Luke 14:1–14
One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.
2 There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body.
3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”
4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way.
5 Then he asked them, “If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?”
6 And they had nothing to say.
7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable:
8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited.
9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place.
10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests.
11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.
13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Seeking Approval
Have you ever sat with crossed arms in a room while someone else is the centre of attention? Your posture projects the message: "My approval has not yet been earned." I know I have sat that way. This passage of three scenes seems so plain, yet his word still opens us up to truth.
Pray for a moment, that God would use this text to show you where you can find him.
In the three scenes, Jesus exposes their game. It is a game that takes advantage of others. It is a game of death. As he exposes the game, he also reveals by contrast how his kingdom works.
In the first scene, Jesus heals a man while the Pharisees watch him carefully. I imagine them with their arms crossed. They do not want to approve of Jesus unless Jesus follows the patterns of the game they are playing.
The game in question is about hospitality interactions that cause others to gain or lose shame. You get a good position at the table at the expense of others. And, those with the power to host have the ability to share the honour amongst one another. These interactions, layered upon one another again and again, would create a cascading hierarchy of honour, much like a pyramid scheme. Those at the bottom would be dependent on whatever trickle comes down from above, while those at the top feed off those at the bottom. And the hierarchy is not without teeth, because economic and political power depend on the running score from this game of honour and shame.
We started playing games like this in elementary school. How often have we seen a kid with different shoes told that they have the wrong shoes? And then others not usually accustomed to dishing out insults take the opportunity to pile on. It feels good to be part of the in crowd. It feels good for someone else to take the heat. It feels good to clearly establish someone else is below us.
We learn the game early but we don't leave it behind. Every culture finds ways to recreate this game for adults. Find the vulnerable, and find the outsider, and pick on them. Find the one we can identify as someone who does the wrong things. Depending on the culture, it may have to do with skin colour, financial wealth, or maybe physical attractiveness. As adults, we find reasons to tell another person they belong at the bottom of the social hierarchy.
In this story about Jesus, there was a predatory behaviour at the dinner table to claim fame and to shame others. It would have had powerful consequences for a person's political, social, and even economic welfare. We recreate this behaviour in our own way in business, in politics, in our workplaces, families, churches, and on our streets. We find the most vulnerable and we treat them as less than, so that we can be more than.
To expose this game as a fraudulent way of death, Jesus heals a man with dropsy. It was Sabbath, which God meant for us as a day of rest. It should be a day of smiles and joy. And what's more, the 10 commandments show us it is a communal day of joyful rest in the presence of God. Jesus wanted to bring the man with dropsy into the celebration by healing him. The healing happens in one sentence with no extra details: It is abrupt, almost rough, and the man is sent away.
The brief recounting means the healing is not the main climactic action; it is an illustration. Jesus cares for those who would be unable to help themselves, even and perhaps especially if it goes against our human games of power. The affliction itself, dropsy, is a further illustration: Dropsy is the sickness of having a swollen belly with excess water and yet still feeling thirsty. Both social interactions Jesus addresses are likewise people who are rich with honour and yet are still thirsty for more.
In the second scene, Jesus tells us to take the lower position. Humble ourselves, and do not exalt ourselves. We all struggle to take a position lower than we deserve. When it does happen, it is often merely a performance. We expect to be seen taking the lower position and through that gain reputation.
Jesus exposes our twisted desire, but also reveals how his kingdom works by contrast. In his kingdom, the weak, the lame, the sick all receive strength, ability, and healing. It has a different economy of honour and shame that brings life and flourishing to the community.
And in the third scene, Jesus asks us, "Who do you invite? Who do you give honour to in your social relationships? Do you only give honour and invitation to those who will benefit you? Or do you share honour and invitation with those who cannot pay you back, and cannot repay the investment."
Jesus again reveals our twisted desire for expected returns on our generosity. But he also reveals how his kingdom works by contrast. In his kingdom, those who cannot repay him are the ones he invites to his abundant feast. His kingdom has a different economy of honour and shame where abundance is not limited to a few but is shared with those among the community who are in need.
If the three scenes are taken together, we see something like dropsy revealed in our hearts. We long for social honour and power even when we already have some. But there's more! It isn't just exposure, but also healing. We are also given a view of how it works when Jesus is the host. He is the host who invites those who cannot repay—that's you and me! And he is the host who raises up those who are low and gives them honour—good news for us all. As we lean into the honour into which Jesus invites us, we lose the desire for honour from humans, and we can be cured of our dropsy of the heart.
This is why the man proclaims, "Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God" (14:15)! Because those eating bread in the kingdom receive the true honour from the eternal host.
At what tables do you want to sit at a high position? In your life, are there tables at which you wish you had a prominent position?
At what table does God want you to take the lower seat?
At what table is he giving you the opportunity to invite, and to bless those who cannot repay?
To what table has he invited you, at which you would otherwise not be welcome?
How has he raised you up, and given you honour you did not seek?
Author Bio
Micah Smith serves as Pastor of Living Hope Church, in Comox BC.
Living Hope Church seeks to embody Christ's love and participate in the renewing of all through the message and mercy of Jesus. We seek to bless our community in many ways through the stewardship of the gifts God has given us and as we learn to be salt and light to the world.
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Luke and Acts taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®
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