7 Then when Jesus noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. He said to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor because a person more distinguished than you may have been invited by your host. 9 So the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your place.’ Then, ashamed, you will begin to move to the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, go and take the least important place, so that when your host approaches he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up here to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who share the meal with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

R. Joshua of Siknin, in the name of R. Levi, expounded the verse, For better is it that it be said to thee: Come up hither, than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince (Prov. xxv, 7). R. Akiba taught in the name of R. Simeon b. ‘Azzai: Go two or three seats lower and take your seat, until they say to you, ‘Come up,’ rather than that you should go up and they should say to you, ‘Go down.’ Better that people say to you ‘come up, come up,’ and not say to you, ‘Go down, go down’; and so used Hillel to say: ‘To be humbled is my exaltation, my exaltation is to be humbled.’ What is the proof? He that raiseth himself ts to [be made to] sit down, he that abaseth himself is to be [raised so that he is] seen (Ps. cxull, 5 f.). You find that when the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself to Moses from the midst of the thorn-bush, the latter hid his face from Him, as it is said, And Moses hid his face, etc. (Ex. II, 6). Because of this, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh.