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Quiet Quitting and Jesus’ Table: Why Sitting Low is a Radical Act
What an ancient parable and a modern work trend have in common — and why it matters.
I don’t get invited to many dinner parties — certainly not the formal, sit-down-with-napkin-rings kind.
I grew up in a world of potlucks and backyard corn roasts where you brought whatever you could and sat wherever there was space. There may have even been a few when I was in high school (don’t tell my parents).
, and honestly? For my aesthetic, it sounds like an absolute nightmare—everyone jockeying for position, trying to figure out who’s important and who’s just there for the free food. It’s the opposite of a laid-back backyard barbecue with paper plates, , and people who actually like each other. This is a high-stakes social chess match, and personally, I’d rather fake an emergency and go home.
In this parable, the host invites a group of guests to a banquet but doesn’t assign seats, leaving them to scramble for the places of honour. It’s a social experiment in hierarchy and humiliation. And Jesus, rather than flipping the whole table over (he’s saving that move for later), gives some strange advice: