2 June 2018 — La necesidad de la humildad
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The Bible harshly condemns false teachers as greedy (; ; ; ; ; , ) emissaries of Satan, whom Jesus said turn people away from the narrow path to heaven and instead lure them onto the broad path to hell ().
Scripture does not support the inclusiveness, tolerance of error, and willingness to embrace false teachers in the name of love and unity that marks the professing church today. On the contrary the Bible, using vivid and powerful language, denounces false teachers. In a litany of graphic expressions, they are called blind men who know nothing,“mute dogs unable to bark, dreamers lying down who love to slumber”
Sus atalayas son ciegos, todos ellos ignorantes; todos ellos perros mudos, no pueden ladrar; soñolientos, echados, aman el dormir.
(), demented fools
Vinieron los días del castigo, vinieron los días de la retribución; e Israel lo conocerá. Necio es el profeta, insensato es el varón de espíritu, a causa de la multitud de tu maldad, y grande odio.
(), demented fools (), reckless, treacherous men (), ravenous wolves (), blind guides of the blind (; cf. 23:16), hypocrites (), fools (v. 17), whitewashed tombs full of bones (v. 27), serpents, a brood of vipers (v. 33), thieves and robbers (), savage wolves (), slaves of their own appetites (), hucksters peddling the Word of God (), false apostles, deceitful workers (), servants of Satan (v. 15), purveyors of a different gospel (), dogs, evil workers (), enemies of the cross of Christ (), those who are conceited and understand nothing (), men of depraved minds deprived of the truth (v. 5), men who have gone astray from the truth (), captives of the devil (v. 26), deceivers (), ungodly persons (), and unreasoning animals (v. 10). The Bible also pronounces severe judgment on them (; ; ; ; ).
(), reckless, treacherous men
Sus profetas son livianos, hombres prevaricadores; sus sacerdotes contaminaron el santuario, falsearon la ley.
(), reckless, treacherous men (), ravenous wolves (), blind guides of the blind (; cf. 23:16), hypocrites (), fools (v. 17), whitewashed tombs full of bones (v. 27), serpents, a brood of vipers (v. 33), thieves and robbers (), savage wolves (), slaves of their own appetites (), hucksters peddling the Word of God (), false apostles, deceitful workers (), servants of Satan (v. 15), purveyors of a different gospel (), dogs, evil workers (), enemies of the cross of Christ (), those who are conceited and understand nothing (), men of depraved minds deprived of the truth (v. 5), men who have gone astray from the truth (), captives of the devil (v. 26), deceivers (), ungodly persons (), and unreasoning animals (v. 10). The Bible also pronounces severe judgment on them (; ; ; ; ).
(), ravenous wolves
M
Guardaos de los falsos profetas, que vienen a vosotros con vestidos de ovejas, pero por dentro son lobos rapaces.
(), ravenous wolves (), blind guides of the blind (; cf. 23:16), hypocrites (), fools (v. 17), whitewashed tombs full of bones (v. 27), serpents, a brood of vipers (v. 33), thieves and robbers (), savage wolves (), slaves of their own appetites (), hucksters peddling the Word of God (), false apostles, deceitful workers (), servants of Satan (v. 15), purveyors of a different gospel (), dogs, evil workers (), enemies of the cross of Christ (), those who are conceited and understand nothing (), men of depraved minds deprived of the truth (v. 5), men who have gone astray from the truth (), captives of the devil (v. 26), deceivers (), ungodly persons (), and unreasoning animals (v. 10). The Bible also pronounces severe judgment on them (; ; ; ; ).
(), blind guides of the blind (; cf. 23:16), hypocrites (), fools (v. 17), whitewashed tombs full of bones (v. 27), serpents, a brood of vipers (v. 33), thieves and robbers (), savage wolves (), slaves of their own appetites (), hucksters peddling the Word of God (), false apostles, deceitful workers (), servants of Satan (v. 15), purveyors of a different gospel (), dogs, evil workers (), enemies of the cross of Christ (), those who are conceited and understand nothing (), men of depraved minds deprived of the truth (v. 5), men who have gone astray from the truth (), captives of the devil (v. 26), deceivers (), ungodly persons (), and unreasoning animals (v. 10). The Bible also pronounces severe judgment on them (; ; ; ; ).
(), blind guides of the blind
Dejadlos; son ciegos guías de ciegos; y si el ciego guiare al ciego, ambos caerán en el hoyo.
