Luke 14 - One Year New Testament

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Jesus at a Pharisee’s House

The fact that Jesus was at a prominent Pharisees' home shows he still had a heart for them, though they were rejecting him. We don't know the exact circumstances of the invitation. Again Jesus healed someone on the Sabbath, but this time before he healed the man, he asked the Pharisees if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath. This time the onus was more them to respond. They were in the trap. They didn't know what to say.

Jesus’ logic was simple and impossible to dispute. If it was allowed to help animals on the Sabbath, how much more was it right to heal people who are made in God’s image? (Guzik)

“If they said no, they would reveal themselves for what they really were – inhumane religious leaders. If they said yes, they would be breaking their own laws governing the Sabbath.” (Pate)

Next, Jesus uses the situation to teach on humility. In his day there was a definite structure for how people were seated at an important meal. 

In Jesus’ day, the seating arrangement at a dinner showed a definite order of prestige or honor. The most honored person sat in a particular seat, the next most honored person in another place, and so on down the line. - Guzik

Jesus warned them against presuming they were to be seated at the place of honor only to be asked to switch seats. This would be a very humiliating experience. But if you took the lower seat and the host asked you into the more desired seat the table it would be a good thing. The same is true in life. When you are expecting to be promoted or honored because of how great you are, you may be sorely disappointed when this is not the case. Or, worse yet God chooses to humble you because of you are being prideful. But when you serve in humility, like Jesus did, when you are honored for your service it will be a great affirmation of your faithfulness. 

In a similar way, when you throw a dinner party instead of inviting those who can repay you the favor invite those who could not otherwise afford such a gift. Jesus calls them the poor, the lame, the blind. Though they may not repay you in this life some day you will be rewarded for your humble service!  

The Parable of the Great Banquet

In this parable the great banquet is referred to as the "feast in the kingdom of God". Therefore, it seems likely it is referring to the afterlife. The story is about a man who invited many guests to a great banquet in his home. When the servant went out to tell them to come because everything was ready, they each had different excuses for why they could not come. They all seemed legitimate but based on the master's response it seems like they were just giving excuses and really didn't want come. 

Seeing that he had prepared a party and no one was going to come, he commanded his servants to bring in the less fortunate who might be willing to come. I.e. the lame, blind, poor, and crippled. But still there was room so at the bible, so he told the servant to go to the "highways and byways" and compel them others to come to the banquet. 

What might we deduce from this? In the immediate context it is an indictment of the Jewish people Jesus came to first. When they rejected him, the gospel went out to all people of nations, ethnicities, and economic status. Bottom line: God wants his house full. 

This is why the role of the church is to reach out with the gospel to all who will listen. We are like the servant who is inviting people to come to our master's banquet. If people refuse to come or have other excuses, we should change our strategy and go to others who have not yet been invited! 

Who do you think the lame, blind, poor, and crippled people are in our society? Is it just those physically afflicted or emotionally as well? Who are the people out in the highways and byways in our world? How do we get the message out to them? 

The Cost of Being a Disciple

Anytime Jesus had large crowds following him, he took the opportunity to talk about what it meant to follow him. People saw the healing and casting out of demons and that drew people to Jesus, but Jesus took this occasion to explain what it really meant to follow him? 

Jesus starts by saying something if we don't interpret correctly could lead to some bad theology.  “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.' 

First of all, we know Jesus would never teach that hating someone was the key to following him. The great commandment which Jesus re-emphasized was to love God with all of our heart, strength, and mind; and love our neighbors as ourselves. That never changes. Jesus is saying to follow him, unlike the people who made excuses in the previous story, means to being willing to leave everything including one's family. This is similar to when he says, "Whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." What he means is that if we want to follow Jesus we must count the cost. The cost if surrendering our lives to his leadership. 

For me this meant leaving Chicago where I have lived since 3rd grade, my job, and my family and friends to move to Pasadena to go to Fuller Seminary. It didn't mean I hated any of those things but God called me to lay them down to follow him. But in following Christ, I found he had so much more in store for me. I still had all those family and friends in my life, but my calling was to go to a different place.  

God calls each of us in different ways. Importantly he calls us to lay down running our lives and surrendering our will to His leadership in our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Notice Jesus doesn't talk about a verbal commitment to follow him, but the real experience of making a choice to follow him wherever he leads. Saying you want to follow Jesus and doing it are two different things. Someone may call themselves a Christian but may have little to no intention of doing the things Jesus will ask them to do. 

This is why Jesus tells the crowd to count the cost before making a decision to follow him. Just like anyone would count the cost before they build a house, we need to understand what it will cost for us to follow Jesus. The cost is our whole lives. Following Jesus with our lives is not earning his love, but showing our complete trust and faith in His plan for our lives!