Mealtime Messages for Opponents, Part 1

Sermon 63 in Series

Luke 14:1-14

[1] One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. [2] And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. [3] And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” [4] But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. [5] And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” [6] And they could not reply to these things.

[7] Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, [8] “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, [9] and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. [10] But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. [11] For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

[12] He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. [13] But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, [14] and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.  How does this passage further illustrate the rejection that Jesus has just lamented concerning Jerusalem? What does his continued instruction show about his patience and grace?
2.  What is the error of the Pharisees when it comes to the Sabbath? What is Jesus’ correction and how have we seen this play out before in Luke?
3.  How does this passage emphasize compassion and helpfulness as marks of true worship? How do Christians lose sight of this?
4.  What problem does Jesus address with the guests? What does the principle in v. 11 practically mean for us?
5.  How does Jesus correct the host? What is the issue with repayment?
6.  How do vv. 7-14 call us to faith in future/unseen realities? How are we tempted to look only to temporal and superficial gain?

References: Philippians 2:1-11 (corporate reading); Luke 9:51; 13:6-9; 19:44; Acts 2:23; Luke 21:24; 7:36-50; 11:37-54; 13:14-17; 6:9; Matthew 23:6; Proverbs 25:6-7; James 4:6; Daniel 12:2.