14 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.
This is a common place for Jesus to be. He is invited to a Pharisee’s house, under the scrutiny of the Pharisees. The Pharisees aren’t trying to glean new knowledge from Jesus, but to scrutinize his every word and action in order to destroy his claim to be the Messiah.
But you’ll notice this doesn’t faze Jesus. He is still amongst sinners and still allows the Pharisees to provoke him, for in their every move, Jesus has a teaching moment. The Pharisee’s, blinded by their own power and pride, are on a current hunt for the Messiah, who is supposed to show up, according to their prophecies, in this time frame. How blind they are!
In their watching him, the Greek word used means Sinister Espionage. But Jesus is there to show them the Godly view of the unfolding situation. There is a man suffering from an obvious abdominal problem. Just the fact that this man was invited to the Pharisee’s house shows us the underhanded motive of the ruling religious class. First, this is a Sabbath meal. Work is forbidden. They know what compels Jesus, so they invite a man who needs healing in order to catch him breaking the Sabbath covenant.
You’ll notice that Christ poses the question, not the Pharisees. Christ knew their intentions and calls them on it. Their silence is telling. They’ve been discovered. But again we can see the blindness of the Pharisees. They know Jesus can heal, but that part is discounted. They are only eager to catch him in a breaking of the law.
When Christ brings the subject of healing up in verse 5, the Pharisees are again silent. Of course they would pul their child or something of value out of the ditch, because love and care are more important than tradition, and that’s the point Christ makes here. The Pharisees are steeped in tradition, and they have developed unhealthy desire to follow the rules while dismissing love. The tradition of man should never be higher than the commands of God.
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.”
Verse 7 shows us that the Pharisees are most interested in their own self-image. This prompts the parable. Christ lays it out into uncertain terms: do not take the seat of honor. Why: If you take the place of honor, you may be removed from that place. This is a very human affliction we all suffer from. When we let pride conduct our life, then we are under its operation. God and love are no longer the foundation. Our selfishness is. If we are removed, then a sense of pride comes from that. We cannot play the self promotion game in any aspect of our life (Psalm 75:6-7). Christ also gives us a way to properly deal with the pride that comes along with our naturally selfish nature. Verse 10 tells us a few important things: 1.Go to the banquet not to be noticed. 2.Be content in what God allows for you. 3. If the master raises us up, then it will be more satisfying. 4. God raises you up, not yourself.
12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your 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.”
There is also a warning leveled at the host. Like the Pharisees, the guests were picked with exclusion and pride. It isn’t wrong to invite friends, but not only your friends. We can become exclusionary and never allow those who really need to be part of the party. As Christians, we can’t only be involved with those who can prosper us, or advance us, or even repay us. Christ tells us there is no value in that. Why? Because the motives are wrong. To do something only for repayment speaks not of love but selfishness. Also, friends and those who can repay us limits us to a comfortable group that never allows us to grow. It is the equivalent of a Corporate boss surrounding himself with yes men. If you surround yourself with people who are only going to throw your desires back onto you, then how will you ever get a differing opinion? We grow through adversity, and people are the key to that. Just as God gives us the free gift of salvation, we should treat others that way. Give willingly, without thought of repayment, for the benefit of others. Christ says there is a reward for this type of thinking: you will not see it in this lifetime likely, but it is repaid at the resurrection of the righteous, or the judgment.
The Parable of the Great Banquet
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.” 16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
One of the great things about Christ’s parables is the nuance. Whenever Christ speaks in parables, the deeper meaning is profound, and this parables no different. First, let’s tackle the comical toast of one of the patrons. This is most likely a Pharisee, who is toasting his own blind walk toward God. Christ doesn’t even acknowledge it. He plows right into a parable designed to give insight to the Pharisee. In Jesus’ day, it was a big deal to be invited to a banquet. It would be done in advance, but in tradition, the time would not be known until the day of the banquet. Many people accepted the invitation long before the banquet, but as we will see, those who accepted the invitation found excuses not to attend when the time finally came.
