own egos) that they just sit there unresponsive to Jesus, only capable of hearing what they want to hear.
Those dinner guests before Jesus reminds me of some priest mothers I once heard about that gathered for lunch one day. The first said to the others, “Well my son is a monsignor… when he enters the room everyone says, ‘Your Grace.’” The second mother said, “Well my son is an archbishop… when he enters a room everyone says, ‘Your Eminence.’” Then the third mother sat silent for a moment and then said, “Well my son is 6’7” and weighs 300 pounds… when he enters a room everyone says, ‘My God!’”
How we each hear Jesus’ advice on humility today makes all the difference in the world. If I hear Jesus say to me today, “When you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’ Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table,” and I think to myself this is how I can get ahead of those around me, or this is a good strategy to advance myself in the eyes of others, then I am really just being exposed by Jesus to be like those priest moms --- ego-centered. (This is what Jesus is doing with the dinner guests he is with today who are refusing to engage him. He is holding up a mirror to show them their true selves.) All who have their own ego sitting on the throne of their heart, instead of Jesus, need a radical change of heart!
Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is NOT a means to get ahead in this life. It is a means to inherit a place at his side with God in eternity.
A relationship with Jesus Christ is not something to leverage so as to position myself for some advantage over another. Jesus Christ is someone to imitate so as to inherit what he inherits.
The greatest among you must serve the least; the last will be first. This is what Jesus wants his unresponsive dinner guests to understand and embrace. Now, lets gather at Jesus’ table.
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free