Written ~ 03-20-2024
Read Luke Chapter Fourteen
Luke 14
In chapter 14, Jesus has been invited to have dinner on the Sabbath in the home of a leader of the Pharisees. Verse 14:1 says, “…the people were watching Him closely…”
Let’s think about who might have been in attendance at this dinner. We are told in verse one that the dinner was held in the home of a leader. In one Bible commentary that I absolutely love reading, it says this…
- The host was one of the “ruling” Pharisees, possibly a member of the Sanhedrin. Luke pictures the Pharisees as watchdogs of the faith as they waited for some theological flaw to appear in Jesus’ teaching (see Luke 14:1; Luke 5:17 and Luke 6:7).
So not only do we have the host who is a leader in the Sanhedrin (a Jewish Supreme Council), but we also have several other Pharisees in attendance. And what was their role? To watch every move Jesus made.
Also in attendance was a man whose arms and legs were swollen, in another translation it says his joints were hugely swollen. Doesn’t it seem a little odd to you that in the mix of all these religious leaders sits a man suffering with extreme pain in his joints? Was he planted there so the Pharisees could see what Jesus would do and then have reason to condemn Him? Maybe!
But guess what! Yet again their plan backfired!
See verses 14:3-6,
3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in religious law, “Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?” 4 When they refused to answer, Jesus touched the sick man and healed him and sent him away. 5 Then he turned to them and said, “Which of you doesn’t work on the Sabbath? If your son or your cow falls into a pit, don’t you rush to get him out?” 6 Again they could not answer.
Foiled again! The Pharisees had no answers to give. The questions Jesus asked were straight forward, they were relatable. Each man sitting at that table would know the point Jesus was trying to get across. But in self-preservation they would never agree to any of the questions Jesus would pose.
In the next set of verses Jesus challenges them with a lesson in humility.
Look at verses 14:7-11 in The Message translation…
7-9 He went on to tell a story to the guests around the table. Noticing how each had tried to elbow into the place of honor, He said, “When someone invites you to dinner, don’t take the place of honor. Somebody more important than you might have been invited by the host. Then he’ll come and call you out in front of everybody, ‘You’re in the wrong place. The place of honor belongs to this man.’ Embarrassed, you’ll have to make your way to the very last table, the only place left.
10-11 “When you’re invited to dinner, go and sit at the last place. Then when the host comes, he may very well say, ‘Friend, come up to the front.’ That will give the dinner guests something to talk about! What I’m saying is, if you walk around all high and mighty, you’re going to end up flat on your face. But if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”
In the New Living Translation verse 14:11 says,
11 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
The men present at this dinner probably all had very high opinions of themselves. Each one could have very well thought he were the most important guest. So the lesson Jesus is trying to get across is that this act of exalting oneself will ultimately cause humiliation. It is the Lord who exalts, it shouldn’t be how we feel about ourselves that causes us to push to the head of the line.
Then Jesus turns His attention to the host…
Verses 14:12-14 (The Message),
12-14 Then He turned to the host. “The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You’ll be a blessing! They won’t be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned to you and oh, how it will be returned – at the resurrection of God’s people!”
I don’t think it would ever cross the mind of a Sanhedrin leader to invite the type of people Jesus is suggesting, he would think much too high of himself to do that. And because of that unfortunate attitude he is going to miss out on the blessings from God.
Would you rather have a blessing from a colleague or a friend? Or would you rather have the blessings the Almighty God can give?
There was a man seated at the table with Jesus who said the following…
Verse 14:15,
15 “…How fortunate is the one who gets to eat dinner in God’s kingdom!”
When we look at the response Jesus gives, it becomes quite obvious this man has missed the entire point Jesus was giving. This could very well have been a forehead smack and eye roll moment.
In verses 14:16-24 we see how Jesus responds by using a parable…
16 “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. 17 When the banquet was ready, he sent out his servant to tell the guests…”
When Jesus teaches a lesson through parables, there is always a hidden message, we have heard Jesus say many times, “For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.” (Matthew 13:13) So it’s very possible this parable will escape the understanding of each guest sitting around that dinner table.
In verse 14:16, the man in this verse symbolizes God the Father, His invitation is Salvation and Eternal Life and a seat at the banquet table of the Lamb of God. The invitation has been sent out, all are invited, but few accept the invitation. When the banquet table is set and ready, God sends His servant, His Only Son Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus is sent out to tell the guests that the banquet is ready, the invitation is free, you just have to come!
But look at what responses are given to this invitation in verses 14:18-20,
18 But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ 19 Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
The invitation of Salvation has been given. Have you accepted the invitation? Or do your excuses override your desire to be seated at the banquet put together by the Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ? What have you placed as more important than responding to the free invitation of Salvation?
Let’s look at the rest of the parable…
Verses 14:21-24,
21 “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 22 After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ 23 So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. 24 For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’”
If you have refused the invitation and made all of your excuses, God will continue to seek out those whose hearts are hungry for Salvation. Don’t be like the Pharisees who thought so highly of themselves that they denied who Jesus was and refused His teachings. Be the one who knows they are a sinner and not worthy of an invitation, but with a humble heart, you accept the invitation and now you are ushered into a banquet hall and seated in a place of prominence next to your Savior.
The religious leaders who heard the parables Jesus taught did not have the ears to hear or the eyes to see. They missed the richness of the lessons hidden within the stories Jesus told.
When you read the Scriptures, do you have eyes wide open and ears unplugged? Do you ask for wisdom and understanding? I don’t know about you , but I don’t want to miss out on any of the hidden treasures found in the Bible. I want to know with confidence that as I read the words spoken by Jesus that their meaning becomes plain and completely understood.
In verse 14:1, the men seated at that dinner table watched Jesus closely. But their intentions were not to learn from Him. If you and I were seated at that dinner table would our intentions be like the Pharisees? Or would we be watching Jesus closely because we were hungry to learn everything He had to offer?
Revelation 19:9 says,
9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”
My hope and prayer is that I will see each of you seated at the great banquet, the wedding feast of the Lamb!
~AMEN~