Lk 14:12-14 Dinner Parties Jesus Style, A Parable to the Host: What Jesus wants to See in None of Us Intro: Review Last week we looked the first part of this parable regarding spiritual etiquette. Last weeks address from Jesus was to the guests and the issue was humility. This week the address is to the host. As a reminder, the setting is a dinner party that Jesus attended and when he noticed how the guests were behaving and who the guests were he told a parable about what he expects to see in all of us, humility; and what he expects to see in none of us which is what study right now. Read Lk 14:7-14 I. What not to do as a Host (12a) Lk 14:12-12 He said also to the man who had invited him, When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors Once again, Jesus is very clear in his rules of spiritual etiquette at your next dinner party, do not invite your friends, or your brothers,, or your relatives, or your rich neighbors. = don not only exclusively these It is important to know what Jesus is and is not saying in this command. The Greek word do not invite is a present active imperative which refers to habitual action. So Jesus is not saying not to ever invite your family over for dinner, he is saying do not habitually nor exclusively invite only these people. Trans: So that is the very clear what not to do that Jesus parable communicates. We come to the why not now. II. Why Not (12b)
Lk 14:12-12 He said also to the man who had invited him, When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. Getting to an issue of the heart The why not begins to go to an issue of the heart. Just as taking the best seat was an issue of seeking honor for oneself on the part of the guests, so now the guest list on the part of the host is about an issue of his heart. Don t invite for reciprocation Do not invite only those who can pay you back. Payback hospitality and service is of no merit to God, Jesus is saying. We have a term from the Latin to describe this kind of relationship, it is called quid pro quo. It is basically a favor or advantage granted in return for something: "the pardon was a quid pro quo for their help in releasing hostages". You scratch my back and I ll scratch yours. Works, but not for God a sign of something wrong Jesus is saying that that kind of reciprocal behavior might work in the business and social world that we all live in, but it doesn t have any merit before God. When you do something for someone in order to be repaid later, it is not service, it is something else altogether something maybe you see already, something we will talk about soon. Trans: Before we do, however, let s look at what we are called to do by Jesus III. What to do as a Host (13) Lk 14:13- But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, Once again, simplicity and clarity reign in the parable what do I do as a host for my next dinner party? I am to invite the poor, lame, crippled, and blind. Poor, etc = totally dependent This guest list is very daunting isn t it. There is something to be learned from the list itself as we look at what these categories of people have in common. In
Jesus day there were distinct castes of people and these people would have been at the very bottom. They are the people who would not be able to care for themselves. Their only hope of survival was through the generosity of others. They could not really work (generally), so all they could do is beg or not eat. = service without quid pro quo So Jesus is making a point here. He is saying that the type of people you should serve should be those who have no ability to pay you back. Remember this is an issue of heart that Jesus is talking about. He is not saying that you can t serve a guy who has a job, He is saying that service should be as if it were to someone who has no means whatsoever of ever paying you back. The motive of service is based upon a need and has nothing at all to do with quid pro quo. This kind of heart for the poor seen elsewhere Dt 14:28 29-28 At the end of every three years you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in the same year and lay it up within your towns. 29 And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do. Everyone is included in rejoicing and feasting = Dt 16:11 14-11 And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that the LORD your God will choose, to make his name dwell there. 12 You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be careful to observe these statutes. 13 You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor and your winepress. 14 You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns. Ro 12:13-13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
So we are not to take the best chairs for ourselves, but we are to make chairs available for those who don t have one. IV. Why Why? Jesus tells us in v.14 Lk 14:14- and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. Blessing from God for the right kind of serving A blessing from God comes to those who serve those who cannot repay. At the end of this life when the stewardship of your actions is weighed, God will reward you. Just as in the previous section we saw divine passives in that God will humble those who exalt themselves, we see another divine passive here God will repay you at the resurrection of the Just for actions here that serve and provide for those without expectation of repayment. Reminded of Pr 19:17- Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed. (the opposite is also true) Is 2:12-12 For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up and it shall be brought low; In fact, the word repaid here is emphatic. Jesus really wants to emphasize the greatness of the recompense that God himself offers the right hearted servant. And, by the way, who do you think can repay you more, the person you served for the wrong reasons, of God at the resurrection of the Just? V. Point: God is against Pride
pride We come now to the point. Last week the point of the passage was what Jesus wants to see in all of us - humility. Today the point is what Jesus wants to see in none of us - pride. Point really pride? Now is the point of this part of the parable really pride? Isn t the point Go feed to poor? While we certainly can apply this passage by feeding the poor, the context of the passage and the real meaning of the passage is about the heart issue that would prevent us from feeding the poor! It s about the heart sickness that would cause us only to serve our family and rich neighbors because it brings a recompense from them back to us. That heart condition, that thing that Jesus is trying to identify in and route out of our hearts is pride. Let me talk about it for a few minutes and I think you ll see why I am saying that and agree. A. Pride defined & why God opposes it It is best for us now to define what pride is. Pride is a sinful focus on self. Dr. Stuart Scott tells us that prideful people believe 1) That they are or should be the source of what is good, right and worthy of praise. 2) They also believe that they, by themselves, are (or should be) the accomplisher of anything worthwhile. 3) They also believe that they should be the benefactor of anything they believe to be good. Now look at that list and think of it in terms of source and direction. There is a bible verse that may come to mind that will shed some light upon why God is so against pride. Here is a hint: based upon that definition, the prideful person believes that from him, and through him, and to him all good things should emanate and come. Rom 11:36 says that position in the universe is held by one person only! God alone!
