The subject of seating doesn’t sound very spiritual. But Jesus tells us it is. He said the Pharisees desire the ‘best seats’ in the synagogue (Matthew 23:6). With that comment, Jesus puts his finger on the spiritual nature of our seating arrangements at worship. Each Sunday that we walk into church, we face a spiritual decision. The later you arrive, the less choice you’ll have. But when you have a choice, which seat will you pick and why?
In Jesus’ day, the ‘best seats’ were probably the most prominent ones – towards the front, maybe even up on the platform; the ‘best seats’ gave you social status. Today, social status doesn’t operate in the same way. Church attendance doesn’t give you the same kind of kudos. But we do still select what we think are the ‘best seats’. We have our opinions.
Practical considerations
Imagine if we operated church seating like booking theatre tickets. At the theatre, the best seats are the most expensive, and the price is based on the visibility of the stage. The better your view, the more expensive your seat will be. The cheapest seats are usually far away, and some of the view is blocked.
How does a Pharisee choose where to sit? He picks his seat selfishly. But Jesus wants to change how we walk into church and how we look at everyone else in the room.
Evangelical Times free trial — get to know ET better with a free 30-day Premium trial.
