Luke 14

Luke 14:1

Whether issued by Pharisee or publican, friend or foe, Jesus never turned down an invitation. At this particular meal, He will speak very pointedly to five groups of people. And what He will say will be shockingly honest. In verses Luk_14:2-6, He will speak to the Pharisees about their pseudo-spirituality. In verses Luk_14:7-11, He will talk to the guests surrounding Him about their miserable manners and methodology. In verses Luk_14:12-14, He will correct the host who invited Him concerning his wrong motives for hospitality. In verses Luk_14:15-24, He will reply to the man who interrupted Him regarding his mistaken assumption of his destiny. In verses Luk_14:25-34, He will address the crowd about their need to think carefully. Whether in relation to parenting, vocation, or ministry, every one of us comes to a certain point when we have the opportunity to choose to do what Jesus did so naturally and so beautifullyto care more about others doing well than about what they think of us. All too often, we shy away from speaking truth because we want others to like us. Not so Jesus, for in the chapter before us, He’ll say things that, although hard to hear, were needful not only for His listeners, but for us…

Luke 14:2

Knowing Jesus had already healed on the Sabbath six times previously, the Pharisees were waiting to accuse Him of breaking the Sabbath law should he do so again.

Luke 14:3

Knowing exactly what the Pharisees were thinking, Jesus tossed the ball back into their courtsilencing them in the process.

Luke 14:5

The same traditions that stated that a man couldn’t be healed on the Sabbath also said that an animal that had fallen into a pit on the Sabbath could be rescued. The same thing happens today. Legislation passed recently declares that he who removes an egg from a spotted owl’s nest can be punished five years in the state penitentiary. But a doctor can abort as many babies as he wants without anyone saying a word.

Luke 14:6

It is not our rules, regulations, or pseudo-spirituality that will impact people. It is our love, our compassion, our desire to help those in need that causes even the Pharisees to wonder.

Luke 14:7

Shifting His attention from the Pharisees to the other guests, Jesus speaks to those who were jockeying for the best spots at the table, who were more concerned about sitting in the right place than about being the right person.

Luke 14:12

Addressing the host of the event, Jesus said, “Don’t only invite people who can do something for youwho can pay you back, include you in their circle, or return your invitation. When you give a dinner party, invite the nobodies.”

Luke 14:15

At this point, the dinner must have been getting a bit tense. After all, the Pharisees and lawyers, guests and host had all been corrected and rebuked. So perhaps it was to change the subject that this man said, “We’re all Jews. Let’s talk about something we can agree upon. Let’s talk about the Resurrection.”

Luke 14:16

Sitting at this dinner party, Jesus speaks of an even greater feast…

Luke 14:18

Aren’t these the same excuses men use to this day? “I can’t accept Your invitation, Lord. I’ve got to take care of my possessions,” or “My job just won’t allow me to seek God at this time in my life,” or “I’m married. My first priority is my spouse.” Jesus is speaking of heaven, of salvation, of eternityof matters of the greatest possible significance. Yet people say, “Sorry, I just don’t have time.”

Luke 14:21

The master of the house was angry. He had given such great opportunity to people. Yet all they gave him in return were weak excuses. Why would the master of the house invite those who were poor, maimed, and blind? Because poor people wouldn’t be distracted by material possessions; maimed people wouldn’t be harnessing oxen; and blind people weren’t likely to be married. In other words, the servants were to invite those who were not distracted by possessions, vocation, or affections. They were to invite those who wouldn’t make ludicrous excuses, who wouldn’t be sidetracked by things of the world, who would have a heart for heaven and sensitivity toward the things of the kingdom. That is why Paul would later say to the early church, “Look around. You don’t see many rich, many noble, many wise among you,“and why we find the same to be true two thousand years later (1Co_1:26).

Luke 14:22

Because the Jewsthose who had been invited initially, those who had the prophets and the Pentateuch, those who had Jesus living among them presentlyhad excuses, the Gentiles were invited. And, poor, maimed, and blind as we are, we accepted the invitation gladly!

Luke 14:25

That the feast at which Jesus was a guest took place in an open courtyard, a crowd would have heard His words to the Pharisees, the host, and the invited guests. And now Jesus has a word for them as well…

Luke 14:26

It’s as if Jesus said to the crowd, “Before you cheer Me on because of what I’ve said to others, you yourselves need to think more carefully about what it means to be My disciple.” Having been notified that one of his students had done something foolish, the wise professor answered, “That person may have attended my lectures, but he is not one of my students.” So, too, just as there is a difference between attending lectures and being a student, there is a difference between being a Christian and being a disciple. “Disciple” means “disciplined one"one who is committed to the cause of the kingdom. Thus, Jesus is saying, “You can’t be My disciple if other affections have priority in your life.”

Luke 14:27

There is a great deal of misunderstanding concerning what it means to bear one’s cross. A noisy neighbor is not a cross. Arthritis is not a cross. Financial pressure is not a cross. Neighbors, illness, finances are just the stuff of life, common to Christian and heathen alike. Jesus showed us what the cross is when He laid down His life in order that we could be lifted up. The cross is the way by which we die to self in order that others can be saved, helped, redeemed, restored. And Jesus says we can’t be disciples unless we are willing to lay aside our rights and preferences in order to see others do well.

Luke 14:28

Whether building or battlingand the Christian life consists of botha disciple must count the cost carefully and pay the price sacrificially.

Luke 14:34

“You must hate your family, count the cost carefully, bear the cross daily or risk becoming useless.” It was because Jesus loved these people deeply that He spoke to them so honestly. The very ideas Jesus conveyed at the table here in chapter 14 are the same ones He speaks to my heart at the table of Communion… As He did with the Pharisees, Jesus deals with my pseudo-spirituality. When I take the bread and drink the cup, all the dials get set back to zero, and my faith becomes miraculously and mystically simple. The Pharisee within me dissipates when I’m at the Lord’s table… As He did with the guests, Jesus reminds me that I put Him on the Cross; I broke His body; He died for me. Therefore, when I’m at the Lord’s table, I have no desire to be in a position of honor or prominence. Instead, I want to lose my identity and blend into a oneness with the body of Christ, a oneness with Jesus. As He did with the host, Jesus zeroes in on my motives. People who want to grow intellectually or who want to be noticed in ministry oftentimes will ignore the Lord’s table because they think it doesn’t benefit them. Not so the early church. They saw Communion as essential, for it is through Communion that they remembered Jesus. As He did with the man who brought up the subject of the kingdom, Jesus reminds me of my destinythat because His body was broken and His blood shed, I’m going to heaven. And as He did with the crowd, Jesus causes me to think clearly regarding the price He paid for my sin, and the cost of discipleship. Simple theology, heartfelt humility, motivational purity, a reminder of destiny, and a call to think clearly are found at His tablebe it in the home of a Pharisee or at Communion presently. Come and dine!