(; cf. 23:16), hypocrites
Mas ¡ay de vosotros, escribas y fariseos, hipócritas! porque cerráis el reino de los cielos delante de los hombres; pues ni entráis vosotros, ni dejáis entrar a los que están entrando.
(), fools
¡Insensatos y ciegos! porque ¿cuál es mayor, el oro, o el templo que santifica al oro?
(v. 17), whitewashed tombs full of bones
¡Ay de vosotros, escribas y fariseos, hipócritas! porque sois semejantes a sepulcros blanqueados, que por fuera, a la verdad, se muestran hermosos, mas por dentro están llenos de huesos de muertos y de toda inmundicia.
(v. 27), serpents, a brood of vipers
¡Serpientes, generación de víboras! ¿Cómo escaparéis de la condenación del infierno?
(v. 33), thieves and robbers
Todos los que antes de mí vinieron, ladrones son y salteadores; pero no los oyeron las ovejas.
(v. 33), thieves and robbers
(), savage wolves
Porque yo sé que después de mi partida entrarán en medio de vosotros lobos rapaces, que no perdonarán al rebaño.
(), slaves of their own appetites
(), savage wolves (), slaves of their own appetites (), hucksters peddling the Word of God (), false apostles, deceitful workers (), servants of Satan (v. 15), purveyors of a different gospel (), dogs, evil workers (), enemies of the cross of Christ (), those who are conceited and understand nothing (), men of depraved minds deprived of the truth (v. 5), men who have gone astray from the truth (), captives of the devil (v. 26), deceivers (), ungodly persons (), and unreasoning animals (v. 10). The Bible also pronounces severe judgment on them (; ; ; ; ).
Porque tales personas no sirven a nuestro Señor Jesucristo, sino a sus propios vientres, y con suaves palabras y lisonjas engañan los corazones de los ingenuos.
(), slaves of their own appetites (), hucksters peddling the Word of God (), false apostles, deceitful workers (), servants of Satan (v. 15), purveyors of a different gospel (), dogs, evil workers (), enemies of the cross of Christ (), those who are conceited and understand nothing (), men of depraved minds deprived of the truth (v. 5), men who have gone astray from the truth (), captives of the devil (v. 26), deceivers (), ungodly persons (), and unreasoning animals (v. 10). The Bible also pronounces severe judgment on them (; ; ; ; ).
(), hucksters peddling the Word of God
Pues no somos como muchos, que medran falsificando la palabra de Dios, sino que con sinceridad, como de parte de Dios, y delante de Dios, hablamos en Cristo.
(), hucksters peddling the Word of God (), false apostles, deceitful workers (), servants of Satan (v. 15), purveyors of a different gospel (), dogs, evil workers (), enemies of the cross of Christ (), those who are conceited and understand nothing (), men of depraved minds deprived of the truth (v. 5), men who have gone astray from the truth (), captives of the devil (v. 26), deceivers (), ungodly persons (), and unreasoning animals (v. 10). The Bible also pronounces severe judgment on them (; ; ; ; ).
(), false apostles, deceitful workers
Porque éstos son falsos apóstoles, obreros fraudulentos, que se disfrazan como apóstoles de Cristo.
(), servants of Satan
2
Así que, no es extraño si también sus ministros se disfrazan como ministros de justicia; cuyo fin será conforme a sus obras.
(v. 15), purveyors of a different gospel (), dogs, evil workers (), enemies of the cross of Christ (), those who are conceited and understand nothing (), men of depraved minds deprived of the truth (v. 5), men who have gone astray from the truth (), captives of the devil (v. 26), deceivers (), ungodly persons (), and unreasoning animals (v. 10). The Bible also pronounces severe judgment on them (; ; ; ; ).
(v. 15), purveyors of a different gospel
Estoy maravillado de que tan pronto os hayáis alejado del que os llamó por la gracia de Cristo, para seguir un evangelio diferente.No que haya otro, sino que hay algunos que os perturban y quieren pervertir el evangelio de Cristo.Mas si aun nosotros, o un ángel del cielo, os anunciare otro evangelio diferente del que os hemos anunciado, sea anatema.
(), dogs, evil workers
Guardaos de los perros, guardaos de los malos obreros, guardaos de los mutiladores del cuerpo.
