Series: Life
Lessons from Dr. Luke
Sermon: The
Dinner Guest From Hell
Luke 14: 1-24
Introd.
Have you ever had a dinner guest that just didn’t work out so well
and when they left, you said: wow, glad that’s over.
Maybe one who shows up late, talks all the time or rails against your
political party or is always one upping you – As you tell them a story –
they always have one better and then they won’t leave. In
Luke 14 we have Jesus being a dinner guest and it didn’t work out too well
for the host.
Read
text.
Insults
their religion vs. 1-6
He was at the
home of a prominent Pharisee – a
person of means – power – influence.
Most of us would say: I
hope I don’t do anything to offend this person.
. . . in the
midst of roasted lamb comes a broken man with a great need –Dr. Luke
identifies it as dropsy – a retention of fluids in the legs - The homes at this time often had open courtyards where people
walking by could see you and be seen. Needs to be healed. One problem - it was
on the Sabbath –(one of five different times in scripture where Jesus did
not follow the law of the Sabbath) Jesus was quite aware of the prohibition of
no work on the Sabbath including helping someone. But he heals him anyway.
It was an
insult to their religion – kind of like inviting a Jewish family over for
pork bbq.; offering a beer to a Mormon, discussing the latest medical
advancements with a Christian Scientist.
Social faux paux
None of us
regardless of our religion likes for it to be insulted.
Buddhist, Muslim, Jew or Christian we don’t like to have our beliefs
mocked. In evangelism you never
get anywhere insulting someone else’s point of view. It causes us to stiffen
and become defensive. But they said nothing.
Insults
the guests vs. 7-11
Just as in
the synagogue, there was a pecking order to how you sat at the table – the
table would have been low – no chairs – in a large U shape.
The host at the center of the U and the further out you were, the less
important.
When the
dinnerbell rang, everyone made a beeline for the best seats.
But what if someone of greater importance bumped you from your spot.
Humiliating. Jesus
suggests: why not take the least
seat and then if you are bumped, it’s an honor.
He in effect calls them prideful and arrogant.
Insults
the host vs. 12-14
In the first
century, the ability to host a party was a way to curry favor over someone –
put them in your debt. Why are
you only inviting the people on the in group – why not invite those who
can’t repay you. When I am
invited out to dinner, it is not socially acceptable to question the host of
the people he invited to eat with you. Why
did you invite John? Why didn’t
you invite Jim? He implies
prejudice on the part of the host. The
best hospitality is that which is given not exchanged.
So now Jesus
performs the trifecta of insulting their religion, the guests and the host Not surprisingly this is the last recorded time in Luke
where Jesus is invited to the house of a Pharisee.
By this time,
things are getting rather tense so a man tries to break the tension by saying:
“blessed is the man who eats at the feast in the kingdom of God”
or translating it into today: isn’t
heaven going to be great. You
have to admire him for trying. How
about those Bucs?
Jesus
responds by telling them a story. A
parable - not a real event but
one in which the hearers could identify.
A rich man
was giving a banquet – two invitations – one days in advance and then a
second one on the day of the feast when everything was ready; since no one had
watches, after the banquet was prepared, he sent his servants – go invite
the important people to come and eat with me.
And they all began to make excuses.
Bought a field
have to go see it. You
mean the field isn’t going to be there tomorrow for you to see.
You’ve already bought it -
did you buy it sight unseen. Business
obligations.
Bought five oxen – try
them out. Wealthy person –
possessions what’s the
urgency can’t try them out
tomorrow already bought them.
Got married – I can’t
come family
obligations
Custom that
for one year after you got married, didn’t have to work opposite have
to work two jobs
It is not
that these are unimportant –reasonable excuses.
What the parable is saying to us is this: There are many important things in life but the most
important thing is God. It’s a
matter of priorities. We aren’t
legalists – there are times when those things need to be dealt with but when
Jesus invites you to come – you come.
Now you can
imagine the embarrassment of the host – great feast prepared – everyone
backs out.
Host says:
vs. 21 Go wherever it is necessary to get people to come: look at the new guest list:
poor, crippled, blind and lame. Not the A list for the first century
dinner party. Note. Vs. 13
His goal;
that his house may be full.
Certainly
could be applied in a physical sense, the parables of Jesus were meant to
bring spiritual understanding.
Vs. 24 So no
one who was originally invited made it to the banquet.
