Luke 14:1,7-14, Hebrews 13:1-8,15,16, Proverbs 25:6,7
“The theme this week is easy to spot – but tough to preach and implement in our world. [To sum it up], pride leads God’s people to turn to their own resources and reject God’s ways and God’s resources. The result of this is inevitable failure or harm or the humiliation of being turned away from sought-after places of honour that we do not ‘deserve’ (Proverbs & Luke). Rather, honour and fullness of life are found in a humble commitment to following God’s ways (Psalm 112), remaining faithful and trusting, and living with grace, generosity, compassion, fidelity, and inclusive hospitality (Hebrews and Luke).” -Sacredise
Jesus was invited to dinner with one of the leading Pharisees. It wasn’t the first or the last invitation. Well-known teachers were customarily invited to meals after the Sabbath synagogue service. Such occasions were not all about the food as they often took the form of a discussion on religious themes. This meal had a cloud over it since the Pharisees in attendance were seeking to find grounds to criticise Jesus.
Jesus knew what they were thinking and he shows again the serenity with which he went through life. “There is nothing more trying than to be under constant and critical scrutiny. When that happens to most people they lose their nerve and, even more often, they lose their temper. They become irritable, and there may be greater sins than irritability, but there is none that causes more pain and heartbreak. But even in things that would have broken [other people’s spirits] Jesus remained serene. If we live with him, he can make us like himself.” -William Barclay
“It is to be noted that Jesus never refused anyone’s invitation of hospitality. [He never gave up on people.] To hope to change them, or even to appeal to them, might be the forlornest of forlorn hopes, but he would never let a chance go. He would not refuse even an enemy’s invitation. It is as clear as daylight that we will never make our enemies our friends if we refuse to meet them and to talk with them.” -Barclay
Jesus picked up on what he observed and practically quoted Proverbs 25:6,7 to them (which the Pharisees would have known). He referred to their quest for status and we can heed his warning too. The embarrassment experienced by the demoted person in the story warns us against an exaggerated sense of our own importance. Rather, those who submit to God’s reign (or ‘kingdom’) should be characterised by humility in relation to both God and others.
Then in the next verses he elaborated on this theme of humility. In ancient cultures there was a strong expectation that if you invited someone to a meal they would invite you to dine with them (and this is not unknown today!). Such invitations would have a strong element of self-interest, particularly with high status guests. Like, invite John Key to dinner in the hope he invites you to his place. That would make you look like a somebody to those who noticed.
So often the question at the back of our minds as we contemplate any interaction with others is, “What’s in it for me?” “What do I get out of it?” Jesus would not have us think this way but rather “What can I give?” This turns our conventional wisdom on its head.
In the right-side-up kingdom of Jesus our service should be motivated by a concern for others based on disinterested goodness rather than calculated self-seeking. This will result in generous care for the vulnerable and poor (Psalm 112:4-9; Hebrews 13:16), people Jesus referred to as ‘the least of these’. We will not be repaid in material terms, but humble service on behalf of Jesus and others, not seeking our own status and material well-being, will not go unnoticed by God (Luke 4:11.14). Even if there’s no reward this side of heaven!
The point about ‘the least of these’ is that they can’t do anything for us. They can’t return the favour, they can’t enhance our reputation, they can’t advance our position in society, they can’t increase our wealth, power or influence.
Jesus wants his followers to embrace the values of his kingdom – not with pride like the pharisees (who considered their place in the religious order to be important) but with humility – coming to serve more than to be served. Do you want to be wise? Humility is necessary for wisdom.
Jesus put these values into practice: he chose to spend his time with people who were low in status (eg the Samaritan woman at the well); he went to places where his life was at risk(eg Jerusalem, at a time when he knew he would be arrested); he chose to serve others (eg washing the disciples’ feet and healing men with leprosy).
Embracing the values of God’s kingdom with humility is challenging but also rewarding. Hebrews 13 encourages Christians to live this out.
Keep being concerned about each other.
Turn to the person next to you or behind you and ask how you can pray for them this coming week. Remember to actually pray! Do any of us take notes in the prayer time and pray those things through the week?
Have you been helped? Help someone else. Pay it forward; pass it on. We are blessed so that we can bless another.
Be sure to welcome strangers into your home.
Is there someone here today you could invite for a meal, or welcome them in some way, sometime soon – preferably someone you don’t know very well. Not everyone is part of a family and so this might be an opportunity to invite or be invited!
Remember the Lord’s people who are in jail… and those who are suffering. We can’t miss the suffering of people in Syria and Egypt. Christians are suffering along with everyone else but often more than others as some militia are targeting them.
Have respect for marriage.
In a traditional marriage service the congregation is enjoined to support the newly formed marriage. It is not only up to the couple to remain faithful but it is up to everyone else to ensure that each marriage holds together. This requires a pro-marriage culture.
Don’t fall in love with money.
Be satisfied with what you have. We are materially blessed and it is good to give thanks to God for these things. Everything we have was given us by God.
“Psalm 112 sings of the blessings of God for those who follow God, and that even those who are blessed with riches are blessed so they can give freely to the poor. The wicked are the ones who are angry and jealous, who allow greed to overcome them, but the righteous give freely, sharing with all, and delighting in God who has given them everything.” -Rev-o-lution.org
Don’t forget your leaders who taught you God’s message.
Try to have faith like theirs. Think of the names of the people who have taught you about Jesus. Which of the values of God’s kingdom were reflected in these people’s lives?
These encouragements are all about paying it forward except this one.
Humility is an underlying value in all the commands in Hebrews 13: thinking about others and looking out for their well-being as well as our own. Humility is also about being the people God made us and not trying to be something or someone else. God’s kingdom is not for the important – it is for those who humbly recognise their faults and come before God as they are.
Barclay has a couple of suggestions for becoming and staying humble.
“We can [stay humble] by realizing the facts. However much we know we know very little compared with the sum total of knowledge. However much we have achieved we have achieved very little in the end. However important we perceive ourselves to be, when death removes us, or, when we retire from our position, life and work will go on just the same.
“We can [stay humble] by comparison with the perfect. It is when we go and see or hear the expert that we realise how poor our own performance is. … And if we set our lives beside the life of of the Lord of all good life, if we see our unworthiness in comparison with the radiance of his stainless purity, then pride will die and self-satisfaction will be shrivelled up.” Ultimately, the value we have is the value God gives us and this is a humbling experience. In the kingdom of God, honor is a gift granted by another rather than a right earned by oneself.
In conclusion, I pray that God will give us all humility for the events of the coming week.