MEMORY VERSE: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6). TEXT: Luke 14:1-24 During his earthly ministry, the Lord interacted with people of all classes – the rich, the poor, the Pharisees, the publicans, the unlearned and even the beggars. “For the son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost”, and perdition was not and is not the exclusive curse of any social group. Such interactions exposed the utter depravity of the human heart as they drew forth reactions reflective of the true condition of all men. They also provided opportunities for the Lord to teach truths and correct long established wrong notions and corrupt traditions often clothed in garments of religion. In our text, the Lord was invited “into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath day”. If the host and the other guests had known the gift of God and who it was that sat at table with them, they would have been highly desirous to sit at His feet, hear His precious Word and receive the one thing needful – the salvation of their souls. Unfortunately, they contrived the dinner as a trap to advance their conspiracy against Christ. The encounter provided Christ the opportunity to teach the right perspective on the Sabbath, emphasise the importance of humility as a character trait and the precedence of the gospel over every human pursuit and ambition. THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE ON THE SABBATH (Luke 14:1-6; Mark 11:27-33; 1 Peter 3:15; Isaiah 56:2; 58:13; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Acts 20:7).
“And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath day, that they watched him.” The animosity of the Pharisees against Christ prompted a malicious and secret observation of His actions, with a view to finding charges to accuse or incriminate Him. The root of such invidious behaviour by the Pharisees was unbelief. If they had faith in Him as “the Christ, the son of the living God”, they would have marked and observed Him for all together a different purpose – to learn of Him in everything and so find rest unto their souls. Even today, ignorance and unbelief as to who Christ is and His mission on earth lie at the root of many a man’s rebellion and perdition. Question 1: Why do some people attend church services? Like the Pharisees in Christ’s time, some people attend church services, not to listen to the truth whereby they may be saved. Some are there to discover “faults” so as to defend their position of unbelief. Others are in the church for mundane and carnal reasons: search for marriage partners, quest for healing and/or promotion of social or business contacts. Good as these may be, Christ would have us set our priorities right. He says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). “And behold there was a certain man before him which had dropsy.” Meanwhile, the Pharisees were closely watching to know what He would do. As a fitting and disarming prelude to what He was determined to do, Christ questioned, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?” His critics did not know how to answer. An answer in the affirmative would be contrary to their intention to accuse Him of wrongdoing. To answer in the negative would lay them open to charges of callousness and indifference to human suffering. They therefore chose to remain silent. A similar response greeted Christ’s other question, “The baptism of John was it from heaven or of men?” (Mark 11: 27-33). Their difficulty was how to answer Jesus’ question without either exposing themselves to ridicule before men or contradicting their position by their own words. Like Christ, let us be circumspect in our relationship with those who oppose the gospel. Question 2: What are the reasons for the rejection of Christ by some people today? Many people reject Christ because of their enslavement to sinful pleasures, perceived fear of material losses, loss of social status or undue idolatrous fear of men. They either give a deliberate false answer or choose to be evasive when asked the reason for their not yielding to the Lord. On the contrary, the believer should be “ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh… a reason for the hope that is in (him) with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3: 15). By healing the man on a Sabbath day (Luke 14:4), the Lord was teaching the right perspective on the Sabbath. Question 3: From the example of Christ, what do you understand to be the right attitude towards the Lord’s day? Christ showed that works that pertain to utter necessity (especially such as involve human life), mercy and the glory of God could be undertaken on such a day. This perspective breathes into the Sabbath that essential air of love (both of God and of our fellow men) that serves divine purposes. However, beyond a sincere and honest pursuit of these ends, it is wrong to trample on God’s word in respect of the Sabbath day. The Scripture enjoins us to “call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour (the Lord in it), not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words” (Isaiah 58:13). “Blessed is the man… that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil” (Isaiah 56:2). These