Luke 14:7-11

On Seeking Seats of Honor

14:7 Then ¹  when Jesus ²  noticed how the guests ³  chose the places of honor, ⁴  he told them a parable. He said to them, 14:8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, ⁵  do not take ⁶  the place of honor, because a person more distinguished than you may have been invited by your host. ⁷  14:9 So ⁸  the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your place.’ Then, ashamed, ⁹  you will begin to move to the least important ¹⁰  place. 14:10 But when you are invited, go and take the least important place, so that when your host ¹¹  approaches he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up here to a better place.’ ¹²  Then you will be honored in the presence of all who share the meal with you. 14:11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but ¹³  the one who humbles ¹⁴  himself will be exalted.”

Luke 22:24-27

22:24 A dispute also started ¹⁵  among them over which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. ¹⁶  22:25 So ¹⁷  Jesus ¹⁸  said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ ¹⁹  22:26 Not so with you; ²⁰  instead the one who is greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader ²¹  like the one who serves. ²²  22:27 For who is greater, the one who is seated at the table, ²³  or the one who serves? Is it not ²⁴  the one who is seated at the table? But I am among you as one ²⁵  who serves.

Matthew 18:1-5

Questions About the Greatest

18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 18:2 He called a child, had him stand among them, 18:3 and said, “I tell you the truth, ²⁶  unless you turn around and become like little children, ²⁷  you will never ²⁸  enter the kingdom of heaven! 18:4 Whoever then humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 18:5 And whoever welcomes ²⁹  a child like this in my name welcomes me.

Matthew 20:20-22

A Request for James and John

20:20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling down she asked him for a favor. ³⁰  20:21 He said to her, “What do you want?” She replied, ³¹  “Permit ³²  these two sons of mine to sit, one at your ³³  right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 20:22 Jesus ³⁴  answered, “You don’t know what you are asking! ³⁵  Are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink?” ³⁶  They said to him, “We are able.” ³⁷ 

Matthew 23:6-7

23:6 They ³⁸  love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues ³⁹  23:7 and elaborate greetings ⁴⁰  in the marketplaces, and to have people call them ‘Rabbi.’

Mark 9:33-37

Questions About the Greatest

9:33 Then ⁴¹  they came to Capernaum. ⁴²  After Jesus ⁴³  was inside the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 9:34 But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 9:35 After he sat down, he called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 9:36 He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, 9:37 “Whoever welcomes ⁴⁴  one of these little children ⁴⁵  in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

Romans 12:3

Conduct in Humility

12:3 For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you ⁴⁶  a measure of faith. ⁴⁷ 

Romans 12:10

12:10 Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another.

Galatians 5:20-21

5:20 idolatry, sorcery, ⁴⁸  hostilities, ⁴⁹  strife, ⁵⁰  jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, ⁵¹  factions, 5:21 envying, ⁵²  murder, ⁵³  drunkenness, carousing, ⁵⁴  and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!

Galatians 5:25-26

5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with ⁵⁵  the Spirit. 5:26 Let us not become conceited, ⁵⁶  provoking ⁵⁷  one another, being jealous ⁵⁸  of one another.

Philippians 2:3

2:3 Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition ⁵⁹  or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.

Philippians 2:14

2:14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing,

Philippians 2:3

2:3 Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition ⁶⁰  or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.

Philippians 1:9

1:9 And I pray this, that your love may abound even more and more in knowledge and every kind of insight

[14:7]  ¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[14:7]  ² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:7]  ³ tn Grk “those who were invited.”

[14:7]  ⁴ tn Or “the best places.” The “places of honor” at the meal would be those closest to the host.

[14:8]  ⁵ tn Or “banquet.” This may not refer only to a wedding feast, because this term can have broader sense (note the usage in Esth 2:18; 9:22 LXX). However, this difference does not affect the point of the parable.

[14:8]  ⁶ tn Grk “do not recline in the place of honor.” 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.

[14:8]  ⁷ tn Grk “by him”; the referent (the host) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:9]  ⁸ tn Grk “host, and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate this action is a result of the situation described in the previous verse. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[14:9]  ⁹ tn Or “then in disgrace”; Grk “with shame.” In this culture avoiding shame was important.

[14:9]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “lowest place” (also in the repetition of the phrase in the next verse).

[14:10]  ¹¹ tn Grk “the one who invited you.”

[14:10]  ¹² tn Grk “Go up higher.” This means to move to a more important place.

[14:11]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context, which involves the reversal of expected roles.

[14:11]  ¹⁴ sn The point of the statement the one who humbles himself will be exalted is humility and the reversal imagery used to underline it is common: Luke 1:52-53; 6:21; 10:15; 18:14.

[22:24]  ¹⁵ tn Or “happened.”

[22:24]  ¹⁶ tn Though the term μείζων (meizwn) here is comparative in form, it is superlative in sense (BDF §244).

[22:25]  ¹⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the dispute among the apostles.

[22:25]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:25]  ¹⁹ sn The title ‘benefactor,’ highlighting grace and meaning something like “helper of the people,” was even given to tyrants (2 Macc 4:2; 3 Macc 3:19; Josephus, J. W. 3.9.8 [3.459]).

