Jesus, still on his way to Jerusalem, the site of his exodus, pauses for some Sabbath rest and refreshment at the house of a Pharisee. Jesus uses the occasion of this dinner banquet (the entirety of Luke 14) to teach the etiquette and customs practiced in the kingdom of God. This “ruler of the Pharisees” takes quite a chance in the issue of his dinner invitation to Jesus. After all, Herod, the king, wants to kill Jesus (Lk. 13:31). This host risks trouble with the king by entertaining Jesus. Yet, from what the text tells us (vs. 1b), they couldn’t resist the opportunity to scrutinize Jesus closely, especially on his practice of Sabbath observance. Previously, Jesus’ observance of the Sabbath had been questioned on the issue of gleaning grain (Lk. 6:1-5); over healing on the Sabbath in the synagogue (Lk. 6:6-11); and over healing the “bent over” woman on the Sabbath (Lk. 13:10-19). Knowing that his host and the other guests all thought well of themselves and, perhaps, not so highly of him, Jesus puts a question to them, “Is it lawful…?” (vs. 3). Not one of them would commit to an answer. So… Jesus heals the man before him. And then, Jesus brings the accusation directly against his host and his guests, “Which of you…? (vs. 5). They had no answer. The accusation exposed them in their self-serving hearts (vs. 6).

Those Pharisees, and others in support of them, absolutized the Law. The Pharisees then brought the Law’s accusation against others, like Jesus, who simply took care of the neighbor on the Sabbath—that is, they acted out of love. Jesus’ accusation of vs.5, exposes the Pharisees in this deceitful practice. The etiquette and customs of the kingdom of God derive from love… God’s love toward the world expressed in Jesus Christ. The Law may point toward love but never achieves it, especially when it’s seized by the hands of sinful men and women to be used against others.

Table Talk: Discuss the distinction between etiquette and customs derived from love and those derived from minimal lawful obedience.
Pray: Heavenly Father, grant me to love and not merely obey. Amen

Luke 14:1-14 English Standard Version

One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. 2 And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. 3 And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” 4 But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. 5 And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” 6 And they could not reply to these things.

7 Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

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. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”