(), enemies of the cross of Christ
Porque por ahí andan muchos, de los cuales os dije muchas veces, y aun ahora lo digo llorando, que son enemigos de la cruz de Cristo;
(), enemies of the cross of Christ (), those who are conceited and understand nothing (), men of depraved minds deprived of the truth (v. 5), men who have gone astray from the truth (), captives of the devil (v. 26), deceivers (), ungodly persons (), and unreasoning animals (v. 10). The Bible also pronounces severe judgment on them (; ; ; ; ).
(), those who are conceited and understand nothing
(), those who are conceited and understand nothing (), men of depraved minds deprived of the truth (v. 5), men who have gone astray from the truth (), captives of the devil (v. 26), deceivers (), ungodly persons (), and unreasoning animals (v. 10). The Bible also pronounces severe judgment on them (; ; ; ; ).
está envanecido, nada sabe, y delira acerca de cuestiones y contiendas de palabras, de las cuales nacen envidias, pleitos, blasfemias, malas sospechas,
(), men of depraved minds deprived of the truth (v. 5), men who have gone astray from the truth (), captives of the devil (v. 26), deceivers (), ungodly persons (), and unreasoning animals (v. 10). The Bible also pronounces severe judgment on them (; ; ; ; ).
(), men of depraved minds deprived of the truth
1 Timoteo
disputas necias de hombres corruptos de entendimiento y privados de la verdad, que toman la piedad como fuente de ganancia; apártate de los tales.
(v. 5), men who have gone astray from the truth (), captives of the devil (v. 26), deceivers (), ungodly persons (), and unreasoning animals (v. 10). The Bible also pronounces severe judgment on them (; ; ; ; ).
(v. 5), men who have gone astray from the truth
que se desviaron de la verdad, diciendo que la resurrección ya se efectuó, y trastornan la fe de algunos.
(), captives of the devil
y escapen del lazo del diablo, en que están cautivos a voluntad de él.
(v. 26), deceivers
Porque muchos engañadores han salido por el mundo, que no confiesan que Jesucristo ha venido en carne. Quien esto hace es el engañador y el anticristo.
(), ungodly persons
Porque algunos hombres han entrado encubiertamente, los que desde antes habían sido destinados para esta condenación, hombres impíos, que convierten en libertinaje la gracia de nuestro Dios, y niegan a Dios el único soberano, y a nuestro Señor Jesucristo.
(), and unreasoning animals
Pero éstos blasfeman de cuantas cosas no conocen; y en las que por naturaleza conocen, se corrompen como animales irracionales.
(v. 10). The Bible also pronounces severe judgment on them (; ; ; ; ).
Scripture harshly condemns false teachers because of the deadly danger they pose to people’s eternal souls. They lead many astray from the truth of God’s Word (; ; ; , ; ; , ; , ; , ; ; , , ; ; ; ; )—especially concerning the need for repentance from sin (; ; ; ; , , ).
One of the most sinister and deadly false teachers of recent decades was Jim Jones, founder of the People’s Temple. Jones was a Communist and atheist (as well as a drug abuser and sexual predator depredador sexual), who deified himself and claimed to be the reincarnation of such religious and political figures as Jesus, Gandhi, Buddha, and Lenin. Jones ridiculed biblical Christianity, mocked the God of Scripture, and derided the Bible as a “paper idol.” He cynically sought to further his Marxist socialist agenda by infiltrating the church (cf. ). Jones eventually led his followers to Guyana Guayana, where they founded the now infamous Jonestown settlement. There, on November 18, 1978, more than 900 people (tragically, at least 200 of them children), died in a mass murder-suicide ordered by Jones.
The Jonestown incident shocked the world. Yet the real tragedy was not that so many people died physically in a South American jungle, but that they died eternally. While few false teachers lead their followers to physical death as Jim Jones did, all lead them to eternal death.
The leaders of the Jewish people in Jesus’ day were described by Him as making people “twice as much [sons] of hell as [themselves]”
¡Ay de vosotros, escribas y fariseos, hipócritas! porque recorréis mar y tierra para hacer un prosélito, y una vez hecho, le hacéis dos veces más hijo del infierno que vosotros.
(). The people trusted them and believed that they would lead them to salvation. But the truth is that instead, as they had throughout much of the Old Testament history, the leaders of Israel led the people into God’s eternal judgment (cf. , ).
Chief among Israel’s false teachers were the Pharisees, one of four main Jewish sects, along with the Sadducees (the wealthy, elite priests), the Zealots Zelotes (political revolutionaries who sought independence from Rome), and the Essenes Esenios (ascetic monastics). The Pharisees were devout religionists, extremely zealous for the Mosaic law (and their own extrabiblical traditions [cf. ]).