18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ 19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
The first two excuses are material excuses. They are preoccupied by their own lives and cannot find time to devote to the banquet. You’ll notice that the land and animals were bought before, and the excuse to check them is nothing more than an excuse. We do this in our lives all the time. We forget about the priority of the banquet and instead make excuses not to accept it. The third excuse is one of priority. He’s just gotten married, so he’s putting his new family ahead of the invitation. He doesn’t give a lame excuse, but dismisses the offer completely.
21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ 22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ 23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”
When the master get the information, what is his response? Round up people who want to come to the banquet! Find the people who, instead of selfishly accepting but really not accepting, truly want to be part of the banquet.
Of course, the parable is easy to understand when we apply it. God’s invitation of salvation is for all. He wants to invite you. And many of us accept the invitation. but when the time comes to attend, to stand up and declare and follow, many of us choose not to devote the time, the focus, and the energy it requires. We instead default to our lives, often claim we don’t have the time or have other priorities. The message is clear: God wants those who desire to be in union with him.
The Cost of Being a Disciple
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ 31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. 34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Let’s take the first three verses:
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Jesus is teaching the crowds, and as usual, he turns to the crowd and uses his moment to layer his teaching. The previous teachings of Luke 14 were in regard to humility and how important it is to the believer. Now, taking the humility that we have learned, we must see what Jesus wants us to do with it.
26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple
Many can look at this verse and say, what??? I have to hate my mother and father, my, wife, my children in order to follow? No thanks! It doesn’t seem like a very nice command Jesus gives to us here and even seems contrary to his other requirements to honor our parents, to uphold our marriage vows and to rear our children properly. The language here is hyperbole. What Jesus is saying is that He (Jesus), must take the prime spot in your life. In other words, everything else has to take a back seat to the relationship that Jesus wants to have with you. We have to abolish the bad things (sin), but there are also other things we need to take into account (family, relationships).
In our lives, relationships are seriously important. In fact, as we run through our lives in a temporal fashion (just looking at this life), relationships tend to be the most important thing in our life. But what happens when a relationship crumbles? If your footing is in the relationship, you too may crumble and be without identity. But if your footing is elsewhere, perhaps foundational in Jesus, then your identity is secure. Yes, a broken relationship will still hurt, but your identity will not alter.
This is what Jesus is essentially saying. First, in order to be a true follower, you first must identify as being in a foundational relationship with him. Even your own life has to be secondary to the relationship. In other words, that too is something to hate.
Second, Jesus is asking us to make a definitive statement about who we choose to follow. Do we follow our own way, our own relationships, caring for our own selves, or do put our faith in him? Do we have the courage to take that step toward the relationship? Jesus says this clearly: if you cannot do this, you cannot be my disciple:
27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Taking up the cross harkens to the past, when Christ is dragging his cross through the city toward Golgotha. The cross, viewed by people 2000 years ago, wasn’t about some perceived burden carried through life, as many misinterpret it. To the people of Christ’s time, the cross was a symbol of one of the most humiliating ways to die. Imaging the ridicule, the scorn, the humiliation of dragging your implement of death through the city streets to your end.
Taking up your cross means that you are ultimately willing to die for Christ. It is about surrender. The call is difficult, and in some ways seen unattainable. But the the reward is great. (Matthew 16:25-26)
Following Jesus is great when life runs smoothly. We can see our treasures in life, pretend we have it all figured out, feign a deep alliance with God. But when times grow tough, that’s when we really see if we have what it takes to follow. Discipleship is about sacrifice, and Jesus never hid that concept from us.
Luke 9:57-62 gives us a great picture of this:
57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 59 He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” 62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Here we have three men confronted by Jesus. They all say they will follow, but when Christ challenges them on this very ideal, none of them can stop and follow completely. In fact, what we see is something cripplingly wrong with many Christians: when the going gets tough, when the challenge come, our faith is a house built of sticks that is easily blown down by a breeze.
