Luke 14:7-14
14:7 a the seats of honor: Meals in the ancient world were rituals of social status. The place given to someone at the table was determined by their place in the social pecking order. The quality of the food served to each guest also depended on their status. These guests were jockeying for the places of highest honor.14:8 b Jesus’ response was a commentary on Prov 25:6-7 c.
14:9 d Then you will be embarrassed: Honor was among the most important values in first century Jewish culture. This kind of humiliation would have been almost worse than death.
Summary for Luke 14:12-13: 14:12-13 e don’t invite your friends: Jesus challenged the prevailing use of banquets to flaunt and elevate one’s status in the community. The host would invite friends of equal status and a few who were higher. These honored guests would then be expected to reciprocate, raising the first host’s social position and reputation. Jesus turned this hierarchy upside down by instructing his followers to invite those who had no social status and could not reciprocate. God invites sinful human beings to dine at his banquet table of salvation.
14:14 f the resurrection of the righteous: see Dan 12:2 g.
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