The sect originated during the intertestamental period, born out of a spiritual revolt against the influence of Greek and Roman thought and culture on the Jewish people. They called for a separation (“Pharisee” likely derives from a Hebrew verb meaning “to separate”) from paganism and a return to a strict adherence to the Old Testament law. The Pharisees had no interest in politics (unlike the Sadducees and the Zealots), nor were they mystics místicos (unlike the Essenes). In contrast to the Sadducees, who were mostly wealthy priests or Levites, the Pharisees were laymen, and generally came from the middle class. Although few in number (according to the first-century Jewish historian Josephus there were about 6,000 at the time of Herod the Great), they had widespread influence with the common people, to whom they taught the law in the local synagogues. (Ironically, the Pharisees viewed those common people in a condescending fashion as ignorant of the law and beneath them [cf. ].) Eventually, the rabbinic traditions that the Pharisees increasingly superimposed on the Old Testament became a crushing burden (), impossible for the people to bear ().
The Sadducees ceased to be a force in Jewish life after the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70 and the Zealots’ influence faded after the Bar Kochba revolt rebelión de Bar Kojba (A.D. 132–35) was crushed, leaving the Pharisees as the dominant force in Judaism. The Pharisees’ theology was in many ways biblically correct. They believed in the resurrection (), angels (), demons, and human responsibility.
While pretending to be devout, the Pharisees were actually hypocrites who failed to live up to even their own strict teaching regarding the law (). They abandoned the true religion of the heart for an external one, which they hoped would elicit the admiration and respect of the people, as well as God’s approval (; ; ; , ; ). The Pharisees’ superficial, external righteousness, however, fell far short of what heaven demands (; ; ). So despite their zeal for the law, they amounted only to “blind guides of the blind” (), who made their proselytes doubly worthy of the hell to which they themselves were headed.
Closely associated with the Pharisees were their scribes (5:21, 30; 6:7; 11:53; 15:2; ; ; ; , , , , , , ; , ; ; refers to “the scribes of the Pharisees,” and to “the scribes of the Pharisaic party”), the professional scholars who specialized in the interpretation and application of the Old Testament law. The scribes provided the theological foundation for the Pharisees’ teaching.
There were Pharisees who were sympathetic to Jesus () and Paul () and a few even became believers (). But all the rest hated and opposed Jesus, viewing the gospel of Christ as an attack on their religious system and them. That Jesus frequently denounced them in front of the people as hypocrites further enraged them.
This dramatic confrontation in which our Lord, as He frequently did, exposed the Pharisees’ hypocrisy and pride can be broken into four features: the setting, the setup, the silencing, and the story.
MacArthur, J. (2013). (pp. 254–257). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.
Body
It was a setup all the way. The place had been carefully chosen—the home of a prominent Pharisee where he and his notable guests could observe Jesus firsthand and then bear unified testimony to any and every transgression.
Aconteció un día de reposo, que habiendo entrado para comer en casa de un gobernante, que era fariseo, éstos le acechaban.Y he aquí estaba delante de él un hombre hidrópico.
Also, the dinner party was scheduled on the Sabbath, a day that Jesus had reportedly violated on three separate occasions when he cast out demons and healed Simon Peter’s mother (4:31–41), then healed a man with a withered hand (6:6–11), and most recently healed the bent woman (13:10–17). Further, most conveniently, a sick man was present—“a man suffering from dropsy” hidropesía o edema—whose torso was pathetically swollen by the retention of body fluids in the stomach and chest cavities and connective tissues. Such swelling often indicates organ failure. The man was very sick, probably terminally ill.
A terrible snare had been set for Jesus, baited with misery that he would find irresistible. They thought they had Jesus trapped.
But Jesus confounded them with a single question:
Entonces Jesús habló a los intérpretes de la ley y a los fariseos, diciendo: ¿Es lícito sanar en el día de reposo?
If they said yes, they would appear soft and hypocritical regarding the stringent measures they required for Sabbath observance. But if they said no, they could be accused of being inhumane and uncaring about human suffering. It was one thing for the Pharisees to condemn Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. It was quite another to take responsibility for denying recovery to a needy person. Trapped, their only response was sulking silence.
