FIRST SUNDAY OF KAITHA
The mentality of the disciple. Luke 14:7-14
INTRODUCTION
The keywords in this gospel passage are humility and charity. Jesus preached what he practiced. While participating in the banquet a leading Pharisee hosted, Jesus taught how a disciple should be humble to inherit an exalted position at the eternal banquet in heaven. The advice of Jesus to the host was to invite the poor who cannot return any favor to him. Then God will reward for such service to the less fortunate. Like the advice Jesus gave to the sons of Zebedee, let us focus on participating in Jesus’ mission. Then the recognition would follow on time.
Bible Text
Conduct of Invited Guests and Hosts
(12) Jesus also addressed the man who had invited him and said, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends, or your brothers, relatives and wealthy neighbors. For surely they will also invite you in return and you will be repaid. (13) When you give a feast, invite instead the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. (14) Blessed are you then, because they cannot repay you; you will be repaid at the resurrection of the upright.”
Interpretation
Background
Jesus attended a banquet on a Sabbath at the house of a leading Pharisee. The people in attendance were scrutinizing Jesus because of the clash between Jesus and his opponents on the Sabbath observance. During that banquet, Jesus healed a man with dropsy even though the Scribes and the Pharisees did not answer to his question of whether it was lawful to cure on the Sabbath. Jesus disagreed with their lack of charity as part of Sabbath observance. He made use of the dinner setting, to instruct the guests and the host on humility and charity to become a loyal disciple of Jesus.
(Luke 14:7) Jesus then told a parable to the guests, for he had noticed how they tried to take the places of honor. He said…
Just as people were observing Jesus on his unusual behavior, Jesus was watching the guests’ improper behavior. They were competing for places of honor like his disciples who had been competing for prominent position in the Kingdom of God. Jesus was not against an eligible person taking his seat of honor. However, ineligible people were trying to occupy major seats. The host had to ask them to change the seat to respect the distinguished guests. That caused humiliation for the inferior person in public. Jesus’ intention was not to teach them on how to behave in a banquet, but to instruct a moral lesson on humility for his disciples. The behavior in a secular situation also reflects the spiritual mentality of the person.
(8) “When you are invited to a wedding party, do not choose the best seat. It may happen that someone more important than you has been invited.”
(9) And your host, who invited both of you, will come and say to you: ‘Please give him your place.’ Then in shame you will go to the lowest seat!
The prominent guest might come last. The host must honor him according to his rank. So, if someone already took his seat, the host has to intervene for a seat change. That will create humiliation for the one who occupied the undeserved seat. He might end up getting the least prominent seat.
(10) Whenever you are invited, go rather to the lowest seat, so that your host may come and say to you: ‘Friend, you must come up higher.’ And this will be a great honor for you in the presence of all the other guests.
The host will honor the humble guest in public when the host would promote him to a more prominent seat. If one would occupy the least prominent seat, there was no chance of shame and only opportunity for a higher position. Jesus said in Matthew 23:12: “whoever makes himself great shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be made great.” This is not a new teaching but Jesus’ adaptation of proverbs 25:6-7. “Do not boast before the king or put yourself among the great. It would be better to be invited, ‘Come up here,’ than to be humiliated in the presence of the prince.”
(11) “For everyone who makes himself great will be humbled, and everyone who humbles himself will be made great.”
There is no chance for exaltation by others for a person who boasts himself. Whereas, humble persons will receive honor in secular and spiritual life. Jesus practiced in life what he taught. Though Jesus could escape himself from the enemies any time, by the end of his public ministry he humbled himself to let his enemies crucify him with maximum disgrace after which God the Father exalted him from the grave on the third day. When God selected Mary as the mother of the Savior, she volunteered to serve Elizabeth.
Pride and boasting of oneself are indignity in the secular life and sin in the spiritual realm. For God, pride and disregard for the less fortunate are sins. Jesus presented examples of proud characters such as a rich man in the story of the Rich man and Lazarus, the unreconciled elder son in the Prodigal Son’s story, and the Pharisee in the story of the Pharisee and Publican who went to pray. The Pharisees were proud people who considered themselves as separate and dignified than most people low in material and spiritual resources. But their pride, and disregard for those lower than themselves would lead to their humiliation in front of God.
(12) Jesus also addressed the man who had invited him and said, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends, or your brothers, relatives and wealthy neighbors. For surely they will also invite you in return and you will be repaid.”
Jesus turned his focus of discourse from the guests to the host. He often attended the lunch, and dinner offered by the Pharisees and the Publicans. All of them used to invite their friends, relatives, or people of their economic and social status. We also do the same. When we make a list of whom to invite for a banquet we host, we select people who had invited us for the dinner they hosted. Jesus finds no spiritual merit in such an invitation. It is self-rewarding.
Jesus taught the host, he could get the credit from a banquet in front of God by feeding those who do not have food to eat or cannot return any favor. Then the repayment would come from God. “One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, And He will repay him for his good deed.” (Proverbs 19:7).
(13) When you give a feast, invite instead the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind.
Jesus taught and acted different from the rabbis. In contrast to the widespread belief, Jesus considered “the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind” as dear to God. Though Jesus did not offer any dinner for such people because he could not afford to do so, he did more than a banquet by healing them. So, besides offering food, Jesus wants us to offer help for all those who are physically, mentally, or economically weak. The best approach would be to help them resolve their problems with a developmental or self-help approach. Christian churches have been doing such missionary work throughout the centuries.
(14) Blessed are you then, because they cannot repay you; you will be repaid at the resurrection of the upright.
Jesus did not demand a non-meritorious service. God will reward all philanthropic acts. Jesus confirmed this when he taught on the last judgement when, “the King will say to those on his right: ‘Come, blessed of my Father! Take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. For I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me to drink…” (Matthew 25: 34-36).
Message
1. Honor and respect are not something that we should demand or claim for ourselves. They will come now or later when others realize that we deserve them. A Christian’s expectation of reward for service is in heaven.
2. The society would often detest those who seek honor and those who complain on the lack of recognition. If we work for a reward in this world, the Lord will not give credit for that in heaven.
3. Let us be humble and considerate to others so God would compensate for our humility and charity in the world to come. In the parable of non-considerate Rich man and humble Lazarus, their fate was reversed in their life after death.
4. Our hospitality and service just for the wage or recompense from people are not meritorious before God. So, let us find means to transform our resources as an investment for afterlife by supporting the less fortunate so we can be at the right hand of God at the last judgement.
5. Jesus said to his disciples who returned after their ministry: “Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the evil spirits submit to you; rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20). More than the rejoicing at the success of our labor and honor from others, let us assure that we please God by acts of charity to have our names in the Book of Life.
