Gospel Note
The parable and the exhortation in this selection share not only the setting of a meal, but also the allusion to the messianic feast that is almost always implied by banquet imagery in Jesus' teachings. Further tying the two together is the implicit notion of status given by grace rather than gained by effort. For, in the case of the parable, it is the host who assigns the more honorable place at the table to the one who humbly has chosen the low…