TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME C

[cappie]

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus accepts a dinner invitation to eat with the Pharisees. The Pharisees were rigid in their thoughts and practices of Judaism.  Once inside, Jesus pays particular attention to the seating arrangements at the dinner. People are apparently jockeying for the best seating at the table. Jesus used this occasion as a teachable moment about humility. He tells us that we are not to immediately flock to the best seat in the house, but rather to move down to a lower seat and wait to be invited to a perceived place of honour. The anticipation is very challenging because some wonder how they will feel if they are not asked to move to a place of prominence.

 In the eyes of Jesus, all are equal. Jesus' suggestions to his fellow dinner guests apply Sirach's advice to the rather ticklish situation of guests jockeying for position at a banquet. Watching the scene with some amusement, Jesus took it as a teaching moment. (He was in the habit of doing that.)Therefore, where we sit is less important than who we offer a seat to God challenges us to demonstrate a willingness to make space for others at the banquet table. Jesus’ banquet table can never be a place reserved exclusively for the elite.

On occasion, people who have been marginalized by society find themselves standing on the outside of the banquet room. It can be very difficult for some to gain entry. People of colour struggled for centuries to get a seat – any seat – at the table. While some already seated felt an urgent desire to deny such inclusion,  Jesus says that exclusion is not the appropriate response. He calls us all to participate in the banquet. He even models for us what a willingness to break bread with others looks like.

Jesus’ relationship with the Pharisees had been rocky. He addressed them on several occasions, sometimes even accusing them of focusing on unimportant matters and missing the major lessons that were being taught. Jesus urged the group to focus less on the letter of the law and rather to promote the spirit of God’s teaching. For example, healing people on the Sabbath was more important than doing absolutely nothing on the Sabbath.
Jesus drew the attention of his followers to those often forgotten. He admonished people to remember the poor, the widows, and orphans. The banquet table provides a wonderful opportunity for all who are hungry to enjoy a meal.

If we worry about our place at the table and ultimately offer empty prayers to God about people who are less fortunate than us, we must ask ourselves if we are truly worthy to partake in God’s holy banquet. In reality, there are enough seats for everyone.

Jesus yearns to nourish us with grace and goodness. Whenever we arrive at the banquet table, we are offered a fantastic meal filled with love and strength. That meal is intended for all who are present with no regard for social status. In those moments, there is no special section earmarked solely for the privileged. There is no reserved seating for those who can purchase a special seat.
 
Some years ago, Father Henri Nouwen used the language of “downward mobility” to speak of the freedom Jesus offers us in this life. 

Our benchmark in life is not to achieve higher mobility – to be the greatest in our little hemisphere of the world – not to be the greatest but simply to claim freedom to be, to be wholly and fully who God created us to be,   to claim the freedom to be, to be a child of God fully alive, really free to move.   It’s to witness Jesus’ example and Jesus’ power given to us.  It’s to use our own life to weave a unity into our amazingly diverse world.  It begins at home, in our own soul, receiving God’s love, and then letting that love radiate outward with great generosity.