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Lesson 19: Others Go First

One day when Jesus was here on earth He was invited to a dinner at the home of a rich man. There were others invited to the dinner too.

A dinner-party in Jesus’ day was not like our dinner parties now. Instead of sitting on chairs, the guests rested on couches pushed up to the table. The couches nearest the host, or the man who was giving the party, were called the highest places or “chief seats.” The most important people were supposed to take these places. Down at the other end of the table were the lowest places. Anyone could sit here.

This day as Jesus watched the people taking their places He was surprised. Not one of them waited for his turn; not one of them was willing to let another go first. They almost quarreled in their hurry to get ahead of everyone else and get the best places. They were all trying to get the chief seats for themselves.

“How unkind and selfish they are toward each other,” thought Jesus. “They cannot be happy when they are all trying to get the best places for themselves.”

When they sat down, Jesus began to talk quietly to them.

“When you are invited to a dinner,” He said, “you should not hurry to get the chief seat yourself. Perhaps that place is being saved for some person more important than you. How ashamed you will feel if your host has to come to you and say, ‘This place is saved for someone else. You must take a lower seat.’”

But, Jesus went on with His talk, “if you quietly go and sit in the lowest seat, perhaps your host may come and say, ‘I want you to come and take a higher place.’ How happy you will feel to think that you waited.”