Luke 14:7-14
7So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: 8"When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; 9and he who invited you and him come and say to you, "Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, "Friend, go up higher.' Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. 11For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
12Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. 13But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. 14And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."
v.7 - When He noted. . . I love the way Jesus teaches. There are those times where He does his "spiel" in the synagogues and other public gatherings, but some of his most practical and convicting lessons are taught spontaneously when He sees an opportunity to share knowledge. This was common in that day. Instead of going to high school and college, if you wanted to be educated, you would follow a teacher around and he would teach as opportunities came up, imparting his knowledge on his disciples. This is how I plan on teaching my kids about life. Too often parents either take the path of protecting their chldren from everything so their mind doesn't get corrupted. But then that just results in naivity and as soon as the child is out of the parent's house there is a huge danger for trying all the things they weren't allowed to try, finding out all the things they weren't allowed to find out. Over-protecting a child is crippling. On the other hand some parents allow their children to do anything and never teach them discernment. These are the parents who were probably raised with over-protective parents and as a reaction they do the opposite. They pray and pray for the salvation of their children but they never teach them anything. Though they are present geographically, ultimately they have neglected their child all along. This is also crippling. Children should be exposed to the world but parents should teach them discernment. Mormons aren't Christians though they talk about Jesus Christ. That homeless person is asking for beer money because he's lazy and doesn't want to get a job. The best protection any child could have is discernment. This is the parenting style of God the father.
For whoever exalts himself will be, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. What intriques me about this phrase is that it's a paradox. Similar to the paradox in 9:24 about losing your life to save it. The motivation is to save your life. Jesus knows that no man can deny his need for happiness so he tells us to lose our life for his sake to find the only satisfying happiness. It's the same thing here. No man can deny his desire to be exalted. But it is only when we humble ourselves that we are truly exalted. I can't help but connect this verse with James 4:10, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up." This is the gospel. When we submit our lives to Christ, when we acknowledge our place before God--absolute spiritual poverty; God then declares us righteous and over the course of our lives, sanctifies us until we are finally glorified in heaven.
And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just. Ouch. This verse stings. Jesus isn't saying we shouldn't invite our friends and family over for dinner. He is merely saying such a thing cannot be considered "a spiritual act of true charity" (Macarthur Study Bible). Are the acts of kindness that I do for my friends not what I thought they were? Am I patting myself on the back for sacrificing my time and energy for something it isn't really a sacrifice to do? I offer myself to my friends and family and think that I'm being a servant like Christ, but really I'm just being a friend. All friends are servants but not all servants are friends. I cannot help but connect this verse with Proverbs 25:21-22 "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the LORD will reward you." This obviously isn't talking about charity, but I think the challenge is similar. It is not how you act toward friends that determines your character, but how you act toward the lesser fortunate and your enemies.
12Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. 13But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. 14And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."
v.7 - When He noted. . . I love the way Jesus teaches. There are those times where He does his "spiel" in the synagogues and other public gatherings, but some of his most practical and convicting lessons are taught spontaneously when He sees an opportunity to share knowledge. This was common in that day. Instead of going to high school and college, if you wanted to be educated, you would follow a teacher around and he would teach as opportunities came up, imparting his knowledge on his disciples. This is how I plan on teaching my kids about life. Too often parents either take the path of protecting their chldren from everything so their mind doesn't get corrupted. But then that just results in naivity and as soon as the child is out of the parent's house there is a huge danger for trying all the things they weren't allowed to try, finding out all the things they weren't allowed to find out. Over-protecting a child is crippling. On the other hand some parents allow their children to do anything and never teach them discernment. These are the parents who were probably raised with over-protective parents and as a reaction they do the opposite. They pray and pray for the salvation of their children but they never teach them anything. Though they are present geographically, ultimately they have neglected their child all along. This is also crippling. Children should be exposed to the world but parents should teach them discernment. Mormons aren't Christians though they talk about Jesus Christ. That homeless person is asking for beer money because he's lazy and doesn't want to get a job. The best protection any child could have is discernment. This is the parenting style of God the father.
For whoever exalts himself will be, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. What intriques me about this phrase is that it's a paradox. Similar to the paradox in 9:24 about losing your life to save it. The motivation is to save your life. Jesus knows that no man can deny his need for happiness so he tells us to lose our life for his sake to find the only satisfying happiness. It's the same thing here. No man can deny his desire to be exalted. But it is only when we humble ourselves that we are truly exalted. I can't help but connect this verse with James 4:10, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up." This is the gospel. When we submit our lives to Christ, when we acknowledge our place before God--absolute spiritual poverty; God then declares us righteous and over the course of our lives, sanctifies us until we are finally glorified in heaven.
And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just. Ouch. This verse stings. Jesus isn't saying we shouldn't invite our friends and family over for dinner. He is merely saying such a thing cannot be considered "a spiritual act of true charity" (Macarthur Study Bible). Are the acts of kindness that I do for my friends not what I thought they were? Am I patting myself on the back for sacrificing my time and energy for something it isn't really a sacrifice to do? I offer myself to my friends and family and think that I'm being a servant like Christ, but really I'm just being a friend. All friends are servants but not all servants are friends. I cannot help but connect this verse with Proverbs 25:21-22 "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the LORD will reward you." This obviously isn't talking about charity, but I think the challenge is similar. It is not how you act toward friends that determines your character, but how you act toward the lesser fortunate and your enemies.