“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” (v. 3). If they said yes, they would appear soft and hypocritical regarding the stringent measures they required for Sabbath observance. But if they said no, they could be accused of being inhumane and uncaring about human suffering. It was one thing for the Pharisees to condemn Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. It was quite another to take responsibility for denying recovery to a needy person. Trapped, their only response was sulking silence.
Mas ellos callaron. Y él, tomándole, le sanó, y le despidió.
“So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away” (v. 4). This must have been an amazing spectacle because “healed” here means completely healed. The watery fluids dissipated, his organs healed, the swelling disappeared! But Luke gave little detail because he wanted his readers to focus on the utter entrapment of the Pharisees and scribes by Jesus.
This must have been an amazing spectacle because “healed” here means completely healed. The watery fluids dissipated, his organs healed, the swelling disappeared! But Luke gave little detail because he wanted his readers to focus on the utter entrapment of the Pharisees and scribes by Jesus.
“So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away” (v. 4). This must have been an amazing spectacle because “healed” here means completely healed. The watery fluids dissipated, his organs healed, the swelling disappeared! But Luke gave little detail because he wanted his readers to focus on the utter entrapment of the Pharisees and scribes by Jesus.
Jesus’ second question further sealed their lips:
Y dirigiéndose a ellos, dijo: ¿Quién de vosotros, si su asno o su buey cae en algún pozo, no lo sacará inmediatamente, aunque sea en día de reposo?Y no le podían replicar a estas cosas.
Lucas 14:
Their Sabbath regulations allowed them to rescue their animals, as did the later Mishnah (Shabbath 18:3). So to forbid the deliverance of humans would have meant they treated their animals better than people.
“Then he asked them, ‘If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?’ And they had nothing to say” (vv. 5, 6). Their Sabbath regulations allowed them to rescue their animals, as did the later Mishnah (Shabbath 18:3). So to forbid the deliverance of humans would have meant they treated their animals better than people.
The dinner party remained silent for a few moments, an uneasy, resentful quiet. For a few golden seconds humble, gentle Jesus rose high above his arrogant host and fellow guests.
Though they were leaders in Israel, the people at that dinner party were a lost bunch, tragically far from the kingdom. In their keeping of legalistic minutiae, they had completely missed the point of the Law—they neither loved God nor their neighbors. They were actually proud lovers of self and position. None of them would make it into the kingdom unless there was a radical change in their spiritual disposition.
So Jesus went after their souls. What we have in the extended record of this dinner party is brilliant lunchtime evangelism. We will study this now and next week.
The Gospels reveal that our Lord was a close student of everyday life. Nothing escaped him regarding human nature and conduct. Perhaps he watched the seating of the party with a faint smile so as not to reveal his disapproval (just yet!). What he saw was scandalous and so revealing. What he witnessed was similar to what air travelers sometimes see today when their plane lands. The plane touches down, and the flight attendant reminds the passengers to check all their personal belongings and to remain seated until the seat belt sign is turned off. However, some passengers leap to their feet, grab their coats from the overhead compartments, and stumble down the swaying aisle to the front of the aircraft. Some may have a good reason, but most are simply being selfish. Their behavior says, “I am the most important person in my life, and my ‘firstness’ will be asserted anytime I wish.”
Jesus watched the elite dinner guests make their moves for the honored seats. Jesus saw some deft moves as certain guests, all elbows, slipped into the honored places on the surrounding couches. Earlier in his ministry Jesus had ridiculed the Pharisees for their love of place:
¡Ay de vosotros, fariseos! que amáis las primeras sillas en las sinagogas, y las salutaciones en las plazas.
but this group was unaware of what he thought, or they simply did not care.
“Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces” (11:43), but this group was unaware of what he thought, or they simply did not care.
The truth was there for all to see. The Pharisees and scribes, despite all their god-talk and religious posturing, were a selfish, self-seeking, ambitious lot eran un lote egoísta, egoísta y ambicioso.. Selfishness always reduces the importance of others and enlarges the importance of one’s own life. “I’m the greatest, so where is my seat?” “I’m superior, and this place reflects my worth!” They assumed that if they did not get the chief seats, the meal, regardless of how good the fare or the fellowship was, would be a bummer. It was important that they be seen in a worthy place.
Their sin was intensely spiritual. Human honor gave them a sense of substance and reality. Human recognition told them they were superior to their fellows. And if that was true, they were also of greater value before God. The same illusion is rampant today. Salvation by recognition. Eternal life through temporal significance. Immortality through notoriety.
The dinner party was a dinner of the damned, as the final verse of the section indicates (v. 24). Jesus does not wish that on anyone.
