Lesson: Luke 14:7-14
Golden Text: “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 14:11).
INTRODUCTION.
Have you ever gone to an event and arrived extra early to
get good seats? Have you ever found that the very place you wanted
to sit had a “Reserved” sign on it? On the first day of a new job
we wouldn’t dare walk in and sit in the boss’s chair when that was not the
position we were hired for. Neither would we stroll into the
sanctuary on a Sunday morning and sit in the pastor’s seat. In
this week’s lesson, Jesus was talking to the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the
scribes about preferential seating, but He was trying to get them to understand
the real heart of the matter---humility.
BACKGROUND
FOR THE LESSON.
This week’s lesson finds Jesus in the house
of a prominent Pharisee (see Luke 14:1). The term “Pharisee” means
“separated one.” At the close of the
Old Testament there arose a group of godly men called “Chasidim” or saints. They
sought to keep alive reverence for the law among the descendents of the Jews who
returned from the Babylonian Captivity. This group later degenerated into the
Pharisees of Jesus’ day and the religious leaders of Israel. These Pharisees
taught strictness to the letter of the law and added traditional interpretations
that they said were given to Moses by the Lord. They also taught that those
traditions that they added to the law were oral explanations that were equal in
authority to the law itself (see Matthew 15:2-3). The Pharisees
put more stock in the traditions of men than in the Law of Moses (Mark
7:5-9). During Jesus’ time they were the largest and most
influential Jewish sect. They were revered for their knowledge of
Scripture and people took their traditions seriously. The
Pharisees had also become proud of their separation, not only from paganism, but
from ordinary people as well. The man who invited Jesus to a meal was one of
their leaders. Since this was the Sabbath Day and there was a man
present who had the dropsy or edema (a swelling with fluid, usually in the
legs), it appears that Jesus was invited to this Pharisee’s home specifically to
trap Him into doing or saying something for which He could be arrested.
Jesus didn’t disappoint His host. He immediately
healed the man after asking if it was good to heal on the Sabbath Day and no one
replied (see Luke 14:2-4). Jesus then posed another question to
His audience. He asked “Which of you shall have an ass or an ox
fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the Sabbath
day?” Again, no one responded (see Luke 14:5-6).
It’s interesting that Luke 14:1 says that “as he went into the house of
one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched
him.” Little did they know that Jesus was also watching
them. This is where our lesson
begins.III. LIVING FOR GOD’S EXALTATION (Luke 14:7-11)
A. A parable on self-glorification (Luke 14:7). This verse says “And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them.” Having silenced the Pharisees with the healing of the sick man, Jesus continues to take the initiative. They had been watching Him, but He had done some watching of His own. This scene gave Jesus a teachable moment. After Jesus healed the man with dropsy and sent him away, He gave a “parable to those which were bidden.” To everyone who had been invited to this meal, Jesus was prompted to speak a parable after He noticed “how they chose out the chief rooms.” At dinners in New Testament times, the diners reclined on couches around a low table. The couches were arranged around the table in the shape of a “U.” The host was at the bottom of the “U” with the honored guests to his right and left. Jesus observed that the guests sought out those honored seats or places, so He told them what Luke called a “parable.” Simply speaking, a “parable” is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. B. The proud humiliated (Luke 14:8-9).
1. (vs. 8). Here Jesus begins His parable. Speaking to the host and all his guests, He said “When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him.” Jesus was saying that if you are “bidden” or invited to anyone’s “wedding” or any feast, don’t sit in the places of honor assuming that you are worthy to occupy them. Of course this was one of the Pharisees’ besetting sins. In another parable Jesus said the Pharisees “trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others” (see Luke 18:9). The reason Jesus gives for a person not seeking the highest place was “lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him.” In other words, unless there is a known assigned seating, the invitee should not presume that he or she should sit in a prominent place, lest they be asked to move to a lesser seat and suffer humiliation in front of the other guests.
2. (vs. 9). After warning the guests against seeking the highest positions for fear that a more honorable person was invited, Jesus said “And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.” If you take the place of honor without being asked, when the more honorable person arrives, the one that “bade thee and him” or the host who invited both parties will have to tell the presumptuous guest to give up his seat to the other guest. When this happens, Jesus said that the presumptuous guest will “begin with shame to take the lowest room.” What an embarrassment! The proud person is forced, in the presence of everyone to give up the honored place and move to the “lowest” or last position at the end of the table. Jesus pictured the demoted person moving from the highest seat to the lowest spot and feeling shame with every step he or she takes. There is nothing naturally disgraceful or shameful about occupying a lowly position. It only becomes shameful when someone is so proud that they think they deserve something better.
