Luke 14

What It Means To Really Change The World

How does one go about changing the world? I believe it is by changing our heart. In this chapter, Jesus addresses several issues of the heart: the legalistic, prideful, unwilling heart. On the outside, some of these things look religious and even righteous, but God doesn’t look at the outside. God looks straight into our hearts seeing what is really going on in our life. A fascinating study some years ago actually found that when a choir sings together, not only do the melodies and harmonies synchronize, but so do their heartbeats. As a choir sings together, especially in unison, their heartbeat becomes as one. In the same way, as we begin walking in unison with God, our heartbeat will begin to beat with His. We will abandon our way of doing things, our way of wanting things and our way of thinking about things. Instead, we will walk in step with the Creator of the Universe – and then – in His power, we can really change the world.

Vs 1-6 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, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way. Then he asked them, “If 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?” And they had nothing to say.

In Luke 13, Jesus had just addressed the issue of healing on the Sabbath. In that chapter, the indignant synagogue leader called Jesus out for healing on the Sabbath: “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” Jesus answered this objection: “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”

This time, He is not in the synagogue, but in the home of a prominent Pharisee. The Greek word for prominent is archón, which means a ruler or a chief. This man was a chief Pharisee. Someone highly respected, and one whom other Pharisees looked up to, and took their cue from. The next phrase really caught my attention: “he (Jesus) was being carefully watched.” The Greek word for carefully watched is paratéreó, which means to be watched scrupulously. In other words, they were watching Jesus with intent. They had a moral and ethical compass, and they wanted to see if Jesus would keep their standard? Enter the man suffering from, what was probably. edema, a medical condition causing swelling due to too much fluid trapped in the body’s tissues. The fact that this man was in the Pharisee’s house at all suggests he was invited with the express purpose of seeing what Jesus would do. Would Jesus “unlawfully” (their moral compass) heal on the Sabbath? Jesus, knowing all along what trap was being set, decides to turn the tables on them by asking: “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” Their answer? Silence. They either didn’t know how to answer, or they refused to answer. So, Jesus heals the man. Then He gives them a similar example of the one He gave in chapter 13. Knowing they had a “work around” to rescue an ox or child out of a well on the Sabbath, Jesus asks: “will you not immediately pull it out?” Their answer? Again, silence. They couldn’t say anything. Their “moral compasses” had failed them in every way.

In the words of Solomon, there is nothing new under the sun. We all still, at times, have a “moral compass” beyond scripture. A set of legalistic rules or rituals we set up which have become “gospel”. Augustine had it right when he said, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” We must ask ourselves, “is this a Biblical theological question, or simply a preference question?” There are issues that are absolute. They are indisputably right or wrong, yes or no, black or white. Things like murder, stealing and adultery are always wrong. Other absolutes: there is only one way to salvation – through Jesus Christ, there should not be any other gods before the One and Only God, God is the Creator of the Universe… But, we seem to want to add a few rules along the way, defining certain things as “sin” which are really differences of opinions. Things like they types of music we play in a worship service, our political stances, how we should dress or talk… Legalism can creep up in how the church defines lines of authority or who is “in” or “out”. Legalism usually has a double standard for those in higher positions and those in the “lower ranks”. We saw this with the Pharisees. They had one rule for themselves, while heaping other rules on everyone else. Ask yourself – is there more emphasis on how ladies dress than on how much men lust? Is there more talk about the pride of those who disagree with authority rather than how people who are in authority act? Do we listen more for “doctrinal purity” – what people say – rather than watch for fruit people are producing (where words and actions line up)? If the answer is yes, to any of these, we might tend toward legalism. Jesus makes it very clear that man made add-ons are not within the context of God’s word. Next, He tackles another heart problem.

Vs 7-11 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: “When 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, ‘Give this person your seat.’ 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, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ 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.”

In Jesus’ day, the seating arrangements at a dinner established your importance. He notices how many of the guests have picked the best seats. They wanted to be seen as honored. The Pharisees were not the only ones who practiced this kind of pride. Jesus’ disciples also had a discussion on this issue in Mark 10. There we find James and John making a request of Jesus to be seated on His right and left in glory. In other words, they wanted the seats of honor. The other 10 disciples became indignant when they heard about this. Who were they to be seated with such honor? How dare they! Jesus gives us the parable of the Wedding Feast. Putting in today’s context, when you’re invited to a wedding, you wouldn’t seat yourself where the mother of the bride is suppose to sit. If you do, a nice usher will have to move you – perhaps to be back of the room. You will then have to walk past all the other guests who will be whispering, “who did they think they were?” It’s far better to come sit in the back and have the usher come to you and say, what are you doing back here? You need to come sit right behind the mother of the bride. Then, they will walk you to the front while everyone sees you. The comments will be very different indeed! It’s not for us to play the self-promotion game – look at how important I am. Psalm 75:6-7 says, No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt themselves. It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.” Jesus continues…

Vs 12-14 Then Jesus said to his host, “When 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.”

