What's My Purpose V7
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For the next few weeks we going to be in . This part of Luke, provides for us, some insight into the heart of God and helps us to see ourselves as God sees us.
Sometimes we will like what we see. Other times, we may find ourselves in need of making corrections.
We start with the 14th Chapter, looking at a series of connected stories Jesus is sharing with religious leaders after a rather tense moment...
WHAT’S MY PURPOSE
1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2 There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. 3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” 4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way. 5 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?” 6 And they had nothing to say.
For the next few weeks we going to be in . Luke provides us some insight into the heart of God, and helps us to see ourselves as He sees us.
Let think about the background to the story:
Let think about he background to this passage:
Jesus is invited to eat at the house of a prominent leader. As He approaches He notices the religious leaders standing around this sick guy.
He looks at the religious leaders, then looks down at this guy in need, and says, “Okay, I get it. You brought me here as a test. You believe it’s wrong to do any kind of work on the Sabbath, including healing.”
So what does Jesus do? As they watch in silence, He heals the man! Then He scolds them by reminding them they care more about an unclean animal then human life!
The atmosphere is tense! Jesus is angry! The religious leaders did not care the man was sick and dying, or that his family would soon be without a father. They didn’t care about the pain he was in or the embarrassment he suffered as he stood in front of them. He was just an object to be used to get at Jesus! They cared more about their animals than they did human life. Kind of like people today caring more about how much money they can make than what they’re doing to people!
Now Jesus is mad because these guys obviously don’t care about the this guy or his condition. They don’t care that he’s dying, or that his family will soon be without a father. They don’t care about the pain he’s in or the embarrassment he’s now suffering as he stands in front of them. He’s just an object to be used to get at Jesus.
The religious leaders did not care the man was sick and dying, or that his family will soon be without a father. They didn’t care about the pain he was in or the embarrassment he suffered as he stood in front of them. He was just an object to be used to get at Jesus!
The PEACEFUL dinner just
Now Jesus would use the moment to teach some important truths!
“Come on, guys, if your ox stumbles into a hole on a Sabbath day, you go get your pulleys and wenches and you call all the neighbors to come lift it out because you don’t want it to suffer and because your economic prosperity is at stake. So don’t tell me that I should keep from healing this guy on a day like today. God is far more interested in loving people than keeping a list of rules.”
It’s the Sabbath Day, a day of rest, and Jesus was invited to a party. As he strolls up the front walk, he notices that all the other guests have arrived early, kind of like at a surprise party when all the normal guests are told to arrive at 6:00, and the guest of honor is told to arrive at 6:30, so they can arrange everything before he gets there.
Let me remind you who Jesus is talking too...
When I read this I think to myself, “Go get ‘em Jesus!” But what is God saying to us? Mentally, let’s put the scene together:
It’s the Sabbath Day, a day of rest, and Jesus was invited to a party. As he strolls up the front walk, he notices that all the other guests have arrived early, kind of like at a surprise party when all the normal guests are told to arrive at 6:00, and the guest of honor is told to arrive at 6:30, so they can arrange everything before he gets there.
These men were Pharisees, Teachers of the Law. They were highly educated, devoutly spiritual religious people, and they were daring Jesus to do something that violated the Law.
But when I look closer, I see his legs, arms, neck, and cheeks are all swollen. The text says the man is swollen. The language describes a person who body tissues have been absorbing excess fluids, his internal organs are not functioning right, so he’s all puffy. He’s obviously in pain, and he’s obviously going to die soon if he doesn’t get some help.
Can you see the scene? It’s like a football huddle. All the religious leaders are arranged in a half circle, with one sick guy out front, and way out front is Jesus.
So there’s this football huddle of religious leaders arranged in a half circle, with the sick guy out front, and Jesus is standing there with him.
They were highly educated, devoutly spiritual religious people, and they were daring Jesus to do something that violated the Law.
Who is present?
The Pharisees, who are the highly educated, devoutly spiritual religious people are in the huddle daring Jesus to do something. You know the type, they hold positions of responsibility within the religious community, they spent years studying Scripture and they know all the rules and regulations, mostly by heart.
You know the type. They hold positions of responsibility within the religious community, they spent years studying Scripture and they know all the rules and regulations, mostly by heart.
Pharisees: The highly educated, devoutly spiritual people who held positions of responsibility within the religious community. They spent years reading the Old Testament and knew all of its rules and regulations, mostly by heart. They tried their best to live their lives by those laws. They thought little of people who didn’t do the same. They were looked up too, highly respected by common people.
The type I’m thinking of, try their best to live by religious laws; but they don’t do well with people. They’re more concerned about the letter of the Law, than about helping others. They see the faults in others, but rarely notice their own!
Jesus responds to their challenge by healing the sick man then, He continues… don’t forget, He’s not happy, He’s got His glove off, He’s irritated over their hypocrisy...
