Day 14
Start with Posture of Silence and Solitude (2 minutes)
Read Scripture: Luke 14
One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, โIs it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?โ But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way.
Then he asked them, โIf 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?โ And they had nothing to say.
When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: โWhen 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. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, โGive this person your seat.โ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, โFriend, move up to a better place.โ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.โ
Then Jesus said to his host, โWhen 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. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.โ
When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, โBlessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.โ
Jesus replied: โA certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, โCome, for everything is now ready.โ
โBut they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, โI have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.โ
โAnother said, โI have just bought five yoke of oxen, and Iโm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.โ
โStill another said, โI just got married, so I canโt come.โ
โThe servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, โGo out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.โ
โโSir,โ the servant said, โwhat you ordered has been done, but there is still room.โ
โThen the master told his servant, โGo out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.โโ
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: โIf anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sistersโyes, even their own lifeโsuch a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
โSuppose one of you wants to build a tower. Wonโt you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, โThis person began to build and wasnโt able to finish.โ
โOr suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Wonโt he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
โSalt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
โWhoever has ears to hear, let them hear.โ
Devotional:
Jesus had been invited to a Phariseeโs home for a meal and conversation. The Pharisee was hoping to trap Jesus and have him arrested. Jesus knew that they wanted to trap him but he was not afraid of them. As people picked their seats at the table, Jesus advised them not to rush for the best places at the dinner, looking to raise their social status and try to impress the others through the story he told. He used this meal in a comparison of being Kingdom of God. He wanted them to look for a place to serve rather than aim for prestige as service is more important than status. He also told them not to be exclusive about who they invited as God opens his Kingdom to all.
Jesus talked about being humble and not putting themselves down or giving an appearance of being humble. Truly humble people only compare themselves with Christ and realize their sinfulness and understand their limitations. They also recognize their gifts and are willing to use them as Jesus directs. True humility is a realistic assessment of self and a commitment to serve.
In the story, the man could see the glory of Godโs kingdom but he didnโt understand how to get in. Jesus showed that many people turned down the invitation because of busyness and inconvenience. Their excuses seemed reasonable to them but he pointed out that nothing was more important than the call to follow Christ, no matter how inconvenient it seemed.
That story is followed by Jesus telling the crowds about counting the cost of following him. He uses the word โhateโ in relation to self and other close family members in describing the cost. His word choice has more to do with the possibility of separating oneself from people and things we love because the cost can be great-loss of social roles, wealth, friends, money, time and even family. As seen here, following Christ doesnโt mean a trouble-free life.
Questions to ponder:
- How is this banquet like the Kingdom of God? How does our responsibility to God correspond to the servantโs role?
- What costs do you need to count in responding to Jesus? Is it worth the price?
- Given this passage, what is the best way for you to pray today?
End with Posture of Silence and Solitude (2 minutes)