June 7, 2026 · Mark Bishop
Forrest and Jenny
“Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.””
Luke 14:7-11 →
## Sit
One of the most poke-fun quotes in the movie, Forrest Gump, is between a young Forrest and Jenny. It was their first meeting when Forrest got on the bus to school but no one would let him sit beside them. If there was one kid sitting on the seat, they would move over and shake their head. A young girl saw the underdog and how he was being treated. She said the famous line in a southern accent, "You can sit here if you want." We later find that Jenny lives in a broken home with a father who drinks all the time and is abusive to her. Forrest and Jenny were two that you probably wouldn't bet a lot of money on to be a success story. While we often look at the words of Jesus, sometimes we ignore the actions He took that we probably wouldn't. He left heaven for earth. He left a place where He was honored and worshipped, to go to a place where He was humiliated, deserted, and hated. He left a place of no disease to a place full of disease. He left one place for the other to die for the very people that would treat Him terribly.
## Unlikely
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what
is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’” There are several examples of people in the Bible and outside the Bible that didn’t match the “calling” according to our eyes. Moses felt insecure due to his speech. David was a shepherd and wouldn’t have been anyone’s first choice for king. Isaiah felt he was too unholy (Isaiah 6:5). John the Baptist felt he wasn’t worthy enough to untie His sandals (John 1:26-27). To all those unlikely people to do something great by our standards, God invited them to His table. “You can sit here.”
## Self-Check
Never consider yourself above, or you may become humiliated. It's far better to be humble than humiliated. And while people may tell you, "You can't sit here," Jesus appears and says, "You can sit here if you want." Jesus taught by His first coming, His humility, and His love. Humble yourself and you'll see God do some amazing things.
## Paybacks