Pentecost 12 (3)
Notes
Transcript
Luke 14:1 (NIV)
1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.
Luke 14:7-14 (NIV)
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 man 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 your fellow guests. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." 12 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. 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."
Main points of the sermon.
Jesus was under scrutiny — Jesus is watching us. Difference is that those who scrutinized Jesus wanted to bring him down whereas Jesus watches us to improve our lives and to help us.
Jesus teaches us to be humble. Applies a well known proverb to a current situation.
Jesus was being carefully watched. Discuss the concept of scrutinizing people or situations. When is it appropriate? When is it with evil intent?
Introduction.
Are you a people watcher? Do you take special notice of what others are doing, wearing, driving, saying, acting etc. I noticed several examples of that recently. Last week I got a haircut. I tend to let my hair grow for several months and then having it cut rather short. Several people commented to me about my recent hair cut. This time it was complimentary. I recall once my friends at a plastic modeler club basically asked me to put my hat back on because of the poor haircut I had received.
I also received some comments last week about the attire I chose to wear while playing pickle ball. Some good, some bad.
The fair season is winding down for another year. Several of us were commenting the other day about the appearance of some people at fairs in a non complimentary manner. I recalled a bit Jeff Foxworthy did on that subject in his stand up comedy routine that found humor in the “extraordinary” — to put it mildly.
People watching, of course, goes way beyond that. Some of our news stories relate to us what people are doing and in some venues the reporters will add their own personal opinions to whether they approve or disapprove of the person and the situation.
Jesus was involved in “people watching” as well.
People were watching Jesus.
1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.
In this case he was being scrutinized as people were looking to find fault in him . Jeremiah has experienced the same type of thing.
Jeremiah 20:10 (NIV)
10 I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side! Denounce him! Let’s denounce him!” All my friends are waiting for me to slip, saying, “Perhaps he will be deceived; then we will prevail over him and take our revenge on him.”
The missing verses of our text give an immediate situation.
Luke 14:2–6 (NIV84) There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away. 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.
Jesus did not let them deter him from helping.
Specific Sin. Are we watching people hoping to find fault and ways to condemn them?
Are we living lives of integrity so that we will not be ashamed when others see what we are doing?
Are we determined to do what is right even if those watching us would wrongly disagree?
The negative intent of the people watching Jesus may lead us to incorrectly conclude that it is always wrong to observe others and to judge them. But the observing of others in and of itself is not wrong, it is the intent.
We are commanded to watch others.
25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
17 I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. 19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.
Jesus himself watches others as does God the Father.
Jesus was being watched by those who wanted to discredit him. Our God is watching over every moment of our day.
The Eye of Providence (or the All-Seeing Eye of God) is a symbol that depicts an eye, often enclosed in a triangle and surrounded by rays of light or glory, meant to represent divine providence, whereby the eye of God watches over humanity.[1][2][3] A well-known example of the Eye of Providence appears on the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States, which is depicted on the United States one-dollar bill.
2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”
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 man 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 your fellow guests. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
The guests would have been familiar with Jesus’ application of a well known proverb.
Proverbs 25:6-7 (NIV)
6 Do not exalt yourself in the king's presence, and do not claim a place among great men; 7 it is better for him to say to you, "Come up here," than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman. What you have seen with your eyes.
Other teachers had commented on this passage too.
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge Chapter 14
8 When. That there were among the Jews of these times many disputes about seats at banquets, we learn both from JOSEPHUS and the Rabbins; nor were these matters unattended to by the Greeks and Romans. Similar admonitions to this of our Lord, also occur in the Rabbinical writers. Rabbi AKIBA said, Go two or three seats lower than the place that belongs to thee, and sit there till they say unto thee, Go up higher; but do not take the uppermost seat, lest they say unto thee, Come down: for it is better they should say unto thee, Go up, go up, than they should say, Go down, go down. Pr. 25:6, 7.
One of the decisions often made at wedding receptions is where to seat the guests.
Head table
Tables closest to the head table
Where to seat pastor, photographer, DJ, band, etc.
Some couples seat the pastor and his wife with the parents of the couple. Others seat him next to the bar (farthest away from the head table). There is no rule. It can be an embarrassing mistake if the pastor looks for his name place near the head table only to be directed to the nether regions of the hall.