[Read ]
7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “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. 9 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. 10 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. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Have ever noticed how SOME people expect to be first in everything? In the story, they walked into the place and picked the best spots! That’s true here as well! I’ve seen people walk into a meeting and assume their place is at the head!
Think about the subtle pecking order of the Pharisee—it exists everywhere! We have it here as well!
I’ve seen people walk into a meeting and assume their place is at the head!
They walked into the place and picked the best spots! It’s like someone walking into a meeting and assuming their place is at the head!
It’s like someone walking into a meeting and assuming their place is at the head!
— You find it the Army. I’ve known Officers and Senior NCOs expect better treatment, and feel insulted when they don’t get it!
— You find it in companies. People in high positions and their friends get the breaks while others get the leftovers. The “in” group get the rewards and those outside get nothing.
— You find it in hen houses. All the chickens know who the head rooster is. They call it the pecking order.
— In my line of work, it’s more subtle; but it’s still there!
Pastors are supposed to be godly and humble, so they find discreet ways to get moved up in pecking order.
At every pastors conference I ever attended, people always found ways to display themselves! They ask, “How big is your church?” “Have you written any books?” or "Do you do a lot of outside speaking?)
In Jesus’ day, the pecking order was a lot more blatant. The more important you were, the closer you sat to the host!
ILLUSTRATION
ILLUSTRATION
Year ago, I was at a Pastor’s Conference when the new pastor of the largest church in the city walked in and acted like everyone already knew who he was.
He began shaking hands, asking, “Who are you? Where do you pastor? How big is your congregation? Where’s it at?” After all, Church size and location was certainly a mark of God’s blessings on your ministry!
The questions were clearly asked to intimidate and announce that HE was at the TOP of the pecking order! Later on he went on to Pastor the largest church in the C=SNC then fell from the top from marital infidelity!
So when he came to me, I answered each question as HE held onto my hand firmly indicating HE was in control! When he was done, I HELD ON TIGHT, jerked him back to me and said, “Who are you? Where do you pastor? How big is your congregation? Where’s it at?”
I was angry at his insolence and he knew it!
[BACK TO THE STORY]
Jesus was angry when he spoke the parable! Why wouldn’t He be! After all, the life God gives produces a heart of service and humility—not the arrogance that makes a person first!
[PAUSE] Whenever you gather in meetings or at events, do you always expect the best treatment, the best seats, the best of everything? Are you irritated when you don’t get it? [PAUSE] Is that what you live for?
In Luke, Jesus is still focused on the sick man! The whole teaching opportunity that began with began with that man, continues! But now he uses the party (the banquet) to teach a lesson! JESUS says, “Don’t seek the best seat. Seek the place of humility, and then let God exalt you when it’s appropriate.”
But now he uses the party (banquet) to teach a lesson! He says, “Don’t seek the best seat. Seek the place of humility, and then let God exalt you when it’s appropriate.”
But He’s not through! Jesus is just warming up! Look at verses 12-14!
12 Then he turned to the host. “The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. 13 Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. 14 You’ll be—and experience—a blessing. They won’t be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned!—at the resurrection of God’s people.”
[verses 12–14] Jesus continues: “When you throw a party, don’t just invite all the nice, safe, beautiful, cleaned-up people who are already part of your social circle. Instead, whenever you throw a party, use the opportunity to invite some not-so-cleaned-up people who don’t know how to throw parties. If you do that, God will be pleased, because that’s the kind of party he throws. He’s looking for people to bless who are willing to invite outsiders to his party.”
[verses 12–14] Jesus continues: “When you throw a party, don’t just invite all the nice, safe, beautiful, cleaned-up people who are already part of your social circle. Instead, whenever you throw a party, use the opportunity to invite some not-so-cleaned-up people who don’t know how to throw parties. If you do that, God will be pleased, because that’s the kind of party he throws. He’s looking for people to bless who are willing to invite outsiders to his party.”
[Read verses 12–14] Jesus continues: “When you throw a party, don’t just invite all the nice, safe, beautiful, cleaned-up people who are already part of your social circle. Instead, whenever you throw a party, use the opportunity to invite some not-so-cleaned-up people who don’t know how to throw parties. If you do that, God will be pleased, because that’s the kind of party he throws. He’s looking for people to bless who are willing to invite outsiders to his party.”
As I was read this, I think about the people we (Christians) tend to hang out with. We tend to hang with those who are as generally nice, safe, cleaned-up, already-convinced Christians. And we tend to avoid those who are crusty and harsh, rough around the edges!
Maybe we need to be reminded who the party is for!
LET’S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE REST OF STORY [Read vs 16-24]
16 Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. 17 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ 18 But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ 19 Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ 21 “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 22 After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ 23 So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. 24 For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’ ”
Luke 14:
What is Jesus saying to us through his parable?