HOW TO BE A DINNER GUEST (VV. 7–11)
Jesus began with some seemingly prosaic advice drawn from an old proverb:
No te alabes delante del rey,
Ni estés en el lugar de los grandes;
Porque mejor es que se te diga: Sube acá,
Y no que seas humillado delante del príncipe
A quien han mirado tus ojos.
How Not to Seat Yourself
“Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among great men; it is better for him to say to you, ‘Come up here,’ than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman” (, ).
How Not to Seat Yourself
First Jesus gave some common-sense advice to the guests on what not to do:
Observando cómo escogían los primeros asientos a la mesa, refirió a los convidados una parábola, diciéndoles:Cuando fueres convidado por alguno a bodas, no te sientes en el primer lugar, no sea que otro más distinguido que tú esté convidado por él,y viniendo el que te convidó a ti y a él, te diga: Da lugar a éste; y entonces comiences con vergüenza a ocupar el último lugar.
L
This is an outrageous sketch. The guest arrives early, surveys the dinner arrangements, chooses the most prominent place in the room, and ceremoniously seats himself. He loves it! All eyes are upon him at the front of the table. The seeming adulation makes him feel so good about himself. He imagines what excellent, respectful thoughts the others must be thinking about him. What a meal! Everything tastes so good!
“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 man your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place.” (vv. 8, 9)
This is an outrageous sketch. The guest arrives early, surveys the dinner arrangements, chooses the most prominent place in the room, and ceremoniously seats himself. He loves it! All eyes are upon him at the front of the table. The seeming adulation makes him feel so good about himself. He imagines what excellent, respectful thoughts the others must be thinking about him. What a meal! Everything tastes so good!
Is it his imagination? All the guests’ eyes seem to be staring at him. This is even better than he had hoped. Then he feels a presence hovering nearby. He looks up—the host is asking him to move so a distinguished personage can have his seat. Instantly, he feels hot, flushed. He rises perspiring and slinks to an obscure seat. Everyone’s eyes are still on him, unfortunately, and there is nowhere to hide. Pride has made him an absurd little man. Spiritually “he is an outrageous freak, a cardboard figure on stilts … blown away by the winds of reality.”
How to Seat Yourself
Jesus went on with his common-sense advice, now giving the proper way to be seated:
Mas cuando fueres convidado, ve y siéntate en el último lugar, para que cuando venga el que te convidó, te diga: Amigo, sube más arriba; entonces tendrás gloria delante de los que se sientan contigo a la mesa.
Hundreds of years later this was still standardized Hebrew common sense. The fifth-century Leviticus Rabbah I recommends: “Stay two or three seats below your place and sit until they say to you, ‘Go (farther) up.’ Do not begin by going up because (then) they may say to you, ‘Go down.’ It is better that they should say to you ‘Go up, go up,’ than that they should say to you, ‘Go down, go down.’ ” This was good practical advice.
“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 your fellow guests” (v. 10). Hundreds of years later this was still standardized Hebrew common sense. The fifth-century Leviticus Rabbah I recommends: “Stay two or three seats below your place and sit until they say to you, ‘Go (farther) up.’ Do not begin by going up because (then) they may say to you, ‘Go down.’ It is better that they should say to you ‘Go up, go up,’ than that they should say to you, ‘Go down, go down.’ ” This was good practical advice.
But there is more here than social wisdom. Our Lord was not concerned that his hearers merely learn to take the lower seat so they would avoid embarrassment and then achieve high human honor when they were ostentatiously ushered from the lowest seat to the highest. Neither was he teaching the Pharisees and scribes to put on a staged humility, so they would be greatly honored above their peers. Jesus hated the pride that pretends to be humble. Rather, he was imparting an eternal spiritual principle that will be evident in the end when everything is made right.
An Axiom of the Kingdom
Jesus stated this as an immutable law, an axiom of the kingdom:
Porque cualquiera que se enaltece, será humillado; y el que se humilla, será enaltecido.
“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (v. 11). Mary, the pregnant mother of Jesus, testified that this axiom was at the very heart of Jesus’ kingdom work when she used the same key words “exalt” and “humble” in the Magnificat—“He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble” (). This is what God in Christ does. Humbling the proud and exalting the humble is an essential kingdom principle and work. Here in , “will be humbled” and “will be exalted” are what New Testament scholars call theological passives—it is God who humbles the proud and exalts the humble. It is his personal work, and he will see to it.
