SCRIPTURE: LUKE 14
JKESUS AT A PHARISEE’S HOUSE (vs. 1-14)
Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee on a Sabbath day. Sitting in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, m “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” (v. 3.). They remained silent. So he took hold of the man, healed him and sent him away. Then he asked them, “If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?” (v. 5). They did not say anything.
When Jesus notice how the guest picked the place of honor at the table, he told them this parable:
“When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (vs.8-11)
Then Jesus said to his host:
“When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (vs. 12-14)
THE PARABLE OF THE GREAT BANQUET (vs. 15-24)
“A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.” Another said, ‘I have just bought five yokes of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.” The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ “Sir”, the servant said, “What you ordered has been done, but there is still room’. Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.” (vs. 16-24)
THE COST OF BEING A DISCIPLE (vs. 25-34)
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (vs. 26-27)
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” (vs. 28-30)
“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. (vs. 31-33)
“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (vs. 34-35)
THOUGHTS:
A prominent Pharisee invited Jesus to his home to trap him into saying or doing something so that he could be arrested. But Jesus was not afraid to face them even though he knew that their purpose was to trick him into breaking their laws. Instead he openly denounced their hypocrisy.
Jesus advised people not to seek for the best places of honor at a feast. People today want to elevate their social status by being with the right people, dressing in expensive clothing, driving luxurious cars to impress people. Instead of aiming for prestige, look for a place where you can serve the Lord.
Jesus told the host not to be exclusive about whom he invited. God has opened his Kingdom to everyone. So we must share the gospel to everyone.
Jesus taught us to be humble. Humility does not mean self-degradation. It is a realistic self-assessment and commitment to serve.
The Parable of the Great Banquet demonstrates God’s invitation for us to His kingdom. We too may resist or delay responding to His invitation with excuses. Our excuses may sound reasonable – work duties, family responsibility, financial needs. But God’s invitation is the most important event in our life no matter how inconvenient it may be timed. Are you making excuses to avoid responding to God’s call? Jesus reminds us that the time will come when God will pull his invitation and offer it to others. Then it will be too late to get into the feast.
Being a disciple of Christ needs to carry the cross. He wants to emphasize that following Christ means total submission to Him – perhaps to the point of death.
If a builder does not count the cost or estimates, his building may be left half completed. In our Christian life, we must also count the cost of commitment to Jesus so that we won’t be tempted to turn back. What are those costs? Christians may face loss of social status or wealth. They may have to give up their wealth, their time or their career. They may be hated, separated from their family and even killed. Following Christ does not guarantee a trouble-free life. We need to hold firmly to our faith in order to be a disciple of Christ.
When salt gets wet and dries, it can lose its flavor and become a tasteless residue. When Christians blend into the world and avoid the cost of standing up for Christ, they become worthless. Just as salt gives flavor and preserves food, we are to preserve the good and bring new flavor to life. This requires unswerving commitment to Christ. How salty are you?