“And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden (to a supper), when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms saying unto them, 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; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

“Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors, lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. When thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.”-Luke 14:7-14.

The Humble To Be Exalted

It was probably in answer to some question that our Lord propounded the parable of the guests bidden to a marriage feast, warning against the custom of seeking prominent positions, and the danger incurred that a more honorable person might come in later, and thus they might get the least honorable seat in the company. Our Lord noted this mark of selfishness in those who were gathered with him at the table of his host, but we must suppose that he did not rudely intrude the matter as a reproof at such a time without having a question or some reasonable cause for bringing the matter forward.

The entire lesson of the parable seems to be an illustration of the proper course amongst men as viewed from the divine standpoint, and hence an illustration to all of the way in which God will deal with those whom he invites to the antitypical marriage feast. The chief places will not be given to those most bold, most inclined to usurp authority, but, on the contrary, the Lord will not forget the man or woman of humble mind who, thinking little of himself or herself, would thankfully and gratefully seek for and appreciate the very humblest place in the divine presence.

Ambition is a very necessary faculty of the human mind, without which the world would make comparatively little progress; but it is a very dangerous element as respects the formation of Christian character. We may be sure, from all the Scriptures set forth, that God’s principle of dealing with us in the distribution of the glories and honors of the kingdom will be along the lines laid down by the Master: He that humbleth himself shall be exalted, he that exalteth himself shall be abased.

Love of Power to Do Good

We are frequently charged by those who, from blindness or other reasons, would disparage the glorious Gospel of the kingdom that those “of this way” are seeking selfishly for the glory and honor and immortality of the kingdom as something superior to what others will receive at the Lord’s hand. This as a whole is an unfair and an unjust charge, for as far as we know the majority of those who are interested in “present truth” are not so much ambitious for the dignities of the kingdom as they are for any place in the great marriage feast, any membership in the glorious Bride company, any opportunity to share with the heavenly Bridegroom in the great and wonderful work of blessing all the families of the earth. It would not occur to any of us to think of ourselves in connection with such high honors and dignities, glory, and immortality, except as we find it plainly stated in the divine Word, but finding it there, it is the duty of faith to accept whatever we may be deemed worthy of, and to allow it to work in us to will and to do the Lord’s good pleasure, as he intended.

The chief difficulty, so far as our experience goes, is not a mere ambition as respects glory, honor, and rank in the kingdom, but rather an ambition as respects the present life-a seeking who shall be greatest on this side the veil. Our observation is that some of the most talented, most able, most conscientious of the Lord’s followers are in danger along this line, and it is a part of our duty to call this matter to the general attention, that each of the Lord’s dear people may do all in his power to help any who are in such a position to see that an ambitious striving for glory and honor and dignity and position in the present time would surely mean a loss of the Lord’s favor and the ultimate attainment in the kingdom of a much humbler position, if indeed pride did not hinder them entirely from being accepted as members of the “little flock.” Let us re member the Apostle’s exhortation, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” -1 Peter 5:6.

Remember the Poor and the Friendless

Perhaps it was in answer to some other question that our Lord gave his dissertation respecting the making of a feast and who should be invited to it, the conclusion of our lesson. He set forth a new proposition: The custom was to invite to a feast those whom you would expect and desire to ask you in return to a feast at their home. The thought of recompense was thus associated, a selfish thought. Our Lord’s suggestion would not necessarily, we think, mean that it would be wrong to invite a person to a feast at our home if we thought it at all probable that he would ask us to his home. His thought rather is that, while this would be a pleasant and pro fit able interchange, there would be no merit in so doing in the Lord’s sight-each would get his reward in such a reciprocity.

Perhaps the Lord wished to show his host that in inviting himself and his disciples, who were no t so situated as to be able to invite the others of the company in turn to their homes, he had really done a gracious act, provided he had the gracious motive back of it. In making a feast for the poor, the helpless, the maimed, and the blind, a work of charity and mercy would be done, and no recompense coming in the present life, they might be sure of a blessing in the future life. In other words, our Lord intimates that every good deed willingly, intelligently done from the right motive, may be sure to have a blessing, as surely as will every evil deed, every injurious matter done with a wrong thought and evil sentiment, be sure to have some kind of punishment either in the present or in the future life.

Our Lord declared that such a good deed will be recompensed in the resurrection of the just, but since he was not addressing his disciples, not addressing justified ones, we feel that his words should not be understood to mean that such a feast to the poor, etc., would secure the highest place in the first resurrection among the blessed and holy who shall be priests unto God and reign as the kingly class, the bride class, with the Bridegroom. This would not be a reasonable view to put upon the words, because other Scriptures intimate that not only faith in Jesus as the Mediator is necessary, but a travelling faithfully in the narrow way in order to attain a share in the first resurrection.

What then did our Lord mean? We answer that the first resurrection, which will include only the “blessed and holy,” the saints, the bride of Christ, the bride with the glorious Head and Bridegroom, will mark the beginning of the kingdom which our Lord preached and which he taught us to pray for, saying, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as in heaven.”

Those who will have part in the first resurrection are to be the priests and judges of the world.-1 Corinthians 6:2; Revelation 20:6. Surely after that first resurrection the blessing of the world, the times of restitution of all things, will begin! Then the whole world will stand before these judges during the thousand years, to be helped up, if they will, to the full of human perfection, or if failing to respond to their glorious opportunities, they will be destroyed in the second death.

In that day of their judgment every deed of kindness to the poor will be found to have wrought some blessing in the character of the individual which will have to do with his station, with his starting- point on the highway of holiness. The most degraded, those who have accomplished nothing in the present time in the way of character development, must begin at the very start of the road and have the longer journey to its farther end of perfection; while those who in the present time have loved righteousness and hated iniquity, and have sought to comfort and benefit their fellows, especially those who would give even a cup of cold water to a disciple of the Lord because he was his disciple-all such would be found to be benefitted proportionately in that day of glorious possibilities. Thus the Lord’s words would signify that any who would give a cup of cold water or who would bless the maimed and the blind and the poor would experience a reward and blessing in that future time which would follow the resurrection of the just-in the Millennial age. R3832 (1906)