Mary, the pregnant mother of Jesus, testified that this axiom was at the very heart of Jesus’ kingdom work when she used the same key words “exalt” and “humble” in the Magnificat—
Quitó de los tronos a los poderosos,
Y exaltó a los humildes.
“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (v. 11). Mary, the pregnant mother of Jesus, testified that this axiom was at the very heart of Jesus’ kingdom work when she used the same key words “exalt” and “humble” in the Magnificat—“He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble” (). This is what God in Christ does. Humbling the proud and exalting the humble is an essential kingdom principle and work. Here in , “will be humbled” and “will be exalted” are what New Testament scholars call theological passives—it is God who humbles the proud and exalts the humble. It is his personal work, and he will see to it.
This is what God in Christ does. Humbling the proud and exalting the humble is an essential kingdom principle and work. Here in , “will be humbled” and “will be exalted” are what New Testament scholars call theological passives—it is God who humbles the proud and exalts the humble. It is his personal work, and he will see to it.
“He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble” (). This is what God in Christ does. Humbling the proud and exalting the humble is an essential kingdom principle and work. Here in , “will be humbled” and “will be exalted” are what New Testament scholars call theological passives—it is God who humbles the proud and exalts the humble. It is his personal work, and he will see to it.
The Pharisees’ and scribes’ undignified scramble for the most honored seats identified pride as a particularly damning sin of the religious. Jesus made the same point in , in the contrast between the Pharisee who prayed,
El fariseo, puesto en pie, oraba consigo mismo de esta manera: Dios, te doy gracias porque no soy como los otros hombres, ladrones, injustos, adúlteros, ni aun como este publicano;ayuno dos veces a la semana, doy diezmos de todo lo que gano.
Lucas 18:11
and the tax collector who prayed,
Mas el publicano, estando lejos, no quería ni aun alzar los ojos al cielo, sino que se golpeaba el pecho, diciendo: Dios, sé propicio a mí, pecador.
Lucas
“God, I thank you that I am not like all other men … or even like this tax collector” and the tax collector who prayed, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Jesus concluded on that occasion, “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (v. 14).
Jesus concluded on that occasion,
Os digo que éste descendió a su casa justificado antes que el otro; porque cualquiera que se enaltece, será humillado; y el que se humilla será enaltecido.
“God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Jesus concluded on that occasion, “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (v. 14).
Jesus used this axiom again in reference to the scribes and Pharisees as a prelude to his seven woes against them in , :
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (v. 14).
Jesus used this axiom again in reference to the scribes and Pharisees as a prelude to his seven woes against them in , : “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.”
Porque el que se enaltece será humillado, y el que se humilla será enaltecido.
Mas ¡ay de vosotros, escribas y fariseos, hipócritas! porque cerráis el reino de los cielos delante de los hombres; pues ni entráis vosotros, ni dejáis entrar a los que están entrando.
Jesus’ axiom is equally penetrating and appropriate today—because it is not believed! Washington, D.C. doesn’t believe it, despite its nods to the likes of Billy Graham and Mother Teresa. The Democratic and Republican Parties do not believe it. Listen to the campaign rhetoric. Professional athletes do not believe it. Business executives do not believe it. Has Wall Street ever advertised executive positions as especially available to the humble and lowly of heart? The high church does not believe it either, with its penchant for vestments, sedan chairs, and miters. Neither does the low church with its shiny designer suits, coifed hairdos, and telethons.
“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.”
Jesus’ axiom is equally penetrating and appropriate today—because it is not believed! Washington, D.C. doesn’t believe it, despite its nods to the likes of Billy Graham and Mother Teresa. The Democratic and Republican Parties do not believe it. Listen to the campaign rhetoric. Professional athletes do not believe it. Business executives do not believe it. Has Wall Street ever advertised executive positions as especially available to the humble and lowly of heart? The high church does not believe it either, with its penchant for vestments, sedan chairs, and miters. Neither does the low church with its shiny designer suits, coifed hairdos, and telethons.
Do we believe it? The truth is, we are sometimes ambivalent. We subscribe to the axiom in principle. We loathe the proud climbing in others. But we do it too, only we are far more subtle. The trick is to get into the prominent seat without appearing to try, to get there all the while protesting, to decry it in others while we ourselves subtly pursue it.
God help us all! And he will, and does.
