'Places' Draft One in progress...

Though it is best known as "The Places at the Table," Luke 14:7-11 is cited in the Bible as "Conduct of Invited Guests and Hosts;" it does just that: the parable explains Jesus' stance on appropriate behavior of banquet guests in first century Palestine. It addresses more than simply table ranking in relation to social status in Jesus' time, as its reputation states, and its message also surpasses the common interpretation of practicing humility. The parable discusses what it means to be a socially esteemed philosophical character and encourages all members of the social pyramid to justly challenge hierarchical standards within contemplation and knowledge.

(Summary paragraph and key points)

Luke 14 opens with a near introduction paragraph called "Healing of the Man with Dropsy on the Sabbath," placing Jesus on the sabbath at the home of a Pharisee whose guests, save for Jesus, are scholars of law. Before them lay a man ill with dropsy; Jesus turns to his host and fellow guests and poses the question, is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not? His question is not answered and he quickly heals the man and excuses him. Jesus asks a following question: Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day? The Pharisees did not respond. Luke then goes on to expose Jesus' telling of the parable to these men, immediately voicing the setting of a banquet, opening an automatic philosophical mindset in the audience by its time's intended language. The prefacing scene also states that the people in the room, all of them, are "observing him carefully" which is implying that, since they had Jesus present for ethical profession, they want to learn from the intelligent revolutionary.

One's knowledge of well known, implied and unfamiliar social standards of 1st century Palestine and table fellowship are important in the understanding of The Places at the Table and its relevance and implication of philosophical significance at banquets. Easy conclusions may be that the highest esteemed of society sit at the head of the table where as the lower of the invited (yet banquets were held very high and therefore on the whole, only the esteemed were invited) would be placed at the lower end of the table. This would then mean that when the man in Jesus' parable sat at the top of the table, he immediately esteemed himself, which is true but is a vague and uninformed response to the parable. Table ranking and meaning in Jesus' time covers much more than one's place at the table regarding simply class. Anthropologists developed a word, commensality, which is rooted from the word mensa which is Latin for table; "[it] means the rules of tabling and eating as miniature models for the rules of association and socialization" (Crossan). Essentially Jesus preached what Crossan calls "Open Commensality" however in Luke 14:7-11, Jesus simply discusses not only the philosophy behind, but the philosophy entailed in, table fellowship in 1st century Palestine. Early philosophical tradition, which Jesus fully practiced, mentions a teaching through a motif called "table talk," which Jesus is doing while telling the parable. "Table talk" occurs during a meal when all agree on one topic to discuss and piece apart, participating actively in what Smith calls "elevated conversation." More so, the idealistic philosophical society articulated by Hellenistic Jewish writer Philo is conjured with banquets where all opinions are confronted or circulated among all guests with knowledge and "contemplation of verities of nature" (Philo). Both the concept of "table talk" and Philo's ideal Jewish philosophical society are indicative of an earnest social ranking based on intelligent conversation, which couples, yet is not, class. Jesus had, by this time, accomplished to climb a social ladder with his strong abilities to utilize thought in place of power or rank, as he is plainly encouraging the man in the parable to do by starting at the bottom of the table (and earning intellectual respect, then rank).

ahh boogers

I. Though it is best known as "The Places at the Table," Luke 14:7-11 is cited in the Bible as "Conduct of Invited Guests and Hosts;" it does just that: the parable explains Jesus' stance on appropriate behavior of banquet guests in first century Palestine. It addresses more than simply table ranking in relation to social status in Jesus' time, as its reputation states, and its message also surpasses the common interpretation of practicing humility. The parable discusses what it means to be a socially esteemed philosophical character and encourages all members of the social pyramid to justly challenge hierarchical standards within contemplation and knowledge.

