40 Days of Jesus ~ Day 30 (Luke 14)

Luke 14

Now it happened, as He
went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread
on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely. 2 And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. 3 And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”[a]
4 But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. 5 Then He answered them, saying, “Which of you, having a donkey[b] or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” 6 And they could not answer Him regarding these things.

Something interesting to note is that Jesus was still honoring the Sabbath, right? He wasn’t out plowing the fields or building a house on the Sabbath. He wasn’t doing the work of man–he was doing good, doing the work of God. Every time Jesus reinterprets a commandment, he doesn’t make it less. He makes it more. Do not commit adultery or even look at someone with lust. Do not murder or hate. Remember the Sabbath and do God’s will on it.

Take the Lowly Place

7 So 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; 9 and
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. 10 But
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. 11 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
12 Then 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. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

I love this advice. It’s such simple instruction on how to be humble . . . and on how to keep from being put to shame.

The Parable of the Great Supper

15 Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is he who shall eat bread[c] in the kingdom of God!”
16 Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, 17 and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ 18 But they all with one accord
began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of
ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ 20 Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So
that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the
master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly
into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ 23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’”

Leaving All to Follow Christ

25 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 “If
anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and
children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be
My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— 29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? 31 Or
what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down
first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who
comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

Not exactly the promise we share with “seekers” is it? “Come follow Jesus and leave behind everything you loved before!” We tend to focus on the His burden is light side of things. And His burden may be . . . but the point remains that He doesn’t ask for just a bit of us. He asks for all of us.

Tasteless Salt Is Worthless

34 “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”