Igualmente, jóvenes, estad sujetos a los ancianos; y todos, sumisos unos a otros, revestíos de humildad; porque:
Dios resiste a los soberbios,
Y da gracia a los humildes.
Humillaos, pues, bajo la poderosa mano de Dios, para que él os exalte cuando fuere tiempo;
[start with ....Dios resisted a los…]
HOW TO BE A DINNER HOST (VV. 12–14)
HOW TO BE A DINNER HOST (VV. 12–14)
Having given advice to the honor-seeking dinner guests, Jesus next focused his observations and advice upon the host and his guest list.
Who Not to Invite
Dijo también al que le había convidado: Cuando hagas comida o cena, no llames a tus amigos, ni a tus hermanos, ni a tus parientes, ni a vecinos ricos; no sea que ellos a su vez te vuelvan a convidar, y seas recompensado.
Jesus was not, as it might first sound, discouraging normal hospitality with family and friends and loved ones. He regularly accepted invitations to such gatherings—for example, with Lazarus and his wonderful sisters where he was refreshed (cf. 10:38–42).
“Then Jesus said to his host, ‘When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid” (v. 12). Jesus was not, as it might first sound, discouraging normal hospitality with family and friends and loved ones. He regularly accepted invitations to such gatherings—for example, with Lazarus and his wonderful sisters where he was refreshed (cf. 10:38–42).
What Jesus is against is limiting our guest list to family members and friends who can repay us with a reciprocal dinner. He forbids what makes up so much of elite modern social life—an endless round of giving and getting in return—the social quid pro quo.
The penetrating point Jesus is leading to is that one’s social ethics show whether one is a member of the kingdom of God. Elitism elitismo indicates a selfish, proud, shriveled soul. Reciprocation Reciprocidad as a primary goal is the product of an immense self-focus. If we do not reach out to others who cannot benefit us (and we should not limit this to dinners), we must ask ourselves if we are true believers.
Who to Invite
Jesus went on to be very specific about the proper guest list:
Mas cuando hagas banquete, llama a los pobres, los mancos, los cojos y los ciegos; y serás bienaventurado; porque ellos no te pueden recompensar, pero te será recompensado en la resurrección de los justos.
This is the first mention of the resurrection in Luke’s Gospel, though it is regularly assumed in Luke (cf. 9:24; 10:14; 12:5; 13:27, 28). The payoff to the generous host is immense—he will be resurrected as one of the righteous at the end of the age. And he is “blessed” now. His reward was long ago prophesied by Daniel:
Y muchos de los que duermen en el polvo de la tierra serán despertados, unos para vida eterna, y otros para vergüenza y confusión perpetua.Los entendidos resplandecerán como el resplandor del firmamento; y los que enseñan la justicia a la multitud, como las estrellas a perpetua eternidad.
“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” (vv. 13, 14). This is the first mention of the resurrection in Luke’s Gospel, though it is regularly assumed in Luke (cf. 9:24; 10:14; 12:5; 13:27, 28). The payoff to the generous host is immense—he will be resurrected as one of the righteous at the end of the age. And he is “blessed” now. His reward was long ago prophesied by Daniel: “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever” (12:2, 3). He will shine forever in the kingdom of God!
He will shine forever in the kingdom of God!
“Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever” (12:2, 3). He will shine forever in the kingdom of God!
CLOSING REFLECTIONS
The scribes and Pharisees tried to trap Jesus that Sabbath day. But with two penetrating questions he reduced them to frustrated silence. Then over the table he mercifully reached out to those proud, social-climbing status seekers, undressing their concealed, half-forgotten motives and laying them out on the dinner table.
The guests rushed for honor, but
Porque cualquiera que se enaltece, será humillado; y el que se humilla, será enaltecido.
Unless they repented, they would be humbled and lost. The host’s reciprocal pay-me-back hospitality revealed an immensely selfish heart that would suffer loss at the resurrection.
“everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (v. 11). Unless they repented, they would be humbled and lost. The host’s reciprocal pay-me-back hospitality revealed an immensely selfish heart that would suffer loss at the resurrection.
They all presumed to be in the kingdom but were in fact lost. Jesus was saying that how we live reveals the authenticity or absence of our faith. A proud, me-first lifestyle (no matter how deftly hidden) indicates we are not part of the kingdom. A selfish quid pro quo social life is not a kingdom life.
True members of the kingdom love God and are learning to love their neighbors as themselves ().
Hughes, R. K. (1998). Luke: that you may know the truth (pp. 109–114). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.