Month: August 2019

When he noticed how the guests picked the places 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 person 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 the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your 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.”
Luke 14:7-14

Jesus finds the most ordinary things to use as examples for us in His lessons. In this parable He points out how our vying for a good position at a dinner party is like our mad scramble for success in life. We often get so wrapped up in what we are doing that we lose sight of why we do it at all.

The quest for honor and position even affected the disciples. In Mark 10:37 we hear James and John ask “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” Jesus replies that the honor is not His to grant, but God’s and gently chides them about their concern for ranking within the kingdom. He tells them all that He came not be served but instead to serve others and if they want to follow Him, they must do the same.

Jesus calls us to serve each other, sharing God’s gifts and His love with all our brothers and sisters, regardless of their position or ours. The concern for who comes before another or who rates higher have no place in the life Jesus promises us. We are all God’s children, and no other title we crave could possibly surpass that!

Gracious God, we are sometimes vain and selfish, looking for our own glory instead of reflecting Yours. Help us to be humble servants, working for the good of all Your children. Amen.

Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your 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.” Luke 14:12-14

What are you telling us, Lord? We’re not supposed to have a good time with our friends? That’s not really the main point of the story, but Jesus also wants us to see that partying with our friends is not the main point of life.

He uses this to illustrate the call God places on our lives to be loving and giving to those who have no means of “inviting us back”, the last, the least and the lost. While Jesus is with the Pharisees and church leaders at this dinner, He spent a substantial amount of time with the poor and was often criticized because He “ate and drank with sinners” (Matthew 5:30).

Jesus teaches that we should not focus on fellowship with just those who can help us, but with our brothers and sisters who have nothing to offer us in return. Jesus came to be with us and we certainly have nothing to offer Him but our love and faithfulness. He was willing to come to us and sacrifice Himself for us, we must be willing to go to those who need to know His love through us.

Loving Lord, we know You send us to those in need, who hunger and thirst for the Good News. Make us strong in Your love, and let us share the gift You have given with everyone, everywhere, always. Amen.

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 the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Luke 14:10-11

Jesus isn’t speaking against people who are important or honored in the community, but the way in which people obtain recognition. When we exalt ourselves, there are two issues: it often sounds self-serving, and it may come at the expense of others. The danger is that in seeking the acclaim of others, we may miss the goal to be accomplished.

When we go about our tasks in a humble manner, using God’s gifts for the good of His kingdom, we may be noticed and applauded, even though that is not our aim. Jesus teaches that doing what we are called to do without fanfare is the right way to share God’s love.

Think about the things you do today. Are they for God’s glory or your own? Is what you do merely to be noticed by others or to serve others according to the Great Commandment – love God and your neighbor as yourself? When we act out of love of others rather than love of self, God blesses our efforts.

Gracious God, we are thankful for the gifts You give, and we know they are not for us to keep but to share with and serve our brothers and sisters. Help us to be humble servants that we may be called to “move up to a better place” at Your heavenly banquet. Amen.

When he noticed how the guests picked the places 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 person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place.” Luke 14:7-9

Jesus is attending a dinner at the home of an important Pharisee and begins a parable about how we scramble for position and recognition in the world. He uses the example of guests choosing seats to teach about pride and humility. He warns that if we grab the seat of honor, we may be embarrassed when required to move.

We may not think about “the place of honor” so much in our daily lives, but it is a metaphor for much of the competition we engage in on a regular basis. We challenge each other for promotions at work, the coolest car, the best seats at the big game. Jesus knows our greed can make us do things that are not in our best eternal interest, and warns against foolishly grabbing for things.

He teaches that being humble will prevent the embarrassment that pride often earns us. We need to be aware of our selfish desires and curb them. This parable illustrates how God’s kingdom works, when Jesus taught us “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matthew 20:16)

Heavenly Father, teach us to think of others first, not to hoard things for ourselves. Make us generous with what has been given to us, humble and loving to all our brothers and sisters. Amen.

Then he asked them, “If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?” And they had nothing to say. Luke 14:5-6

Jesus again shares a practical example for those watching and listening. He says that if an animal or child needed help on the Sabbath, they would certainly act immediately. Sometimes what Jesus teaches us in His lessons is plain common sense.

Then Jesus connects the farm or family illustration to our brothers and sisters, in this case the man with the illness. He tells us this constitutes a physical and spiritual emergency, similar to the ox or child in the well example. While Jesus isn’t indicating we could cure this man alone, He is admonishing us to be aware of the need and to bring him to God in prayer.

Too often we miss or ignore the needs of others, due to the circumstances or the setting or our own busy lives. Jesus says we must take Sabbath rest, but not as an excuse not to act. We must be on watch, like spiritual emergency personnel, ready to pray for and serve others who desperately need our love and care.

Loving Lord, without You, we can do nothing. In Your name, all things are possible. Help us to see the needs in our world and respond to Your call to share Your love with everyone. Amen.

One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way.
Luke 14:1-4

In this passage Jesus continues to bring our attention to the meaning of Sabbath, and how our human rules may keep us from fully participating in God’s kingdom work. Jesus is accused of breaking Sabbath because He healed people in each of the Gospels – Matthew 12:10, Mark 3:1-6, Luke 13:10-17 and John 9:16. These lessons show us that there is never a wrong time for helping others.