C. The humble exalted (Luke 14:10). Jesus went on to say “But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.” Jesus counseled the guests that when you are invited to a feast, “sit down in the lowest room” or seat. If they did this, the host might invite them to take a higher position. Jesus pictured the host saying “Friend, go up higher.” The term “friend” indicates a deep affection and respect for the guest. It’s the same term Jesus used of His disciples in the upper room (see John 15:13-15). It implies an intimate relationship in which closest confidences are shared. In inviting him to take a higher place, the host also publicly exalts him in the eyes of the other guests. This is what Jesus meant when He said “then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.” The word translated “worship” does not mean the worship we give to God; it refers to honor, praise, or a good reputation. In contrast to the one who was publicly shamed in verse 9, this person is publicly honored. Jesus was teaching that if honor is warranted, it is better that it come from someone other than oneself.
D. The principle stated (Luke 14:11). All truly good parables point to heavenly truths. Jesus concluded His parable in this verse with “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” This is a principle that applies to both human and divine relationships. The one who exalts or praises himself “shall be abased” or humbled; while the one who humbles himself “shall be exalted” or honored. The basic principle of exaltation by God was nothing new. God had revealed it long before, especially in the wisdom literature of the Bible. Describing the humbling of the self-glorified, Proverbs 15:25 says “The Lord will destroy the house of the proud.” Concerning the exaltation of the humble by God, Proverbs 15:33 says “Before honor is humility.” A king will send to a lower place a person who takes a place of honor in his presence (see Proverbs 25:6-7). Jesus’ parable cast blame on the Pharisees whose actions suggested they had a low view of God. His parable shows that the way to gain praise is to be the humble type of person God would exalt.
IV. LIVING FOR THE RESURRECTION (Luke 14:12-14)
A. The proud repaid on earth (Luke 14:12). This verse says “Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.” Having addressed the Pharisees as a group, Jesus turned His attention to “him that bade him” or His host. Jesus advised the host to broaden his guest list when preparing a meal. He included all kinds of meals, for the word translated “dinner” can refer to a late morning meal and the word translated “supper” refers to a late afternoon or early evening meal. The normal social tendency was to invite only those from one’s own circle---friends, relatives, and neighbors as rich as oneself. When Jesus urged the host not to invite “thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours” He was not totally excluding them from being on the guest list. But He knew that these were usually the only ones invited. Jesus was pointing out the Pharisees’ notoriously cliquish attitude and practices. They deliberately put themselves above the so-called unwashed multitudes so that they themselves would not be defiled (see Luke 5:30). Jesus said that the only reward the Pharisees would have would be that “they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.” In other words, the only thing the Pharissees would gain from inviting certain people was “a recompence” or a return invitation from someone they invited. As a result, the cycle of social events repeated itself endlessly, and their circle remained closed.
B. The humble repaid at the resurrection (Luke 14:13-14).
1. (vs. 13). Instead of inviting those who could return the invitation, Jesus said to His host “But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.” The ones on Jesus’ invitation list were the last ones that the Pharisees would invite to a “feast.” They viewed the plight of these people “the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind” to be a result of their sins. For a Pharisee to mingle with such undesirables at the table was unthinkable. But for Jesus, those He listed were the same ones that God protected in His laws given to Israel.But before we condemn the Pharisees, we need to ask ourselves some penetrating questions. Have we made our eagerness for holiness to allow us to become part of cliques? Have we become class conscious? How wide is our circle of fellowship and concern? Who is made to feel at home in our homes and churches? Are we afraid of contaminating ourselves by being around certain people? The way we answer these questions will indicate whether or not we share the mind of Christ.
2. (vs. 14). Jesus said that if we widen our invitation list to include those in the previous verse “thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.” Jesus was saying that showing hospitality to the undesirables of society would bring blessings even though these people “cannot recompense thee” or return the invitation. However, the person who shows hospitality to the undesirables of society will be “recompensed at the resurrection of the just.” The Lord Himself will reward us, for even a cup of water given in His name will not be ignored (see Mark 9:41). This is an example of the principle that the one who humbles himself will be exalted. It’s noteworthy that the reward comes at the “resurrection of the just.” This is the resurrection reserved for those whom God has made or declared just or righteous (see Daniel 12:2; Acts 24:15; Romans 5:19; I Corinthians 15:23: II Corinthians 5:21; Revelation 20:4-6). This righteousness is granted only to those who claim it by faith (see Romans 3:21-28). Good deeds are not the means to salvation; they are the fruit or results of salvation. Real reward comes not in earthly esteem but in God’s approval and promise. Those who know God deeply desire His exaltation too much to worry about being exalted by man. Those who understand how God loves selflessly serve the helpless, preferring God’s reward at the resurrection of the just.
No comments:
Post a Comment