Introduction
It is easy for us to be prideful and self-righteous because of the things we do or don’t do. We think, “God is pleased with me because I serve at church, and I don’t get drunk like those people.” Sometimes the opposite is true, and we think, “God is disappointed with me”, because we see people who read their Bible or pray more than we do. In Luke 14, Jesus is invited to a meal at the house of a religious leader. During the meal Jesus tells two parables that teach us that God’s banquet is a feast of grace.
God Defines Righteousness
Luke 14 begins with Jesus dining with a religious leader on the Sabbath. During the meal there was a man who was sick. Jesus asked the religious leaders, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?
1 They do not respond, and Jesus heals the man. Jesus then alludes to an Old Testament law where God says we must help those who are in need.
What does Jesus want his hearers to understand? The religious leaders defined righteousness by following the exact words of God’s law rather than God’s heart behind law. Would God be angry at the good act of helping or healing someone just because it’s the Sabbath? Of course not! God gave humans the Sabbath so we could rest and enjoy the life he has blessed us with. The religious leaders showed they did not understand God’s heart about the Sabbath or helping others. They were defining righteousness on their own terms, rather than truly knowing God’s heart and allowing him to define what is good.
Our Place at the Feast of Grace
In light of the Pharisees’ pride, Jesus shares a parable to illustrate the attitude of humility we should have. Jesus says, when we are invited to an event, we should not put ourselves in a place of honor. If we do, then someone who is more deserving may come along, then embarrassingly, our host will ask us to move down. Instead, Jesus says we should put ourselves in the lowest place, so our host can honor us by asking us to move up. Does this mean we should sit in the corner on the floor next time we are invited to a dinner party? No, not at all. When we understand our place at the feast through our faith in Jesus, we can enter with both humility and confidence.
Understanding Our Place Through God’s Grace
Like many of Jesus’ parables, there are at least two meanings to this parable. One, the way we should humble ourselves before God, and two, how we should humble ourselves before other people. These two meanings go hand-in-hand, and depend on us understanding God’s grace.
Our place in God’s presence
The first meaning teaches us how we should act in God’s presence. It is only by God’s grace that we have been invited to his feast. Without our faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection, we would be dead on the street outside the banquet hall. Therefore, we should not be prideful and put ourselves in a place of honor. God sees our heart and knows our motivation behind what we say, think, and do. When we try to make ourselves self-important in God’s presence, we are quickly reminded of our need for his grace and mercy. This means we should enter the feast of grace with confidence and humility. We can know God will not turn us away because of Jesus, and we can be grateful he has made a way for us to enter.
Our place in people’s presence
The second meaning of this parable teaches us how we should conduct ourselves among other people. When we place ourselves above other people, we are declaring they have little or no worth. It is important to remember they were invited to the wedding feast just like us. Without God’s grace and mercy no one would be worthy to dine with him. When we place ourselves above other people, we minimize God’s grace, and their worth as his children. We should humble ourselves before others, recognizing we need God’s grace just as much as they do.
Becoming God’s Banquet Host
Once Jesus helps us to understand our place at God’s banquet, he instructs us on how we can give our own banquet that honors God. Jesus turns to his host and tells him not to invite people who are able to repay him for his generosity. Instead, he should invite those who are undeserving, and unable to repay him. When he does this, he will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.
2 Does Jesus want us to go find people who are poor or have disabilities and invite them over for dinner? Yes, it is true that you should care for those in need, but Jesus’ meaning is deeper. When we are being generous to honor God, we should not only think of our fellow Christians, those who are already rich in God’s grace; but instead, we should be more generous to those who are in need of God’s grace. When we sow our seeds of generosity to non-believers, rather than fellow believers, God will honor us. Just as the physically poor were seen as outsiders in that culture, we can extend God’s generosity to those who are spiritually poor and outside our community of faith. Who in your life might feel unable to ‘repay’ an act of kindness? How can you extend God’s grace to them this week?
Don’t Miss God’s Banquet
After Jesus shares that God will reward us for hosting those in need, one of the people at Jesus’ table says, Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God.
3 Jesus has a puzzling response to this remark. He tells the story of a man who hosts a banquet. However, when the time comes, all his invited guests make excuses for why they are unable to attend. This makes the man angry, and he tells his servant to go into the streets and invite anyone he can find. Jesus concludes with the words of the host saying, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.
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Remember, Jesus is teaching us these things in light of the Pharisees’ pride. In this story, those who were initially invited to the banquet are the Israelites. From the very beginning God invited the Israelite people to be a part of his kingdom. They believed that because of their religious heritage, and ability to follow all the right rules, they had secured a place in God’s kingdom. Unfortunately, due to pride and idolatry, many Israelites rejected God’s invitation without realizing it. God’s house will be filled whether or not those he invited come.
Conclusion
Jesus’ conclusion reminds us that we shouldn’t be generous or do God’s work to be rewarded or admired by others. Just as with healing on the Sabbath, God’s heart needs to be understood. God desires that his house be filled, and he will fill it with those who have a humble heart. God will not honor those who are prideful. It is only when we recognize our need for God’s mercy and value our fellow humans as he does, that he will honor us with a place at his table. This very idea of receiving God’s grace is what inspired me when I wrote my short poem titled Feast of Grace.
Feast of Grace
Who am I, Lord, to merit such a feast—
A feast of friendship which will never cease,
A feast of love as new as morning sun,
A feast that’s fit for none but the King’s pure Son?
You serve a feast before me ’mid mine enemies,
For through the cross of Jesus I am worthy;
So let me bear on till my race is done,
Then rise to share the banquet yet to come.
Pray and ask God to help you humbly accept your seat at his table, and look for ways to joyfully share his feast of grace with others.