Scriptures condemn the practices of those who abandon themselves to pleasure-seeking, and debauchery, or engage themselves in their usual secular occupations on the Lord’s day. It however permits works of essential nature that border on human life or absolute necessity. We should note that the root word translated “Sabbath” does not mean “Seventh” but “Rest”. The divine purpose of instituting the Sabbath therefore was to afford man a day in the week in which to rest from his labours and have special opportunity of worship, prayer and fellowship with God. In the Old Testament, the seventh day of the week was observed as the Sabbath. In the New Testament however, the first day of the week was observed and was called the Lord’s day (Revelation 1:10). It was on such days that the early believers came together for special worship and fellowship (1 Corinthians 16:2; Acts 20:7). The first day of the week acquired special significance by reason of the resurrection of Christ and the accomplishment of our salvation (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1). THE RICH REWARDS OF HUMILITY (Luke 14:7-14; 11:43; Philippians 2:3-7; 1 Peter 5:5; Psalm 9:12). Having healed the man who had the dropsy, Christ’s attention was arrested by the manner in which the guest lawyers and Pharisees “chose out the chief rooms” at the dinner. Earlier in another encounter, Christ had charged the Pharisees, “woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets” (Luke 11: 43). In those days as in our days, people attach much importance to their perceived social status. Every opportunity was exploited to announce their superiority over others; including jostling for special seats at social gatherings, in their worship places or synagogues. Christ’s teaching at the dinner is that our conduct as believers should never be found to be assuming or portraying a desire for self-exaltation. That Christ “marked how they chose out the chief rooms” reveals that His watchful eyes see everything we do. He knows the positions we have occupied by carnal jostling in His church. Let it suffice us to know that “the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed” (1 Samuel 2:3). Therefore, “let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3). Christ’s own example teaches us that we should not even be overly desirous of that honour which may properly belong to us (Philippians 2:5-7). The word of God by the prophet Jeremiah is even more direct: “And seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not” (Jeremiah 45:5). The lesson here is that humility is the hallmark of true servants of God. Humility is always morally right and preserves from shame and embarrassment. It commends itself in normal interaction with others. If presumptuously we trust ourselves into the centre of things, there arises an instinct in others to resist us. However, when we give place to others, it tends to disarm every hostility and advance love and cooperation. Christ’s own amazing humility remains a challenge to Christians of all categories and levels. “Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you” (John 13:13-15). Question 4: What benefits according to the scripture do we stand to gain by always adopting a humble attitude? The benefits of humility as a Christian virtue are many: (i) It brings divine exaltation, which no man has power to resist. However, when we take it upon ourselves to exalt ourselves, the result is abasement (Luke 14:11). (ii) A humble attitude attracts the grace of God into our lives, whereas pride meets with divine resistance which manifest in diverse ways (1 Peter 5:5). (iii) Humility as a product of repentance brings God’s mercy and forgiveness of sins (Psalm 9:12) but God scatters “the proud in the imagination of their hearts” (Luke 1: 51). The Lord condemns every form of self-projection, including subtle jostling for positions in the church or elsewhere. Humility as a Christian virtue runs contrary to the ways of the world. It does not accord with man’s natural disposition, but like other godly virtues, requires the grace of God available through faith in Christ Jesus. However, where practice and law have established and settled places and seats in a formal gathering, a Christian who is obliged to be in such gathering may rightly take the place that belongs to his office or position, without injury to anyone. When things of this nature are not settled however, then the Spirit of God and regard for others should enable us determine what conduct, attitude or position is appropriate. Moreover, humility also avoids public display of exaggerated condescension as much as it abhors arrogating superior places to itself. Christ here teaches on the propriety of good social and human relations among guests. But he also has some things to correct in the host. THE RIGHTFUL PRECEDENCE OF THE GOSPEL (Luke 14:12-24; Proverbs 19:17; Psalm 7:11-13; Matthew 6:33). The Lord must have observed from the quality of guests at the dinner that, they were only the brethren, kinsmen and the rich neighbours of the chief Pharisees. This provided Christ the chance to correct the common practice of showing favours to those who are in positions to return such favours, and neglecting