What is Jesus saying to us through his parable?
I believe He’s saying, “BE CAREFUL! It’s easy to become a Pharisee!”
I believe He’s saying, “BE CAREFUL! It’s easy to become a Pharisee!”
—To get to the place in life where we think we know what the rules are and then start living as if the rules matter more than people do.
LOOK at who the man first tried to invited—then look at who responded!
ILLUSTRATION
I think sometimes we forget where we came from!
I came from a poor family, unwanted by the Church because my parents were divorced.
I had long hair, surfed, caroused, cussed, and fought.
Three churches turned me away at the door when I first inquired about salvation:
The Catholics didn’t want me, I was disrespectful.
The Baptists rejected me, my hair was too long and I wore sandals.
The Pentecostals turned me away, I didn’t have enough money!
Then the banquet door opened and Jesus invited me in! EVERYONE was shocked that I got invited to the table!
WHAT IS JESUS SAYING TO US? Be careful—it’s easy to become a Pharisee! It’s easy to forget your roots! It’s easy to turn hurting people away! It’s easy to become a religious fanatic!
Look at those who finally accepted the invitation to the party: the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame—that’s really descriptive of how God saw US when He reached down and invited us to HIS party.
I believe most of us started as OUTSIDERS! Have noticed how God always invites OUTSIDERS to His party?
TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT VERSES 13-15; the story has some interesting history
TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT VERSES 13-15; the story has some interesting history
13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” 15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
lu 14:13-15
FOR First Century Jews, just the mention of a banquet (like Jesus mentioned in verse 13), brought on thoughts of heaven.
For first century Jews, just the mention of a banquet (like Jesus mentioned minutes earlier in verse 13), brought on thoughts of heaven.
In Old Testament prophecy, the Bible describes a banquet that will take place in heaven, and all Jewish people anticipated this. It says:
7 And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, Even the veil which is stretched over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken.
7 Has the Lord struck Israel as he struck her enemies? Has he punished her as he punished them? 8 No, but he exiled Israel to call her to account. She was exiled from her land as though blown away in a storm from the east.
On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples,
A banquet of aged wine – the best of meats and the finest of wines.
On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, The sheet that covers all nations;
He will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces;
He will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. ()
So when Jesus talks about WHO to invite to a banquet, one of the guys at the table thinks about this prophecy and blurts out, “Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God!”
Translated, “I want to be at that banquet. I want to be at that party!”
REMEMBER, Jesus is a little agitated at these guys, so he tells another story:
[Read verses 16–24.)
16 Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. 17 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ 18 But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ 19 Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ 21 “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 22 After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ 23 So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. 24 For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’ ”
It’s a rather colorful story. But it takes on a whole lot more color if you know a few things about First Century banquets:
First, ONLY GREAT PEOPLE put on great banquets!
Commoners might have a friend over now and then, but only important people invited large groups of people. So the person who put this banquet on must have been a great person! Everyone around that table who heard Jesus tell this story knew they were the guest of a GREAT person.
Another thing, is the RSVP’s were very important in that day. Why?
Because the process of butchering and roasting meat was so time-consuming and there was no refrigeration. A party-giver only cooked as much meat as could be eaten by his guests that evening. So the type of meat served at a banquet was actually chosen after the number of guests were known.
One ancient historian recorded this formula for the number of guests:
Number of guests:
2–4 = chicken
5–8 = duck
10–15 = goat
15–35 = lamb
35–75 = beef
I’m glad I wasn’t alive then. Because I don’t see Bubba Burgers on the menu!
But you can see from this how important the invitation was! If you accepted the invitation, you were coming. You’d given your word.
So invitations were sent several days before the banquet, then the host would total up the number of attendees and order the appropriate meat.
Then, just before the meal was actually served, the host would send out a second invitation. As the meat was being cooked, he’d send his servant to your home to remind you, “Dinner’s almost ready. Time to come!”
Look how careful Jesus was in choosing His words: The servant says, “Come, for everything is now ready.”
The servant says, “Come, for everything is now ready.” Every person around the table the day Jesus told this story knew that what he was describing was the second invitation. And that everyone who was invited had already given their word that they would be there.
Every person around the table, the day Jesus told this story, knew what He was describing was the second invitation! And everyone who was initially invited had already given their word they would be there.
Jesus now describes the people who reneged on the invitation:
The first guy says, “I have just bought a field and I must to go and see it. Please excuse me” ().
One scholar commenting on this text says this, “The statement is a bold-faced lie and everyone knows it. No one buys a field in the Middle East without knowing every square foot of it like the palm of his hand. The springs, wells, stone walls, trees, paths, and anticipated rainfall are all well-known before a discussion of the purchase is even begun. The purchaser will also know the human history of the field. He will be able to tell you who has owned it for generations and to recite the profits of that field for an amazing number of past years. The few plots of agricultural land are so crucial to life that in Ancient Israel these plots had proper names.” (Bailey, p. 96)
This would be like your Grandmother calling to the table to feast on her best food and you insult her by saying, “What? Are you kidding? I have some dirt that’s more important to me than you are!”