We also hear Jesus ask the religious leaders if it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath. I can’t imagine the Lord being sarcastic but this might be close – in the previous passage a synagogue leader indicated it was not appropriate. Here Jesus puts the question to them and and they have no answer. Perhaps they were afraid of being seen answering wrongly, or maybe some are beginning to think more seriously about the issue. Whatever their rationale, Jesus heals the man, as we know He would even had they answered negatively.

There is also a subtle lesson for us in verse 1 – “He was being carefully watched”. Like it or not, the world is watching what we say and do as Christians and our words and actions will be judged by others. There will always be those ready to oppose us, as many did Jesus during His ministry. We must follow His example, doing what God has called us for, regardless of the world’s opinions.

Gracious God, help us to be faithful followers of Jesus, using Your gifts to us to bring the world to You. Make us strong in the face of opposition, forgiving those who wrong us as You first forgave us. Amen.

In our lesson this week (Luke 13:10-17), Jesus teaches us about the heart of the Sabbath. It seems the true meaning had been lost in the concern about practices and rules for its keeping. Jesus takes the opportunity to show us what true Sabbath is by healing a crippled woman at the synagogue.

Let’s look at the background some – this is a woman of faith, participating in worship despite her long term infirmity. The scripture doesn’t indicate that she is shunned or mistreated by her community, but she is certainly not able to be involved fully due to her condition. Although she does not come to Jesus and ask to be made whole, Jesus heals her and her immediate response is to stand up straight and praise God!

We might expect the congregation and synagogue leader to rejoice with her, celebrating God’s blessing to all of them. Instead, the leader is angry that Jesus has done this and accuses Him of working on the Sabbath. What kind of person is angry when someone else receives a blessing?

As we have discussed, the leader may have been truly concerned with the laws regarding Sabbath, but if that is case he has missed the meaning God intended. Jesus responds with a practical example of caring for livestock on the Sabbath, and how much more we should use Sabbath day to care for each other. We miss the heart of the teaching by only remembering the rules. Jesus wants us to see that true Sabbath is about our relationship with God and each other, not just a set of instructions.

Loving Lord, we are often foolish in our attempts to follow Your way, seeing only the edges intended to keep us on the path and not the joy of being on the way with You. Give us Sabbath hearts all the days of our lives to worship You and share the Good News with others. Amen.

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.” But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?” When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.
Luke 13:10-17

Jesus’s healing of a crippled woman on the Sabbath draws a rebuke from the leader of the synagogue. He and others were twisting God’s instruction for us to rest on the Sabbath to fit their own desires, using the Law to control people. God gave us His guidance to show us the way, not to beat each other!

Jesus shows the nonconformity of those who care for their animals on the Sabbath, not to say they are violating the Law, but to show that it is to be applied in love, not judgement. God gave us rules about living and how to treat each other because we had proved ourselves incapable of doing so without His help. Using these gifts to harm each other violates the purpose for which they were given. The best way to show others how God wants us to live is by living for Him, obeying Him, and caring for our brothers and sisters.

When we live in accordance with God’s Law, we should not be irritated or angered by those who don’t, but continue to do His will as an example to the world. This was Jesus way of reaching us, showing us what a life in God was, and that following His Law is not a burden, but a blessing.

Gracious God, we are grateful for Your guidance to show us the way to eternal life. Help us to live by Your Law, in love with You and each other. Amen.

When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.
Luke 13:17

Jesus taught people what was the right thing to do through His words and His actions. His opponents were unable to accuse Him of saying one thing and doing another, as most of us do. Jesus was consistent in all He said and did, which made Him popular in the eyes of the crowd because He shamed those who opposed Him.

I don’t think shaming anyone was His main purpose, I’m sure the Lord would rather they understand and turn away from their wrong thoughts and actions. I wonder about the crowd “rejoicing at all the wonderful things He was doing”. Did they truly believe or were they just going along with the popular opinion, glad to see those in power put in their place?

Jesus isn’t about doing anything for show or gain, everything He said and did was to glorify God and bring us back into relationship with Him. When we marvel at His works, we should be amazed that He came to save us sinners and not that He opposed the powerful. We must remember that He came to save them, too.

Loving Lord, we sometimes get caught in seeing the miracle but missing the lesson. Help us to hear what You are teaching and go do likewise. Amen.

But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?” Luke 13:15-16

Jesus teaches us something very practical in this passage. He calls the people’s attention to the fact that they actually do work on the Sabbath by caring for their animals and how much more should they care for their brothers and sisters on the Sabbath. This is the heart of His lesson.

Sometimes as humans we get wrapped up in our way of doing things and what’s “proper”. We often feel there is a time and place for things. This is what the synagogue leader says in verse 14, “come on those days to be healed and not on the Sabbath”.

Jesus tells us that the proper time and place for caring about each other is always here and now. It is always right to do good for others, regardless of the situation. When someone is in need of God’s love and our assistance, we must be ready to act.

Gracious God, we are humbled by the love and care You send us, and shamed by our selfishness in not sharing it freely. Help us to be good stewards of Your gifts, giving to others as You first gave to us. Amen.