So far, Jesus has called them out on their moral compass, and their issue of pride and humility. Now he focuses on their attitude on giving and exclusion. Not only did the host intentionally invite a guest to see what Jesus would do, he also invited “certain” people to his banquets while excluding others. Who were the people he invited? Those who would most certainly be able to “pay him back”. His invitation was contingent on receiving an invitation down the line. Jesus tells him instead to invite those who could never repay him.

I recently read an article on how to get ahead in business. The philosophy? Give as much as you get and get as much as you give. Enter only into business agreements in which you are going to get something – preferably as much as you give (or more). Business isn’t the only place this philosophy is practiced. I have to admit, I have unwittingly practiced it myself – especially around stewardship time at the church. See if you recognize it. “You can’t out give God.” “If you give sacrificially, God will bless you in abundance.” Then there are the many testimonies that focus in on the blessings God has given after financial sacrifice. Don’t misunderstand me. These phrases speak truth and Psalm 115:5 backs it up: “Good will come to a man who lends generously and conducts his business fairly.” So why am I pointing this out? Because there is a subtle line between focusing on the giving and focusing on the blessings. If we focus on the blessing rather than the gift, we could cross the line over to preaching giving so we can get. We make giving a transaction rather than a true gift. I don’t believe it is a conscience crossing, but need to be careful. Yes, absolutely, God will bless us, but in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, Paul says, “Remember this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Did you catch that? It is ultimately a heart issue. Our focus is not what we can get from God, but in loving God so much, we give with abandon, cheerfully, not caring about gain. We don’t give because we have to, or need to. We give, because we love God. We invite those in need and open up our homes because we want to be a blessing, not so we can be blessed by God. We need to believe that no matter what – whether or not God blesses us after a sacrificial gift, He is still sufficient.

During Passover, there is a song called Dayenu that is sung. Dayenu means “it would have been enough”, or, it would have been sufficient. After singing the song a series of truths are recited. After each truth, everyone says Dayenu, it would have been sufficient. Here are a couple of examples: If God had split the sea, and taken us on dry land, but had not drowned our oppressors – Dayenu! If He had drowned our oppressors, but had not supplied our needs in the desert and fed us manna – Dayenu! If He had supplied our needs in the desert and fed us the manna but had not given us the Shabbat – Dayenu! In each phrase we see God is sufficient no matter what. If He had done…. but not done… we still say Dayenu! We need to look at giving the same way. If we give all we have and get no physical blessing from God in return, can we still say Dayenu – He is all sufficient? Can we still say He is blessing me? Give with abandon, expecting nothing in return. Invite those who cannot return the favor.

Vs 15-24 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” Jesus replied: “A 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, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go 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.’”

Whether it was to break the tension at the table, or someone just wanted to be looked at as spiritual, he said, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” Jesus has just spoken to them about their legalism, pride and exclusivity, yet they refused to get the point. So, Jesus shares another parable with them. To understand it a bit more, we have to remember this is a time before clocks. Several days – sometimes weeks, before an event like the one described, invitations would have gone out and a day would have been set, but not a time. The invitees would only know the exact time on the day of the event. So, the master has sent his servants out to let those invited (those he had planned for) to know the time had arrived. Suddenly, these guests, who knew the day was coming long ago, have come up with all sorts of excuses at the last minute as to why they are now not attending. Maybe now you can understand the anger of the master. He has an entire banquet ready with all this wonderful food which will go to waste. They had a lot of time to let him know in advance they couldn’t come. So, he sends his servants out to bring in the poor, blind, lame, those along the country lanes and roads to come enjoy the feast. In answer to this man’s proclamation, Jesus says, you say you want to be a part of the feast in the kingdom of God, yet you are filled with excuses as to why you will not come. God has invited you to be there, yet you have missed everything because of your legalism, pride and exclusivity. God is not legalistic, nor is He exclusive. He invites all to come to the table – just as you are. The banquet is open to all who come to Him in humble abandonment. It is for all who call upon the name of the Lord.

Vs 25-33 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t 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, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t 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.