those who are not. The Lord here teaches that believers should exhibit hospitality and be more disposed to showing kindness to the poor and disadvantaged (Proverbs 19:17). This also must be seen to condemn the tendency to cultivate the friendship of only those who have material substance or wield influence, while spurning the friendliness of the less endowed even if they are of nobler character and disposition. The Lord certainly did not mean that a man may not sometimes entertain his relatives or members of his social class. The lesson is that charity and kindness to the poor and underprivileged should be so much our character as to reflect our faith and interest in a reward from God only. “And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God” (Verse 15). This remark elicited from the Lord a most heart-searching parable concerning the kingdom of God and men’s grossly misplaced priorities. “Then said he unto him, a certain man made a great supper, and bade many.” The people invited neglected the supper and the hospitality of the host, preferring rather their own priorities and gratifications. Each of the many guests offered an excuse. Question 5: Can there ever be a good reason why someone may reject or postpone his or her salvation? Explain. None of those invited gave a blatant refusal such as saying, “I am not interested in the supper.” Each had a reason why he should be excused, and each man’s reason was different from the others. All the excuses however ended at the same result: preference for property, prosperity and pleasure above their relationship with their master. Sinners often likewise plead that they are compelled or under necessity to neglect spiritual concerns for their souls. They pretend that some matters in their lives are so compelling that they cannot therefore find time to attend to their souls’ salvation. They claim they have no time to pray, read the Bible or worship and honour God. In this way, countless millions have lost their souls. “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation” (Hebrews 2:3) for which Christ died to save us from sin and eternal death? This parable of our Lord Jesus Christ shows that God regards every excuse for neglecting His free gift of salvation with severe and angry disapproval. This is why “God is angry with the wicked everyday” (Psalm 7:11). The one who “have bought a piece of ground and….must needs go and see it” (verse 18) could have deferred the inspection till the next day. The same is applicable to the one who “bought five yoke of oxen”. They gave unreasonable and false excuses because such activities as they mentioned were not done at supper time. The one who had “married a wife and therefore cannot come”, could have brought his wife along, and not allow earthly relations and affections to take off his affection for God. The truth underlying such excuses whereby people seek to exclude themselves from the blessings of the kingdom of God is ignorance as to where their true interests lie. It is amazing the way the Lord’s servant zealously invited guests to the supper. He was not discouraged by the repulsive attitude of the first irresponsive guests. He reported to the master what happened on the field. After the second commission to “go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind”, he obeyed. He reported again, “Lord, it is done as thou hasth commanded, and yet there is room”. We learn from the foregoing as believers that, we should (i) serve the Lord with zeal (ii) report failure and success to our leaders and to God in prayers (iii) engage in personal evangelism, even in public places and preach to all classes of people (iv) be steadfast, always abounding in the work of the Lord. That the servant pointed out to his master that “yet there is room” – the need to go again – revealed his readiness to continue to serve, not for any reason of personal gain. “The lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:23). Millions have been saved already; yet, there is still room in the kingdom of God for sinners to fill; and the Master is intent on bringing them in (John 10:16). Heaven is like a banquet whose provisions no number can exhaust, a fountain that cannot be drunk dry. Our Lord gave this parable also to show to the Jews that the Gentiles, represented by the people on the highways and the hedges, are as much partakers of the salvation plan as the Jews. The part every believer is to play is to win sinners into the kingdom of God because there is still more room for them to fill. The word translated “compel” here conveys the notion of prevailing on by entreaties, counsels and prayers. Any other kind of compulsion will only succeed in congregating hypocrites instead of converts. Question 6: What is the danger of a delayed response to the gospel message? Every servant of Christ must “go out quickly” with the gospel message. There is no time to lose. Sinners also must respond without delay and be saved from their sins. Those who must partake of the supper must do so now. This is because after death or the rapture, “none of those men which were bidden (and gave excuses) shall taste of my supper” (verse 24)
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