Why Do I Do What I Don't Want to Do?Sýnishorn

Back in Jesus’s day, whenever someone hosted a party, whoever was sitting closest to the host would be in the position of honor. That seat meant something. People would get there early and set their Bible on the chair or lick the knife or something (I’m assuming). They all wanted the favored position.

In Luke 14, we see Jesus going to a Pharisee’s house for dinner. There he encountered people jockeying for position at the table. So Jesus went into teacher mode, telling the parable in today’s Scripture reading about taking a low seat so that we can be raised up.

What are we supposed to learn from what Jesus is saying here? How should this impact how we live as Christians?

It’s a lesson in entitlement.

Entitlement at its most basic level is focusing on what we believe we deserve. Entitlement is a hyperawareness of our rights. Not sure if you struggle with entitlement? Take 30 seconds and think about all the things you complained about in the past week. Odds, those are the things you feel entitled to.

For the guys in this parable, they felt like they deserved the place of honor, as if it was their right. We have our own areas where we feel we have rights: comfort, shelter, health, food, money, safety, a spouse, and so much more on a daily basis. We have set all kinds of expectations, and most of us do not even realize it.

We talk a lot about rights we are owed, but as Christians you and I are to use whatever God, the sovereign Creator of the universe, has entrusted to us to serve the people around us. That is Christianity 101. After all, Jesus himself “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45).

When you are truly living out your faith, you begin to see all of the things you have access to through the lens of “How can I use this to serve others?”

Where does entitlement show up in your expectations? How can you root it out?