Be Humble

First Reading: Proverbs 25:6-7a

 6 Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence

  or stand in the place of the great,

 7a for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”

  than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

I don’t go to many fancy banquets. I’m not often jockeying for position in front of a king. I bet it’s not part of your usual routine, either. The advice here not to sit at the head table unless you know you belong there doesn’t seem to apply directly to us.

But I know—and I bet you know—what it’s like to be lifted up or pushed down in front of the people around us. We know what it is to expect to be important and instead to be pushed to the sidelines. And we know what it is to expect to stand on the sidelines but instead be called up and recognized.

One example here is lunch tables in a school cafeteria. But there’s also who socializes with whom at work. There’s being complimented for a job well done, or not. There’s being appreciated or snubbed in front of peers or supervisors.

The writer of Proverbs—some say King Solomon himself—says that we don’t have time for that. We don’t have time to puff up our own importance. And let’s be honest, we don’t have time to put other people down. No matter how good we are at something, the importance is the role it plays in the larger community. And no matter how bad someone else’s work turned out, their faithful efforts can be welcomed (and then, perhaps, improved upon after a conversation in private). The kingdom of God does not need us to make drama among ourselves. We have people to love and God’s kingdom to welcome.

In summary, be humble. Don’t insult people. This is wisdom from thousands of years ago that Jesus references. It is wisdom that is needed and useful in every group and team. And it’s part of how we live with one foot planted firmly in the kingdom of God.