Luke 14:11

Whosoever exalteth himself. Here Jesus repeats a saying that He used frequently in one form or another (see Matthew 18:4; 23:12; Luke 18:14; etc.). The principle here enunciated strikes at the very root of pride, the desire to exalt oneself in the opinion of others; and pride, in turn, along with selfishness, is the root of all sin. Jesus Himself set the supreme example of humility (see Isaiah 52:13, 14; Philippians 2:6-10).

Abased. That is, “humbled.” It is an axiom of life that the man whose main objective in life is the promotion of what he considers his own interests usually finds others compelling him to take a lower place.

Exalted. Conversely, the man who forgets his own interests and makes it his business to encourage and assist others is often the very one his fellow men are pleased to honor. Humility is, even more decidedly, the passport to exaltation in the kingdom of heaven, whereas the desire to exalt oneself is an effective barrier against even entering the kingdom (cf. Isaiah 14:12-15; Philippians 2:5-8).