GOSPEL OF LUKE: Chapter 14

Luke 14:3-6  Sabbath Questions….Again!

So Jesus asked the religion scholars and Pharisees present, “Is it permitted to heal on the Sabbath? Yes or no?”   They were silent. So he took the man, healed him, and sent him on his way. Then he said, “Is there anyone here who, if a child or animal fell down a well, wouldn’t rush to pull him out immediately, not asking whether or not it was the Sabbath?” They were stumped. There was nothing they could say to that.  (MSG)

Luke 14:3-6

When will the Pharisees let this issue of Sabbath work rest?  It is apparent from the very beginning that to Jesus the overall goal far surpasses any law on the books!  The purpose and intent of the Sabbath is what is important: to honor God!  What can be more a demonstration of honor than to do Godly work.  If the Pharisees were to follow the letter of the law themselves, could they do their job?  God asked us to set one day aside for his purpose; what if we were to take a few minutes every hour, a few seconds every minute?  What if we were to honor the Celtic tradition and LIVE God, LIVE Sabbath continually?

Luke 14:10-11   Hospitality

“When you’re invited to dinner, go and sit at the last place. Then when the host comes he may very well say, ‘Friend, come up to the front.’….. if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”  (MSG 10-11)

          True hospitality looks beyond personal comfort or social one-up-manship.  True hospitality is concerned with the needs of the guest, making the guest feel comfortable and at home.  To be able to receive hospitality is just as important as giving it.  In the past 2 weeks, Rick and I have been on the receiving end of all manner of hospitality, staying with friends and family on 10 different occasions.  To be a gracious guest is sometimes as hard as being a gracious host!  But when the give and take is genuine, true hospitality flows as naturally as love pouring from an open bottle. 

Luke 14:10-14

Luke 14:12-14
 No Tit for Tat

Then he turned to the host. “The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You’ll be—and experience—a blessing. They won’t be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned!—at the resurrection of God’s people.” MSG

          Serve those who can’t return the favor; no tit for tat.  The best hospitality is given, not exchanged.  Hospitality doesn’t keep score.  God will take care of that. 

          How often do we invite the same people over and over to our homes?  I am so guilty as charged.  May I remember our Lord’s words the next time I have cause to make invitation.  Could I extend an invite to at least one ‘outsider’?

Luke 14: 26-33 FIGURE THE COST
"Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters - yes, even one's own self! - can't be my disciple.  Anyone who won't shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can't be my disciple.....Simply put, if you're not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can't be my disciple."
     This is such a hard passage.  The NIV says hate your father and mother.  The Message tempers it a little, with 'refusing to let go'.   Yet Jesus is trying to make clear the sacrifice he is requiring.  I wonder if the disciples had any clue the reference to the cross - they hadn't witnessed Christ's sacrifice yet or the cross he would carry at Golgatha.  The cost of discipleship is high - Jesus demands our all.  Jesus demands to be numero uno, top on our list.  Perhaps that sounds easy to do, but we deceive ourselves. We allow so much to wiggle its way in front.   More likely, we spend a lifetime 'attempting' to be a disciple.  But it is a worthy goal and I shall keep trying.  

Luke 14: 34  SALT

 “Salt is excellent.  But if the salt goes flat, it’s useless, good for nothing.”  Are you listening to this?  Really listening?”  (MSG)

        Salt….a seasoning for flavor, preservation, part of the earth.  Salt is a critical element, a part of us.   We must make our faith like salt; embedded within us totally. 
        How salty am I?   Does my salt irritate an open wound or enhance the message of God?  Are there times when my saltiness should irritate for the sake of God?  Has my salt gone flat, my faith hollow and meaningless?
        How can I keep my salt full of flavor, robust and ready to season a world waiting for a taste of God?