LUKE 14

Something I read recently reminded me of this point on Jesus and His answering or even asking of questions. He always focuses on trying to get people to turn to God. Even when He is righteously angry, His purpose is to convict people of their need for God, especially when it means “putting off” the old, simply religious ways.

So Jesus takes the initiative this time, as He is dining at the house of one of the Pharisees. The Bible says “they were watching Him closely.” They so badly wanted to catch Him in some error or sin. It is the Sabbath, and a man there happens to be suffering from dropsy, or what we would know as edema, an abnormal collection of fluid in some part of the body. Such a disease state was incurable then. Jesus asks THEM this time, as to the lawfulness of healing on the Sabbath. No answers, as they are all silent. Jesus heals the man, and again compares healing a man to a person helping an animal out of a well, both of which are good to do on the Sabbath. Again, no reply to His teaching. Yes, the Pharisees are always watching, never “seeing”.

Now that He has their attention, He goes on to teach on humility, using the seating arrangement and the jockeying for position as a great object lesson. God will humble the proud, and He will exalt the humble.

So often we, like these Pharisees, strive to achieve temporary rewards, illustrated here by inviting guests who can and will repay by returning the favor of their own dinner invite. Better, Jesus says, is to invite those who cannot return the favor. In this way, you are giving selflessly. The focus should be on eternal rewards.

One dinner guest jumps into the conversation, talking about eating bread in the Kingdom of God. Never missing a good segue into a story, Jesus explains who has been invited into that Kingdom. Those initially invited (Israel) declined the invitation, so twice more in the parable, the host invites more and more people, implying the universality of the invite, including Gentiles. The Gospel is for everyone, the invite is open, and the great Host awaits.

Jesus ends this teaching session with a lesson on discipleship. There is a cost associated with following Christ. He uses temporal, ordinary situations to illustrate. Builders assess the cost before building, Kings and military leaders must evaluate the chances of success, based on manpower and that of the other side. A Christian must deny oneself in order to claim allegiance to Christ. Giving up all your possessions does not literally imply having nothing, but rather placing all else in life at a lower priority than Christ. Life should revolve around nobody or nothing else.

We are salt (and light – as in Matthew). We need to be good salt. Otherwise we are useless. Salt preserves, it seasons, it must contact that which it is going to affect. So let’s impact the world around us, not the other way around.

SO WHAT…?

So, as I read the Word, am I really striving to “see” the point, to make conscious decisions in life to follow Christ. My life should be a continual striving for the good, battling sinful desires, and placing Christ above all else.

So, humility must be a hallmark of my Christian walk. The rewards for humbly serving Christ far outweigh the rewards of the proud life here and now.

So, is my Christian walk costing me anything? And I don’t mean just money. If I still have “things” that I place above Christ, they either need to go or be lowered in importance.