Good Morning Friends,
Jesus, at dinner in the house of a leading Pharisee, counsels both the host and his guests about humility and generosity. It was customary to invite the “visiting preacher,” in this case, Jesus, and other guests to dinner after the synagogue service. However, the details given indicate that this occasion was staged. That “the people there were observing him carefully,” indicates that he was a curiosity piece, to say the least. That there were “scholars,” there indicates that they were more interested in evaluating Jesus than eating dinner. Finally, that a man suffering from dropsy just happened to be there, so that the scholars and people could evaluate Jesus, seems more than coincidence. This scene is a typical setup by the Pharisees to build, or at least add to, their case against Jesus. But Jesus went anyway. The Pharisees had their purpose and Jesus had his. He used the occasion to teach about humility and generosity, using accepted practices surrounding “formal dinners,” as examples of how not to behave. But against this backdrop there is a more important, though related, invitation that I want to meditate on this morning. It is an invitation to fall in love with Jesus. He did after all come to save you and me. How Would You React To An Invitation to a Wedding with Jesus?
Scripture: When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Luke 14:7-14 (NRSV)
Message: The whole thing about invitations, to be part of the team, plays into the judgmental way the world sees the church today. But that is not why Jesus came. Like the Jewish leaders who were the original audience for today’s parable, we can become infuriated if we do not like who has been invited. There is, of course, a difference between a reason and an excuse and the Jewish leaders, of Jesus’ day, were making all kinds of excuses for not accepting Jesus as Messiah. Then we too today as Gentiles make excuses for not accepting Jesus as Lord even though we fully claim the benefits of Him being our Savior. Friends, there is a difference between Jesus and what people see as the Church. In today’s parable Jesus helps us to understand the reason behind His purpose. We are invited to a marriage of Jesus and His purpose and the purpose of the called-out assembly of God and all the
excuses not to join in are just lies. Friends, grace is God seeing exactly what and who we are and then forgiving us even though we do not deserve it. That alone should humble all those called into service. So, here is where we must humbly submit to the love of God and if that brings us to tears that is ok. You see, ultimately today’s devotion is about a personal invitation. I do so hope that you have the courage to accept the invitation to the banquet with Jesus. All the other ones are just practice. I do so hope we realize that the real agenda is one of love. Here we realize we must not manipulate others for our own glorification, but in humility be thankful that God is with us in a spirit of hospitality. It is always interesting to see how Jesus is honored knowing that someday every knee will bow.
And So, we each have our part to play and the choices to make in relationships. What is clear is that it takes commitment. It is not accidental that the Bible, from beginning to the end, uses marriage as a metaphor and a symbol to reveal the plan of God for the whole human race. Marriage was God’s plan from the beginning. Throughout the Old Testament, the Lord speaks through His messengers to remind Israel of the covenant relationship. Then, in the fullness of time, the Father sent the Bridegroom, Jesus, his only Son, to initiate a new covenant, made possible through His saving Incarnation, life and redemptive death. At the cross something dies but something better is born to life, which is now Christ’s Bride.
Even anticipating the wedding helps us to focus on the very meaning of our lives, to give and receive love. It seems to touch something deep within us, at the core of our very identity. The wedding ceremony itself does so much more. We cry at weddings, as people did 40 years ago today as Amy and I were joined in marriage. Such events are emotional precisely because we are confronted with the meaning of life and the very structure of reality in the experience of something greater than ourselves.
Pray we realize that the invitation to love is open to all. Pray we realize that Jesus did not come to condemn the hypocrites as much as the hypocrisy they espoused. Pray we realize that Jesus uses the bad examples of hypocrites to help others, including us, to see the same attitudes, tendencies and actions in our own lives that keep us from loving as much as we were meant to do. Pray we realize that we are not and cannot be the rulers of our own destiny. Pray we realize that Jesus has seen the problem and brings us the solution. Pray we realize that all we must do is surrender to Him. Pray we recognize the danger of pride and the value of humility. Pray our relationship with Jesus helps us to understand that Jesus is not what the world says He is. Pray we realize the dynamic of Jesus being rejected as the Messiah. Pray we never reject Him as our Savior. Pray we respond with humility believing that He is our Lord. Pray we show kindness to those who cannot return the favor. Pray we eat at the feast in the Kingdom of God. Pray we say yes to the invitation knowing the experience may well bring us to tears.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 