Luke 14:7-11 - Pride and Prejudice

And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the ^achief rooms; saying unto them, when thou art ^abidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; and he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the ^alowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up ^bhigher: then shalt thou have ^cworship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever ^aexalteth himself shall be ^babased; and he that ^chumbleth himself shall be exalted.

Luke 14:7-11

Wow, I don't remember reading this specific parable before. It is very clear in it's illustration of exalting or abasing oneself. It gives a concrete definition of pride, namely that one presumes a higher status than others. We all have this problem with pride, but the world is wont to twist it into an acceptable tendency and give it a different name such as bias or being partial. Isn't all prejudice based on this pride, on the presumption that we as American or white or Mormon are somehow inherently higher, and all other "categories" of people that are not affiliated with one's own "category" are somehow inherently lower? The Lord is very clear about what is in store for those with such pride. On the other hand, for those who automatically assume a lower position when met with traditional or social or racial or religious difference, the blessings are exaltation, not by one's own puny power but by the forces that created and are maintaining the universe.