and Jesus has been invited. It is the Sabbath, which makes the first thing Jesus

Transcription

1 Luke 14:15-24 Dinner With Jesus The setting for this passage is a dinner party at the house of an unnamed Pharisee, and Jesus has been invited. It is the Sabbath, which makes the first thing Jesus does in chapter 14 problematic for the Pharisee and his friends: he heals a man, and according to some religious folks of the time, healing on the Sabbath breaks all the rules. The party guests watch Jesus, and never say a word. Jesus observes how the people come into the house and then find their seats at the table. Invariably, they overrate their importance and sit at the places of honor, though some of them must have been asked to move down when a more significant person arrived. And Jesus notes how it might be better to seat yourself at the low end and maybe the host will ask you to move up. First of all, it s better manners, but more, Jesus words are a lesson in humility. A lesson he takes even further when he suggests to his host that he consider inviting the poor and the maimed and the blind and the lame- the same kind of people Jesus specifies in the parable, here in verse 21- for the very reason that they can t return the favor: you don t make profitable political and business connections with the poor and the sick. But you can make divine connections: Jesus says, You will be blessed, and repaid at the resurrection of the just.

2 Which brings us to our passage and the dinner guest who responds to Jesus in verse 15, Blessed are those who eat in the Kingdom of God. Sounds like he understands what faith means, and humility and service. I agree, Jesus, taking care of the poor and the hungry and the crippled, that s our work as Godworshippers. We may picture this scene of a crowded dining room, lots of conversation, and all those near to Jesus turning to listen to him. I mean, that s what we would do, lean in closer, strain to hear him speak. But thinking how we would act around Jesus makes it so easy to overlook this important point, in verse 16, Jesus said to him. Yes, others may hear Jesus story, but the parable is a response to this man s statement about God s blessing. And I don t think it is to commend him. But rather, calling him- and all of us- to better awareness of what humility demands- whether we are selfless enough truly to believe those people are our equals, and equally loved by God; calling us to a deeper understanding about service, that it s never just helping, but it is a matter of sharing their lives. Which of the characters in the parable does this man represent, who speaks to Jesus in verse 15? (By the way- that entire evening, verses of all the people at this gathering, he is the only person who spoke to Jesus.) Even though he is present, is he one of those who make excuses, if a better offer comes along?

3 Maybe so. And which character are we? Are we so big that we could say no to the invitation, or are we among the outcasts who later become invited guests, or are we someone else? Our answer will tell us much about what we think of ourselves, and of our place in God s Kingdom. Maybe you remember reading magazine interviews, and that one particular question that, in the past, seemed to be part of every interview: who would be at your fantasy dinner party? And the answers were all over the place, depending upon the interests of the interviewees: Lucille Ball, Winston Churchill, Mark Twain, Mozart, Mahatmas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., the Buddha, Mother Teresa, Groucho Marx, Oprah Winfrey, Nicola Tesla, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Steve Jobs, William Shakespeare, Humphrey Bogart- you could go on and on with the names of these who would make for a fun and informative event- historical world leaders, literary icons, pop culture idols, religious figures. (Are you thinking about your own list right now?) But easily, the most named person in the interviews was Jesus. We simply want to hear his words from his own mouth. All of us who want to sit beside Jesus at mealtime and listen, assume he ll say something wise and inspirational and affirming. But the truth is, more often he will tell us what we do not want to hear.

4 In the gospels, Jesus reprimands in these kinds of situations: remember the rich young ruler, Sell all you have, and come follow me ; and that time in his home synagogue in Nazareth, when they were hanging on every word and complimenting him, and he replies that people who speak truth are never believed in their own country; and the words he spoke to the very man who invited him that night, You should welcome the poor instead. Every time someone expects a positive word from Jesus, he tells them, Don t you get it yet? or The first shall be last and the last shall be first, or None of these invited ones will ever eat at my banquet. So, instead of Jesus approving of us or of our actions and thought processes, Jesus stands over against us as judge- as he does this man who says, Blessed are those who eat in the Kingdom. The man is not wrong, he is just wrong about who the Kingdom people are. Jesus proclaims the Kingdom is for the poor, the maimed, the blind, and the lame. These are the blessed ones, and it may be that the rest of us are those who will never taste the Kingdom bread- even those of us who work so hard and believe so steadfastly- because our hearts are not right. Sometimes faith becomes in us pride. I don t say this as a threat or to demean what any of you are- I am not in a position to do that! But just to remind us all that God s love for every creature is

5 greater than our doctrines; and the commandment of love is to love and to welcome without holding back. These first ones who are invited to the party, they are the best people, the hardest working, they have obligations- look at the excuses they give, they are valid and important reasons! And so, because they are busy and successful, the dinner invitation is just one more thing among many things. Perhaps they think of it as a mere exchange of favors between friends and equals; but to the maimed, the blind, and the lame, and to the poor, the invitation to eat is life or death. In this parable, when the invitation goes out to the outcasts, our perceptions about religion are turned upside down. It is no longer the religious, the establishment, the best people, but the outsiders who are God blessed. Here, Jesus demands this of us: that we not require they be more like us, but that our minds and hearts be changed to become more like them. I asked earlier which character in the parable do you think you are. There may have been a time in your life when you were one of the poor, the maimed, the blind, the lame; we might use other words, as well: lost, weary, confused, lonely, angry. But I think we should see that, now, we are the servants of the parable,

6 commanded to go out and bring in those others who are like we were. To go, and never to stop going. It is a good thing to obey the command, and bring countless numbers to the place where there is food and healing and hope. Like the servant in verse 22, who returns and realizes there is room for still more; this servant who is ready for the second command, to go again, to go farther. The master says, Go to the highways and hedges, bring them in from distant places, bring in those who travel far and fast: they may be searching for purpose, they may be homeless, or on the road traveling to find work. They may be beyond the hedges, the desperate people who build walls or fences to protect themselves: let us show them there is peace and hopefulness on this side. Or in our contemporary world, they may be refugees crowding across the hedges of this country, the borders of our land and so many other lands, looking for a better world. Secure our borders we hear some say. Yes, it is an important work of nations to protect their borders. But the command of the Master to his servants is to go, and bring them in to the feast, precisely these: poor, maimed, blind, lame, weary, and lonely, wherever they are, or wherever they may be found. Aren t they, after all, just like we were at one time? There is still room. The master in this parable has a huge house; that s part of the good news! Even at our church here

7 we have plenty of room for loving and for sharing the goodness of God: it is limited only by the size of our hearts.