So what Jesus is describing in this story is that when the servant comes to say, “Supper’s on!” instead of saying, “We’ll be right there!” the land owner sends back an insult by saying, “What? Are you kidding? I have some dirt that is more important to me than you are!”
The servant goes to a second home. And at this home, the guy says, “Oh! I can’t come, either. I just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.” ().
Again, a blatant lie. A yoke of oxen refers to two oxen, who were matched up and trained to work together. So the guy is saying that he’s just bought ten oxen and he needs to go check them out to see how well they work together.
Teams of oxen were sold two ways in the Middle East. In some places, the team was taken to the marketplace. In that case, at the edge of the marketplace, there would be a small field where prospective buyers could test the oxen. If they couldn’t pull together, they were a worthless team.
The other method of sale was to announce to your friends that you had a team of oxen to sell and that you would be out plowing your field at such and such a time if they wanted to stop over for a test drive.
The other method of sale was to announce to your friends that you had a team of oxen to sell and that you would be out plowing your field at such and such a time if they wanted to stop over for a test drive.
In either case, a prospective buyer would always try out the oxen before bargaining on a price ever started.
In either case, a prospective buyer would always try out the oxen before bargaining on a price ever started.
This insult is even worse than the first because land was considered precious than oxen, which were unclean animals. The guy is saying, “Unclean animals are more important to me than you are!”
This insult is even worse than the first because land was considered precious, whereas oxen were unclean animals. The guy is saying, “Unclean animals are more important to me than you are!”
The third guy gives this excuse, “I just got married, so I can’t come” ().
At least the first two pretended to be gracious by saying, “Please excuse me,” but this one doesn’t even offer an apology. He just says, “I can’t come.”
Again, everyone at the dinner table with Jesus would know that this is a lie. Marriages were announced a year in advance, and no one would schedule a party for the same time as a wedding because weddings involved the whole village. If you scheduled a party during a wedding, no one would come.
In Jesus’ story, the great man who is in charge of the party says, “Fine, insult me if you want to, but I’m still holding my party.” And he sends his servant to find hurting and needy people to come to eat what he’s prepared. And He says, “NOT ONE of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet!”
When Jesus describes this part of the story, His hearers heard Him saying, “God rounded up the riffraff of Israel to invite to his party and there was still more room. So he also invited people outside of Israel, Gentiles, into his party. AND YOU are NO LONGER welcome!”
ThebChapter reveals two significant truths about God’s purpose and His heart toward us:
When Jesus describes this part of the story, what his hearers heard was, “God rounded up the riffraff of Israel to invite to his party and there was still more room. And he also invited people outside of Israel, gentiles, into his party. Because YOU rejected the Nobleman’s invitation!”
1. WE COME TO HIS BANQUET ON HIS TERMS! God’s PURPOSE is to fill heaven with people from all walks of life!
ThebChapter reveals two significant truths about God’s purpose and His heart toward us:
We’ve all known people who want to come to God on THEIR terms—Luke reminds us, WE COME ON GOD’S TERMS, NOT OURS!
“And some of you are going to reject God’s offer of a banquet in heaven. You can do that if you want to—but He will see through every excuse you offer! And God will fill heaven with or without you!”
1. WE COME TO HIS BANQUET ON HIS TERMS! God’s PURPOSE is to fill heaven with people from all walks of life!
2. WE COME AS WE ARE! Rough, crusty, poor in spirit, outsiders in need of the One who prepared a banquet for us! You can’t clean yourself up enough to be presentable! ONLY Jesus can make you presentable to at His table!
2. WE COME AS WE ARE! Rough, crusty, poor in spirit, outsiders in need of the One who prepared a banquet for us! You can’t clean yourself up enough to be presentable! ONLY Jesus can make you presentable to at His table!
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS LUKE TEACHES IS—And we DO NOT come on OUR TERMS nor do we come AFTER we clean ourselves up, WE COME AS WE ARE! Rough, crusty, poor in spirit, outsiders in need of the One who prepared a banquet for us!
ne who prepared a banqet for us1
Will you accept the invitation on His terms, or find an excuse to decline?
Will you accept the invitation on His terms, or find an excuse to decline?
AND for each of us, I believe, God wants His children to sincerely follow Him and put the effort into knowing Him and advancing His kingdom.
For those of you who have not yet join the celebration of faith provided through Jesus Christ—He is extending an invitation to you. Will you accept it, or find an excuse to decline?
We started today with the question, “What’s my purpose?” The answer begins when you surrender to Jesus!
Jesus!
Will you accept the invitation on His terms, or find an excuse to decline?