Parables - Week 1: Dinner With Jesus

Luke 14:1-24

14 Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely. 2 And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. 3 And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

4 But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. 5 Then He answered them, saying, “Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” 6 And they could not answer Him regarding these things.

7 So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: 8 “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; 9 and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. 11 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

12 Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

15 Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!”

16 Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, 17 and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ 18 But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ 20 Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ 23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’ ”

The first half of this conversation (parable) deals with how the kingdom expresses itself internally while the second half of this conversation (parable) concerns with the external expression of the kingdom.

1. Pride and Humility (Luke 14:7-11)

7 So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: 8 “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; 9 and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. 11 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

• Understand that:

  • Great people START in positions that are lower than their potential

  • Influence is earned, not given on credit

2. Motive (Luke 14:12-14)

12 Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

• WHY do you do what you do?

  • Jesus was speaking to people who served for the leverage it would give them

• They would give an invite important people so they would receive an invite from important people

• We want to be a people who give with no expectation of receiving.

The underlying character implication here is this:

You have a choice: You can spend your time:

-    Looking up for people and opportunities to add value to you

-    Looking for opportunity to add value to those around you

If your motive for a relationship is self-gain, then that relationship isn’t healthy

So here's how these banquets worked:

• 1st call: RSVP 

• 2nd call: Was the call to the table 

Three Lame Excuses…

1. Verse 18: I’ve bought a piece of ground and I must go see it

•      The transaction process took months up to a year

•      The Mediterranean climate: Sun low, lots of rain in winter (check for conditions of soil) check the harvest

2. Verse 19: I’ve bought 12 yoke of oxen and must go prove them

•    It was common to actually use livestock before buying them to prove workability

3. Verse 20: I’ve married a wife and cannot come

•     This was an absolute cultural contradiction: NOBODY would say this

These 3 excuses were actually insults: as a conspiracy to make the master of the banquet look stupid

The servant understands the insult and returns to the master fully expecting retaliation

This is where we are living!

If we aren’t careful, we will allow our emotions to govern our actions

-    We say things like: 

-    I don’t deserve to be treated like….

-    I can’t believe they have the nerve to say… about me…

-    I’ll show them exactly how much they need me….

When spiritually immature people process emotions, they justify an emotionally-reciprocal response!

So we'll give:

• Love for love

• pain for pain

• insult for insult

-    We become volatile people who lash out

-    That’s why they say that “hurting people hurt people”

My feelings may not be right, but they are real!

-    It’s not wrong to be hurt, but don’t let your hurt dictate your actions

The master of the banquet doesn't respond based on his feelings

21 So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’

The master feels:

•   Anger

•   Humiliation

•   Rejection

•   Loneliness

•   Betrayal

Verse 21: The Master’s expression of anger is Grace.

Not:

-    "Go tell them I said"

-    "Forget them and curse them"

-    "We’ll keep their portion, all the more for us"

THIS IS THE PICTURE OF JESUS IN THIS PARABLE

In the face of all of these emotions, the master feels anger and expresses it through an invitation of grace.

You need to understand this in your own life

• In the kingdom, you didn't receive what you deserved

• In the kingdom, you didn't deserve what you received

Can I pause and tell someone that thinks that God should be mad at you, but He has issued an invitation of grace over your life!

Because sometimes, what you feel isn't actually the truth!