[22:26]  ²⁰ tn Grk “But you are not thus.”

[22:26]  ²¹ tn Or “the ruler.”

[22:26]  ²² sn And the leader like the one who serves. Leadership was not to be a matter of privilege and special status, but of service. All social status is leveled out by these remarks. Jesus himself is the prime example of the servant-leader.

[22:27]  ²³ tn Grk “who reclines at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.

[22:27]  ²⁴ tn The interrogative particle used here in the Greek text (οὐχί, ouci) expects a positive reply.

[22:27]  ²⁵ sn Jesus’ example of humble service, as one who serves, shows that the standard for a disciple is different from that of the world. For an example see John 13:1-17.

[18:3]  ²⁶ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[18:3]  ²⁷ sn The point of the comparison become like little children has more to do with a child’s trusting spirit, as well as willingness to be dependent and receive from others, than any inherent humility the child might possess.

[18:3]  ²⁸ tn The negation in Greek (οὐ μή, ou mh) is very strong here.

[18:5]  ²⁹ tn This verb, δέχομαι (decomai), is a term of hospitality (L&N 34.53).

[20:20]  ³⁰ tn Grk “asked something from him.”

[20:21]  ³¹ tn Grk “said to him.”

[20:21]  ³² tn Grk “Say that.”

[20:21]  ³³ tc A majority of witnesses read σου (sou, “your”) here, perhaps for clarification. At the same time, it is possible that the pronoun dropped out through haplography or was excised because of perceived redundancy (there are two other such pronouns in the verse) by א B. Either way, the translation adds it due to the requirements of English style. NA²⁷ includes σου here.

[20:22]  ³⁴ tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[20:22]  ³⁵ tn The verbs in Greek are plural here, indicating that Jesus is not answering the mother but has turned his attention directly to the two disciples.

[20:22]  ³⁶ tc Most mss (C W 33 Ï, as well as some versional and patristic authorities) in addition have “or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” But this is surely due to a recollection of the fuller version of this dominical saying found in Mark 10:38. The same mss also have the Lord’s response, “and you will be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized” in v. 23, again due to the parallel in Mark 10:39. The shorter reading, in both v. 22 and v. 23, is to be preferred both because it better explains the rise of the other reading and is found in superior witnesses (א B D L Z Θ 085 Ë^1,13 pc lat, as well as other versional and patristic authorities).

[20:22]  ³⁷ sn No more naïve words have ever been spoken as those found here coming from James and John, “We are able.” They said it with such confidence and ease, yet they had little clue as to what they were affirming. In the next sentence Jesus confirms that they will indeed suffer for his name.

[23:6]  ³⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[23:6]  ³⁹ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

[23:7]  ⁴⁰ sn There is later Jewish material in the Talmud that spells out such greetings in detail. See H. Windisch, TDNT 1:498.

[9:33]  ⁴¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[9:33]  ⁴² map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.

[9:33]  ⁴³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:37]  ⁴⁴ tn This verb, δέχομαι (decomai), is a term of hospitality (L&N 34.53).

[9:37]  ⁴⁵ sn Children were very insignificant in ancient culture, so this child would be the perfect object lesson to counter the disciples’ selfish ambitions.

[12:3]  ⁴⁶ tn The words “of you” have been supplied for clarity.

[12:3]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “to each as God has distributed a measure of faith.”

[5:20]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “witchcraft.”

[5:20]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “enmities,” “[acts of] hatred.”

[5:20]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “discord” (L&N 39.22).

[5:20]  ⁵¹ tn Or “discord(s)” (L&N 39.13).

[5:21]  ⁵² tn This term is plural in Greek (as is “murder” and “carousing”), but for clarity these abstract nouns have been translated as singular.

[5:21]  ⁵³ tc ‡ φόνοι (fonoi, “murders”) is absent in such important mss as Ì⁴⁶ א B 33 81 323 945 pc sa, while the majority of mss (A C D F G Ψ 0122 0278 1739 1881 Ï lat) have the word. Although the pedigree of the mss which lack the term is of the highest degree, homoioteleuton may well explain the shorter reading. The preceding word has merely one letter difference, making it quite possible to overlook this term (φθόνοι φόνοι, fqonoi fonoi).

[5:21]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “revelings,” “orgies” (L&N 88.287).

[5:25]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “let us also follow,” “let us also walk by.”

[5:26]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “falsely proud.”

[5:26]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “irritating.” BDAG 871 s.v. προκαλέω has “provoke, challenge τινά someone.”

[5:26]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “another, envying one another.”

[2:3]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “not according to selfish ambition.” There is no main verb in this verse; the subjunctive φρονῆτε (fronhte, “be of the same mind”) is implied here as well. Thus, although most translations supply the verb “do” at the beginning of v. 3 (e.g., “do nothing from selfish ambition”), the idea is even stronger than that: “Don’t even think any thoughts motivated by selfish ambition.”

[2:3]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “not according to selfish ambition.” There is no main verb in this verse; the subjunctive φρονῆτε (fronhte, “be of the same mind”) is implied here as well. Thus, although most translations supply the verb “do” at the beginning of v. 3 (e.g., “do nothing from selfish ambition”), the idea is even stronger than that: “Don’t even think any thoughts motivated by selfish ambition.”