But
Jesus was not the dinner guest from hell, he was the dinner guest from Heaven.
What does
this story mean for us in 2011?
First:
Don’t invite Jesus unless you want to hear the truth.
He didn’t
go to the banquet with the idea – how can I make these people mad? How can I
insult them? He loved them enough to tell them the truth.
Jesus wants a
relationship with you but he says to us: I won’t just tell you what you want to hear, I’ll tell you
the truth.
So many times
we want to accept Christ and then ask him to approve of a sinful lifestyle –
our sinful attitudes and habits that are prohibited by His word.
Times when he
will say: yes I love you but that
is wrong.
Yes our sins
are forgiven but Christianity is more than a life insurance policy.
Salvation is entering into a
Jesus directed life. The
truth is: we all need some
pruning now and then. All need to
be confronted occasionally. We all need to compare our lifestyle to what Jesus
expects us as his children.
He is telling
these Pharisees, you are so legalistic, you are missing the main point –
majoring on minors the important thing is a relationship with God.
In these stories he tells them you have your priorities all wrong –
mixed up in your theology. Here’s the truth.
Second
Vs. 11 If you want to be
somebody, serve somebody.
If you are
trying to impress people with how important you are, God is not impressed.
He is not impressed with the money you have, the friends you have or
the position you have. He is not
impressed with your dinner guest list.
What does
impress God is the way you serve somebody.
If you want
somebody to value you, serve them. That
is true in marriage, in your job, in your social interactions and in your
relationship with God.
When you
start treating people as if you are better than them, you breed arrogance and
resentment.
The more
secure you are in your self worth, the more you are able to serve. You don’t
have to have others tell you how wonderful you – you are secure in Christ.
Free to serve. Someone says: what
is he doing waiting tables, it doesn’t bother you.
John 13 Jesus gave us the greatest example in performing the act of a
servant – washing the feet of the disciples.
When it is done in the name of Jesus, there is no task beneath a
Christian.
As we did an
evaluation about a year ago of our congregation, our staff had to ask some
tough questions: are the people
of Bayside just here so they can receive or are we hear to be trained to
serve. There has to be a balance
but it is our goal as the leadership of Bayside to eventually help everyone to
do something in service to others. Both
internally in Bayside or externally in our communities.
Third
vs. 13-14 blessings are
sometimes delayed
Sometimes
when we do the right thing, we are immediately rewarded. Sometimes the reward comes much later and at times not even
in this lifetime but in the one to come.
Matt. 6 talks
about three spiritual disciplines:
Vs. 2 when you give,
don’t announce it
Vs. 5 when you pray,
don’t do it so people will be awed by your big words
Vs. 16 when you fast, don’t look somber
Those
aren’t sinful things to do when you give, pray or fast they’re just
stupid.
In all three
of those instances when you do the first; he says that’s all the reward you
get. . . temporary stuff.
But when you
give with a heart of generosity; when you pray with a sense of earnestness,
when you fast with a sense of humility – God sees it and will reward you in
ways you can’t imagine and may never see in this life but there is an
eternal reward that is reserved for you.
Four:
take your seat while you can because the table will be full vs. 23-24
If you say no
to the banquet, the master may give your spot to someone else.
Absentees are not guaranteed a seat in the future. Vs. 24
I certainly
don’t mean to imply that God doesn’t offer us second chances in life –
he does – he is the God of mercy and grace and is patient with us but there
will come a time when the door will be shut just like on the ark and just like
at the banquet.
You are free
to turn down the invitation but all decisions come with consequences.
The owner was angry at the rebuffs by the invited people.
If there is one person I don’t want angry at me it’s God.
If God calls us to obedience and we blow him off, it displeases
God.
In the
immediate context of this story, when the Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah,
God said: I want my house full
– invite the gentiles. God
keeps asking til his house fills up. God
wants every seat in this sanctuary filled every week.
Not for our sake but His.
This is
God’s feast – he is the one who gives the invitation.
Why does God
want his house full?
Wants hurting people helped
Broken people made whole
Fearful people to learn faith
Downtrodden people to find hope
Wants lonely people to find companionship
Wants redeemed people to celebrate their joy
That happens
best in a context of loving and caring people who are in the house of the
Lord.
Rev. 3:20
Jesus says I am standing at the door of your heart – knocking – asking if
it is ok that I come into your life – if you open the door, I’ll come in
and fellowship with you
Have
you accepted Jesus invitation to the banquet?