Historically, the closer you are to the action, the more prestige you have. There is a reason court side, sideline, and front row seats are often much more expensive at event. They are special places for special people. This was true in Jesus’ day too in Jewish, Roman, and Greek culture. Those who thought they were better than others sought the better places.
Jesus teaching here was not unique to him. Nor was the thought some people that “I’m better than you.” Unfortunately, this sinful pride continues even today.
Type and abundance of possessions.
Clothing choices.
First class vs coach on airline flights. (Private jet vs commercial or (horror of horrors) Amtrak or Greyhound bus.)
Seating at restaurants.
Example of ostentatious people being humiliated.
Application: Who are the movers and shakers of the congregation? Should those who donate more money be entitled to a more important role in decision making? Whose needs are more important?
Many years ago I was the synod offices for a meeting and was a little early and was relaxing in the lounge area. A middle aged man approached me and asked if he could get me a cup of coffee. I was amazed. I am used to servers at restaurants who are very prompt and polite at refilling my cup numerous times at the cafe, but I was impressed that this man offered. At the time, he was the President of the WELS. And he was offering me, an unknown pastor of two small rural congregation in South Dakota, a cup of coffee.
Jesus practiced what he preached. Not long after this he would get up from the head of the table and wash his disciples feet.
On his way to a reception in his honor, Ulysses S. Grant got caught in a rainstorm. He shared his umbrella with a stranger going to the same reception, a stranger who did not recognize Grant. “I have never seen Grant,” he said, “but I have always thought that he was a very much overrated man.” “That’s my view, also,” said Grant.
That’s why 1 Peter 5:5 says, “be submissive to one another, and be clothed in humility.” Peter associates submitting to each other – or thinking of others before ourselves – with humility.
Philippians 2:3b In lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself (this doesn’t mean thinking others are better; it means thinking of others more than we think of ourselves). 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
Warning Against Boasting and Self-Aggrandizement.
1000 Windows: A Speaker's Sourcebook of Illustrations (Pride)
“Whenever vanity and gaiety, a love of pomp and dress … expensive diversions and elegant entertainments, get the better of principles and judgments of men and women, there is no knowing where they will stop, nor into what evils—natural, moral, or political—they will lead us.”—John Adams
Obviously, Jesus’ teaching about pride and humility applies to many other circumstances than where one sits at a banquet.
Our text concludes with some practical teaching about generosity.
12 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. 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.”
Jesus teaches us to be generous. Giving without expecting to be paid back. “No strings attached.”
Giving someone something needed without asking anything in return.
Without conditions or restrictions, as in They give each of the children $10,000 a year with no strings attached. This expression dates from the mid-1900s, although string in the sense of “a limitation” has been used since the late 1800s.
Several years ago there was a controversy over the concept of “quid pro quo”.
The concept itself is not wrong.
Is quid pro quo unethical?
In business and legal contexts, quid pro quo conveys that a good or service has been exchanged for something of equal value. It has been used in politics to describe an unethical practice of "I'll do something for you, if you do something for me," but are allowable if bribery or malfeasance does not occur through it.
What is the best example of quid pro quo?
An example of quid pro quo is when you cover for your friend in a lie in exchange for him covering for you later. An example of quid pro quo is a boss who offers his secretary a raise if she will kiss him.
A colloquial similar expression for those who shy away from Latin is the well known saying, “I’ll scratch your back if you will scratch mine.”
Jesus is not condemning the exchange of favors which are ethical but he is reinforcing a higher approach. He teaching people to be generous without expecting repayment from the recipients. But he does promise that there will be a return in our investment.
God who watches us with is “all seeing eye” takes into account our generosity and Jesus reinforced the “Law of reciprocity”. “Although the one you lend to cannot repay you, you will be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous”
This assumes several doctrines of the Bible.
There is a God who watches what we are doing.
Our God is a generous and fair God.
There will be an existence after this life which is impacted by how we live our lives now.
Proverbs 19:17 (NIV)
17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.
2 Corinthians 9:6–11 (NIV)
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
Conclusion
We are aware that we are being watched by others but more importantly by God. May the promise that God approves of and rewards those who follow him even when others are not watching, motivate us to live lives of integrity. Amen