Jesus
Teaches About Being Humble
[Luke
chapter 14, verses 1-14]
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Today
as we move on to chapter 14 of the Gospel of Luke, we find ourselves
in an entirely new setting than we were previously. As before back in
chapter 11, Jesus was invited to the home of one of the Pharisees for
a formal Sabbath dinner. But, remembering how Jesus had
(figuratively) turned the tables on them when they accused him of
sinning by healing on the Sabbath, this time around the Pharisees
plotted to entrap our Lord and Savior and so once again attempt to
discredit him and his ministry. So they seated him just behind a man
who was chronically ill with “dropsy”, as the Bible calls it.
This is an
old term for the swelling of soft tissues due to the accumulation of
excess water in the extremities of the body. Thus, the person might
have edema due to congestive heart failure. Having gotten that little
definition out of the way, let's begin today's study at verse 1.
“One
Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee,
he was being carefully watched. There in front of him was a man
suffering from dropsy. Jesus asked the Pharisees and the experts in
the Law, 'Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?' But they
remained silent. So taking hold of the man, Jesus 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.” (Luke 14, verses 1-6)
As
you recall from just a couple of lessons ago, Jesus had humiliated
the Pharisees when he healed a crippled man on the Sabbath after they
accused him of sinning because of the way Jesus healed him. So
evidently they surmised this time around – incorrectly as usual –
that they could entrap Christ by appealing to his pity and
compassion. How did Jesus respond? He went ahead and healed the man
and then practically dared any of those present who were in positions
of leadership to say anything critical about it! “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.”
The Pharisees could not think of one single response! Meanwhile,
Jesus continued to enjoy all the free food! Then, without waiting any
further for a response from these “experts in the Law”, Jesus
changes the subject beginning at verse 7.
“When
he noticed how the guests picked their places of honor at the table,
he told them this parable: 'When someone who invites you to a wedding
feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more
distinguished than you may be invited. If so, the host who invited
both of you may say to you, 'Give this man your seat'. Then,
humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 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 honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone
who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will
be exalted.'” (Luke 14, verses 7-11)
As
you can tell, Jesus was once again unimpressed with the ways and
traditions of the Pharisees. There are a couple of facts worth noting
here. There will no people in heaven who are presumptuous, pushy,
arrogant, self-important, or conceited egomaniacs. There are some
people who need to be taught a lesson in humility, such as our
current President as well as the 1 million per day who post “selfies”
on social media. None of us is or will ever be at the center of the
universe. That place has one lone occupant, the Lord God Almighty,
with his only Son seated at his right hand. None of us has any
business anywhere near that Throne. Only the shed blood of Jesus
Christ at Golgotha upon that rugged old cross allows us into heaven
at all, let alone getting anywhere near there.
“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 honored in the presence of all your fellow guests.”
You know, there's nothing wrong with being a humble person! But
sometimes being humble means not trying to draw any attention towards
ourselves. It means being mature enough to realize that not everybody
can be first, nor are we meant to be, and it's perfectly OK not to be
too. It is unfortunate that there are individuals who are convinced
that showing off their talents and skills at the expense of others
makes them a better person because it demonstrates their “winning
attitude”. Folks like this are invariably domineering, overbearing,
and “my way or the highway” types of people. There are a lot of
people like that working in government, up to and including the
current occupant of the White House. “For
everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles
himself will be exalted.”
Only Jesus, the smartest man who ever lived, could sum it up in one
little sentence like that. Self-promoters will find themselves
demoted by God, but those with humble and contrite hearts will be
first in the Kingdom of God, as well as in life. And now let's
conclude today's study starting at verse 12.
“Then
Jesus said to his host, 'When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not
invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich
neighbors: If you do, they might invite you back and so you will be
repaid. 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.'”
(Luke 14, 12-14)
These
3 verses are the very essence of how we practice our Christian faith!
When we give to others, we do so freely, and without any expectation
of repayment. So when Christians (not religious people, but followers
of Christ instead of dogma) give to others, we do so unconditionally,
just as Jesus died on the cross unconditionally for our sins. As the
old hymn goes, “He paid a debt he did not owe for a debt I could
not pay”. Another way of looking at this would be that we can
invite our friends, relatives or co-workers over anytime we want. But
if you can seat a bunch of poor, sick or homeless folks around the
table for a nice meal, it may be the only opportunity we have to do
this. Because tomorrow any one of them could be dead from exposure to
the elements, or be beaten to death in their sleep, or even shot by
yet another overzealous police officer. There's no way to know for
sure. Also, what did Jesus mean by the “resurrection of the
righteous”? He was referring to the resurrection from the dead of
all those who were sincere followers of Jesus while they were living.
This will not occur until the 'taking up' or “the rapture” of the
church, as some call it, somewhere near the midpoint of the 7 year
'tribulation' period described in the Book of Daniel. But, that's a
separate topic for another time. And next week we'll finish Luke
chapter 14.
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