1 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 pull 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.