II. A. Jesus' questions: Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not; Who among you [Pharisees], if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day? The Pharisees did not respond. The Bible mentions before these questions are asked that Jesus is at a banquet hosted by the Pharisees, opening a philosophical mindset in the reader by its time's intensive language. The prefacing scene also states that the people in the room, all of them, are "observing him carefully" which is implying that, since they had Jesus present for ethical profession, they want to learn from the intelligent revolutionary.
B. Social standards of 1st century Palestine and table fellowship:
1. Jesus teaches through "table talk": philosophical tradition, all agree on one topic to discuss and piece apart ("elevated conversation").
2. Jewish philosophical society: banquets where opinions are confronted/circulated, knowledge, and "contemplation of verities of nature." (Philo)
3. Head of table to bottom of table: social ranking.
C. Embarrassment v. esteem in 1st century Palestine: personally embarrassed, blow to knowledge mojo v. being socially esteemed as a philosopher and problem solver as Jesus was.
D. Ending of parable: "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

III. Philosophical discussion was the language of hierarchy in Jesus' time, so one might use knowledge and discussion as a means for moving through and altering the social customs and standards, ascending up the metaphorical table ranking with ethical wisdom and a true understanding for conduct.

DP #17: Thesis 1st Draft

Though it is called "The Places at the Table," Luke 14:7-11 addresses more than simply table ranking in relation to social status in 1st century Palestine. Jesus teaches a fellow working class stranger to not sit at the head of the table at a wedding, rather to sit at the bottom and wait to be asked to move up. When the man does so, Jesus also solicits him to invite not the wealthy elite to such gatherings but the outcasts, sick and poor. He preaches a plain lesson of humility and courtesy through which he asks his community to create the Kingdom of God with a just rebellion against hierarchical standards as opposed to an inappropriate contradiction to social customs.

DP #16: A Reading of the Parables of Jesus

Etchells' main point in A Reading of the Parables of Jesus is that Jesus himself has to challenge what is expected of humans in order to make a point about status and hospitality. She points out that Jesus himself is a peasant (within working class with a carpenter father, Joseph) who rises above what is expected of his class in order to teach and make things right. He preaches hospitality by challenging the social order before guesses who "were watching him closely" and who were placed above him in status. Etchell is poignant in explaining that Jesus uses controversial tactics such as those mentioned in order to overcome wrongly controversial social happenings.

DP #15: Hearing the Parables of Jesus

Author Perkins shortly addresses Places at the Table in his book, Hearing the Parables of Jesus. He says that the parable is one of many which plays on "awkward situations of social etiquette with benign humor," declaring that such parables have the reader really consider what is going on in such situations and and themselves which elements of it is the most important (think: social norms v. challenging societal standards). Perkins also says that holding oneself to these standards may take away our attention to real issues such as social justice and fellowship with others in the "Christian community." He sums it up by saying that our superficial concerns of social/societal ranking are no concern of God's, which is Jesus' message through the parable.

DP #14: The Gospel Parables

The Gospel Parables by Armstrong addresses The Places at the Table in relation to "Humility and Courtesy" by discussing first the ancient feast etiquette of Jesus' time and relating it to what Jesus said in the parable. Armstrong communicates to his reader that the parable dictates humility by choosing a lower seat at the table and waiting to be moved up and courtesy by inviting not the high end of society but the people who need blessing, the outcasts: this is Jesus' message. The author also says that the parable is telling us that humility is essentially the soul of courtesy and politeness, the core of a true human being. There are many ways for the parable to be interpreted and The Gospel Parables addresses that which is most common of the interpretations and explains it with more examples within the Bible and the history of Jesus' time to help the reader better understand how important humility and courtesy were (and, as Jesus communicates, still are) in a righteous lifestyle.

DP #13: Perception in Truth

I would love to say that it is possible I would spare my only loaf of fresh bread to an expecting neighbor or even that I would get up in the middle of the night to welcome, by dutiful obligation, my visitor and that I see my same behavior reflected in the beautiful essence of the 21st Century, but I would be lying a great deal. We are told now that it is wrong, even dangerous, to put ourselves before others and that practicing dominating egalitarianism can prove detrimental to our family's well-being; this is true, yet what we don't see or allow ourselves to see is that it lacks to present 'the whole picture.' Capitalism strikes, as it has quite successfully in this time and place, and down goes the selfless cycle, down goes any possible communalism or hospitality, down goes any chance of an existing population on smiles and what seems right (but it's wrong). It is a hopeless outlook on this world, seeing nothing but a collection of money-orientated beings tracing a maze of personal success, yet it is a truly unrealistic existence to trek the earth with hope that more than one amazing neighbor might spare some bread and thus turn the world around; hopeful honesty in one's perception of what is before them seems to be the message of the parable and respectively the most healthy eyes through which to see the world.