All are welcome to the table, but all will not make it to the feast. The excuses Jesus posed in His parable are ones we need to look at closely. The first two were material in nature – I purchased something and I have to check it out. The things around me are more important than feasting at the table of God. The third was relational – my family and relationships are more important than feasting at the table in the kingdom of God. Jesus doubles down on this excuse. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. This seems rather harsh! You cannot be a disciple, a follower and learner of Christ, if you don’t hate everything you love the most. The word hate here is used to wake us up. We cannot be followers of Christ if we allow anything in our lives to be more important than Him – even the most precious things – our families and even our own lives. Total abandonment is just that – total, complete, absolute, and comprehensive.

The next thing Jesus says is, “And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Carrying a cross led to death. You didn’t pick up a cross for fun, or just to see how heavy it might be. Once you picked up that cross, you were on your way to die. The cost of discipleship is just that – you willingly pick up that cross to follow Jesus knowing there is going to be death involved. Galatians 2:19b-20 says, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Romans 6:6-7 says, “we know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that sin’s dominion over the body may be abolished, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, since a person who has died is freed from sin’s claims.” In Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s amazing book Cost of Discipleship he says, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Following Christ always involves death.

Last, Jesus tells the crowd – you have to count the cost. Before you embark on a journey of discipleship with Christ, it is best to count the cost. What will it cost you? I have to admit, where I currently sit, following Christ doesn’t really cost much. I might be inconvenienced by someone who tells me I can’t post the 10 commandments on the courthouse lawn or lead prayer in a public school. I might be looked at funny or talked about because of my beliefs, but, in the U. S., freedom of religion insures I can worship without fear. This is not the case in many other places around the world. Today, there are men, women and children who risk everything to worship God – their livelihood, their families, their lives. I have personally known men and women who have lost everything as they ran for their lives after coming to know Christ. I have known of men and women who have died carrying the gospel to unreached places around this world. They all counted the cost before they embarked. They knew what they were getting into before they took the baptismal plunge. They knew, and they went ahead anyway.

Bonhoeffer also said in his Cost of Discipleship, “So many people come to church with a genuine desire to hear what we have to say, yet they are always going back home with the uncomfortable feeling that we are making it too difficult for them to come to Jesus.” The cost of being a disciple of Christ means we must hate everything else around us more than we love God. It means we must take up our cross and walk the path toward death and, count the cost before we embark on the journey. As Jesus said: In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

Vs 34-35 “Salt 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. “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

The last thing sentence we read in this chapter is: “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” When Jesus says this, it’s time to listen! What do we need to hear? First, we need to be salt in this world. Second, if we are not salty, then we not affective. Third, salt that isn’t salty will just be thrown out. Salt does several things It flavors and preserves my food, and it’s a necessary element for maintaining the balance of my body’s water and minerals. So, as Believers, we are to bring flavor, preservative and balance in such a way that people around us will be able to see Christ in our lives.

The book of Proverbs is filled with how we can be salt in the world: 10:12 – Hatred stirs up conflicts, but love covers all offenses; 11:3 – The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the treacherous destroys them; 14:22 – Don’t those who plan evil go astray? But those who plan good find loyalty and faithfulness; 15:1 A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath; 15:13 – A joyful heart makes a face cheerful, but a sad heart produces a broken spirit; 15:18: A hot-tempered man stirs up conflict, but a man slow to anger calms strife. 16:24 – Pleasant words are a honeycomb: sweet to the taste and health to the body. The attributes described here are integrity, love, loyalty, faithfulness, gentleness, slow to anger, pleasantness, and sweetness. We can sum them all up in Galatians 5:22-23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control…

Can you see the affect being salt has? Each of these attributes actually change the flavor of the perspective and behavior of people. And, in each case, the attributes become action verbs: love covers, integrity guides, faithful and loyal plans find, gentle answers turn away, joyful hearts make, slow anger calms… If we lose our saltiness, we cease being able to actively change the world, we cease having an influence, and we cease being able to season the culture with righteousness. The church who does not stand firm in faith, and true to God’s Word will cease to be salt. John described such a church in Revelation 3:15-16: To the church at Laodicea: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot.  So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth. They had lost their saltiness. Their words and actions were not even good enough to sprinkle on manure. They were thrown out. It sounds harsh yes, but saltless salt isn’t good for anything.

In order to really change the world we must begin to walk in unison with Jesus. It will cause our hearts to beat with His. We will put away pride and legalism. Our moral compass will be His, not ours. We will give with abandonment and invite without a desire for payback. Our attitudes will become salty verbs – actively moving and affecting the world around us. We can then say Dayenu – God is all sufficient no matter what.