Luke 14:1-14
It happened that when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching Him closely. And there in front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy. And Jesus answered and spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” But they kept silent. And He took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away. And He said to them, “Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?” And they could make no reply to this.
“Greetings Rabi. Thank you for coming to this reception which we have organized in your honor.” Perhaps the only honest part of the host’s opening sentence was that it had been organized. Whether the man was grateful or intended to honor this so-called teacher is unlikely. We can assume that everyone in attendance had been invited. The invitations had been sent out with an organizational agenda in mind. It wasn’t advertised but this gathering was intended to be a barbecue.
Whether we acknowledge it or not, we all always have an agenda. (This is an aside but it would be healthy for our spiritual formation to acknowledge this and to even know what our agendas are.) It is not improbable that the day (the Sabbath) and at least one guest (the dropsy victim) were invited to further the agenda of the host and his orthodox colleagues which was to expose the interloper as a violator of their sacred commands and their myriad derivatives.
Oh how I love Jesus. Oh how I love Jesus. For many reasons, but this morning I love watching him cut through all the pretense of a gathering (and yes of course, [in case the bible police are watching me closely] I love him as well for the biblically accurate reason….. because He first loved me.) What was Jesus’ agenda anyway? He had been on record since the Nazareth Incident on just this point…..
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.
So how did Jesus advance his agenda in the midst of this trap his enemies had laid for him? To begin with I don’t believe Jesus felt a heavy burden about his agenda; His Father’s burden was light and easy. Knowing that his Father was sovereign and had sent out his own invitations, as always, to further his own kingdom agenda (which was simply to put all things right by way of expanding the rulership of his Son in the hearts of men), Jesus simply watches to see what kind of banquet the Father would spread out before him there in the presence of his enemies.
Jesus, knowing fully well what was in men’s hearts, plied his prophetic-messianic vocation of realizing this moment (and all moments going forward) represented the favorable timing for salvation. Always intuiting God’s heart, Jesus simply wades into the situation (which was a trap on two levels) as the living, active and sharp, two-edged sword of Truth prepared to slice into the the thoughts and intentions (agendas) of his host’s heart. As was often the case, this occasion required exposing the obvious contrast between the letter and the spirit of a matter. And on this occasion, the scalpel, as it often was is in the form of a question…
Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?
But the hosts kept silent. Hopefully that was because the scalpel was doing its work, liberating the organizers from this snare of religion they themselves were unknowingly entangled in. Not one to squander even a single kingdom moment, Jesus healed the man beset with dropsy. Knowing who has sent out the invitations (on earth and in heaven) and their agendas equipped Jesus (and will equip us) to better organize our hearts so that we will be able to ultimately present to him hearts of wisdom.
When God tells us that his ways are higher than ours, he is also saying our agendas are inferior to his. If it is our agenda to give our lives away as a leader, Paul tells us it is a fine work we desire to do. However James would add that not many of you should become teachers since they we will incur a stricter judgment. In light of the higher accountability a powerfully equipping idea for any would-be leader (whatever title they aspire to precede their name) would be to keep in mind that the kingdom of God is an invitational-only affair; that God’s invitations, coming as they always do from a higher agenda, more often than not, go unnoticed or turned down.
Perhaps an even more sobering idea is that that even the most scripturally literate among us, can miss the spirit while flailing about in the letter of some law or principle. Here is reality-based principle that might liberate us into our walk in the Spirit; There is always more going on in the kingdom than we typically perceive. Just understanding the motives of the One who has invited us to the banquet will help us keep our hearts running on the kingdom track and our clay feet out of the snares set to entangle us. Keeping in mind the Father’s comprehensive full-time salvation intentions (which include our bodies, souls and spirits) will go far in giving us eyes to see and ears to hear.
Father, may our hearts receive and ponder the piercing questions that will expose our hearts so that they may be liberated and equipped to see how the banquet table has been laid out before us. Teach us to use the right questions when necessary to silence the religious spirit within and without. Amen
Perhaps today’s post in its consideration of “Invitation” will be a key to better understand the balance of today’s passage…….
Parable of the Guests
And He began speaking a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place. But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”