This is why Jesus includes the next set of verses. Verses 28-33 give us two examples of men who had to sit down and work out plans before they proceed. One is building a tower and the other preparing for war. In both stories, however, the result is the same: one must sit down and understand the costs, the parameters, the finances. In other words, one must understand what they are getting into before they begin.
Christ asks us to be prepared to understand what is required of us. If we are, if asked, to die for Christ, then we have to understand the ramifications of following. He never says it is going to be easy, but Christ asks us to make a choice: either follow with dedication or do not follow. If you remember the story of the Laodiceans in Revelation, Christ says he will “spit them out.” (Rev. 3:15-17) Why? What’s wrong with being lukewarm?
The answer is found in Matthew 6:24:
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
The Laodiceans have a church, but they are not following God properly. They have become rich and therefore seek God half-heartedly. So in a heated warning, Christ calls them out, calling them lukewarm, neither hot nor cold.
Christ wants us to make a decision for him. He wants us to do the work to understand what we are getting into. And he wants us to strive toward him, with each breath we are given. Of course, this is very difficult to do, but it is the direction God wants us to lean.
Think about this concept in regards to a relationship. Let’s say you find the woman of your dreams. You court her, send her roses and take her places, show her the life you intend to offer her. She accepts it, you marry, life is wonderful.
But after the decision is made, the ceremonies done, the wedding cake eaten, the honeymoon complete, you say to yourself, “cool, I did it, it is done. Now I don’t have to do anything else. No more roses, no more going out, I have a live in maid and cook.” In other words, you’re saying to yourself that you don’t have to contribute to the relationship anymore because the mission has been completed. It could make for a very rough road ahead for your relationship, and could simply wither and die from neglect.
When we look at our relationship with Christ, we can make the same mistake. “I received Christ when I was 16 year old,” someone may say, and in that moment it was emotional and real and solid. But the question is, is it still as vibrant? Has it grown? Is there evidence in your life of a change?
We have to look at our root system and if those roots go as deep as we think they do. Are we watering the roots, strengthening them, growing them into a mighty oak over time. Or have we left them in the ground to wither and die?
The Laodiceans in Revelation 3 show us an example of this failed relationship. At one time they were strong, but over time they withered away. In their case, their land grew rich and so did they and they wandered away, attracted to the better things in life, and their spiritual life suffered because of it. In our walk, we can simply atrophy if we don’t stay connected to the word, pray for ourselves and others, and deepen that relationship. That’s what Jesus is talking about: the daily application of God’s Word into our lives.
Jesus wants us to make that choice and understand the consequences. Life will not get easier- as a matter of fact it will probably grow harder- and he wants us to understand this about following. That’s why he wants us to count the costs and make a decision either for or against him. If it is against, then understand those consequences too. But if it is for, he requires allegiance to him first, then to all else. It is a binary choice.
34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Christ again talks about salt. Salt in the old world was very important. It was used in preserving food. When salt does not have the chemical compounds to do its job, then it is considered useless. It is thrown out. So what does Christ mean?
As Christians, Christ wants us to be useful. If our entire dedication is not to him, then how useful can we be? Let’s go back to Matthew 6:24:
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
In this verse, Jesus is talking about money. His point is this: if our interests are split between two things, can we give a dedication to either? The answer is no; the dedication is minimized between both. If we are not solely dedicated to God, then can we truly follow? Again, the distinction Christ makes is no. Our allegiance must be singular, and everything else in our life a subset of this relationship.
So getting back to salt, if we are divided between our allegiance to God and something else, then our usefulness is minimized. And if we cannot be useful to God, then can we be effective for him? If our hearts and minds reside elsewhere, how can we bring ourselves to the useful spot God wants us to be in?
Again, it all comes back to focus. Focus on God first. Make your dedication to him authentic. Walk that walk each day, developing yourself into the strength God needs you to be fitted with. If you strengthen the relationship, then everything else that is good will flow from it.