Ro 11:36- For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. You can see why God is opposed to pride: 1 Pe 5:1- So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: Pr 16:5- Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished. B. The Mechanics of Pride in Relation to God and Others Let s turn our attention now to the mechanic of pride, that is, how it works itself out in relation to God and others. When we understand this, then we get what Jesus wants us to see from the parable. Dr. Scott s Illustration p.11 From Pride to Humility, a Biblical Perspective Because pride s relationship to the self is so high-minded - from self, by self, and to self - it has a very demented and skewed picture of God and a sinful relationship with other people. Let s take a look at both of these. Pride s relationship to God The prideful person is blinded by their pride and they see God usually in one of two ways. 1) God is here for me this means that God is simply there to make you happy and to serve and give to you. Therefore the prideful person will only obey God in the things that he or she prescreens through their own desires and agenda. 2) God is my creation even worse, prideful people aren t really worshipping God at all. They believe that they are the center of the universe and God is just a part of it, or that they, whether they admit it or not, are serving as their own functional god. They have basically become idolaters and false worshippers. They are worshipping the false god of self.
George Gordon Liddy, Watergate conspirator when released from prison said these prideful words: "I have found within myself all I need and all I ever shall need. I am a man of great faith, but my faith is in George Gordon Liddy. I have never failed me." Pride s relationship to others The prideful person s relationship with other people does not escape this dysfunction either. We can see this in both how they relate from others and to others. From others: The prideful person s relationship from other people is primarily that other people are there to please me, serve me, respect me, and meet my needs. His puffed up heart seeks the chair of honor and can only serve people who will pay him back. He sits in a chair of honor all day long expecting others to notice him and serve him and meet his needs and when they don t, he, like the false god he is trying to be, punishes the unbelievers and the disobedient. To others: The prideful person s relationship to other people is seen along the avenues of judging, criticizing, impressing, and manipulating. The self is exalted and so others must worship me too. So my primary relational conduits with other people are going to be those of judging them for their inferiority, criticizing them to make myself feel and look good, trying to impress them so that they ll adore me, and manipulating them to get what I want out of them. Stealing chairs of honor and only serving those who will pay me back. C. Manifestations of pride in ourselves Now we can come to application, to the other side of last week s humility coin. Let s look at 10 manifestations of pride in ourselves. Let s id it and kill it. 1. Look at your guest list Jesus parable basically tells us that our guest list shows us our heart. If we are only serving those who can repay us we are struggling with pride. 2. Complaining or passing judgment on God
A proud person in a difficult situation thinks, look what God is doing to me after all I ve done for Him Nu 14:1 4-1 Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. 2 And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt? 4 And they said to one another, Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt. 11 And the Lord said to Moses, How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? 3. Anger Pride shows up in anger, or pouting, or withdrawing, or outbursts. The proud person believes he has rights and entitlements and when they are not met, he or she gets angry. 4. Having an inflated view of your importance, gifts, and abilities Proud people have a misperception about themselves. They are legends in their own mind. Sometimes even the woe is me kind of attitude is just pride with a humility costume on. They need to hear: 1 Co 4:6 7- that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. 7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? This gets to the clever salesman who closed hundreds of sales with this line: "Let me show you something several of your neighbors said you couldn't afford." 5. Perfectionism
People who strive for everything to be perfect often do so for recognition. They do it so they can feel good about how perfect they are and so that others will recognize the same. Perfectionism is self serving when we make less important things ultimate things so that we will be honored for doing so. 6. Talking too much about yourself I am the center and best thing to talk about and if no one else is smart enough to do it, I will! After all, people need to know how great I am!! Oh, and I don t really care what you have to say. The best of men are conscious above all others that they are men at the best. Empty boats float high, but heavily laden vessels are low in the water; - Spurgeon 7. Seeking independence or control This is a no brainer. The proud person needs to be self sufficient, without need, and in control. They will often find it difficult to work under another person and submit to authority. They can be rigid and headstrong and may complain about their stupid boss all the time. 8. Being unteachable Many proud people think they know it all and that they have arrived. They don t really respect anyone and they feel superior. Pr 19:20- Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. 9. Minimizing you shortcomings and maximizing those of others Proud people believe that their sin is no big deal. It s other people who are the problem. They probably gossip a lot about other people s faults, but get super defensive when theirs are made evident. They also rarely if ever ask for
forgiveness because they are full of excuses and justifications for their wrong behavior. During the Battle of the Wilderness in the Civil War, Union general John Sedgwick was inspecting his troops. At one point he came to a parapet, over which he gazed out in the direction of the enemy. His officers suggested that this was unwise and perhaps he ought to duck while passing the parapet. "Nonsense," snapped the general. "They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist--." A moment later Sedgwick fell to the ground, fatally wounded. 10. A lack of compassion Proud people do not see beyond their own desires and concerns. They do not invite the lame, poor, and blind to their home. How d you do? Conc: What shall we then do? We shall evermore fight against pride with a correct view of God and ourselves. I have, like so many of you, a dandelion problem in my yard. Those things pop up time and time again. I pull them, but their roots are deep and I never really uproot them fully. And before I know it, they are back, seemingly overnight! My pride is like that too. I work on it, and then overnight it pops back up demanding attention like yellow weeds on the lawn. Like my dandelions who grown in the good soil under my lawn, my pride feeds on the good I do too. Something God might do in me is an opportunity for his glory to be seen, or for my weedish pride to assert itself. Pride and dandelions! We need to know we are never done, but that victory can be won progressively over time. Uprooting pride comes from a high view of God and a low view of self. Prayer Song Benediction
Php 2:3 5- Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,