The Feast of Grace

I'll be reading verses 1 through 24 this morning.

If you're looking in a pew Bible, it is page 820.

Luke chapter 14, let me read beginning at verse 1.

Luke 14 · chapter mention

One Sabbath, when he, that is Jesus, when Jesus went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees,

they were watching him carefully.

And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy.

And Jesus responded to the lawyers and the Pharisees saying,

Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?

But they remained silent.

Then he took him and healed him and sent him away.

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?

And they could not reply to these things.

Now he told a parable to those who were invited

when he noticed how they chose the places of honor,

saying to them,

When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast,

don't sit down in a place of honor,

lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him.

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.

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.

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled.

And he who humbles himself will be exalted.

He said also to the man who had invited him,

When you give a dinner or a banquet,

don't invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors,

lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid.

But when you give a feast,

invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,

and you will be blessed because they cannot repay you.

For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.

When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things,

he said to him,

Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God.

But he said to him,

A man once gave a great banquet and invited many.

And at the time for the banquet,

he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited,

Come, for everything is now ready.

But they all alike.

Began to make excuses.

The first said to him,

I have bought a field and I must go out and see it.

Please have me excused.

And another said,

I have bought five yoke of oxen and I go to examine them.

Please have me excused.

And another said,

I have married a wife and therefore I cannot come.

So the servant came and reported these things to his master.

Then the master of the house became angry.

And he said to his servant,

Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.

And the servant said,

Sir,

what you've commanded has been done.

And still there is room.

And the master said to the servant,

Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in that my house may be filled.

For I tell you,

none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.

What's your vision of the Christian life?

Some Christians emphasize studying and learning,

growing in knowledge of God.

Other Christians emphasize praying and worshiping,

growing in intimacy with God.

Other Christians emphasize serving,

sharing Christ with the world,

carrying out the mission of God.

Now all of those visions are valid and important.

We've been looking at this middle section of the Gospel of Luke.

And we've seen that Luke depicts the Christian life as a journey.

A journey of learning and praying and serving with Jesus.

But there's also another way that Luke depicts the life of a Christian.

Luke wants us to envision the Christian life as a party.

Where we're eating and drinking together with Jesus,

where we're feasting at His table,

reveling in His grace and extending His welcome to others.

Now let me ask,

is that how most people see the church today in our world?

Do most people look at the church and say,

man, those people really know how to celebrate

in the most honoring and life-giving way,

in a way that makes you feel better the next day and not worse?

Do people look at Jesus' followers and say,

those are the people I could go to

if my life completely falls apart?

Even if I know they don't agree with me,

they would still care about me

and want the best for me

and take me in.

Do people look at Christians and say,

they are the most genuinely hospitable people on earth?

Some of you have experienced that kind of joy

and hospitality from other Christians.

Some of you have told me that you've been drawn to this church

because you found that.

You've seen that in the lives of Christians.

But many people do not see the church

as offering anything remotely like that.

Many people see the church as self-promoting,

self-righteous, self-enclosed,

and selectively judgmental,

and maybe boring too.

If we're honest,

some of us don't always envision the Christian life

as a party either.

But notice the patterns of Jesus

and his disciples in the Gospels.

At least ten times in Luke's Gospel,

we see Jesus going to a party

or invited to a meal,

spending extended time over food and drink

at someone's house.

Chapter 5,

Jesus is invited to Levi,

the tax collector's house, for a party.

Chapter 7,

Jesus is invited to Simon,

the Pharisee's house for a dinner.

Chapter 9,

Jesus hosts an outdoor picnic

for 5,000 men in the desert.

Chapter 10,

Jesus eats at Mary and Martha's house.

Chapter 11,

Jesus is invited to a Pharisee's house for lunch.

Here again,

he's invited to another Pharisee's house for lunch.

Chapter 19,

Jesus invites himself over to Zacchaeus' house

for a meal.

Chapter 22,

Jesus presides at the Passover meal,

what we call the Last Supper.

And after his resurrection in chapter 24,

he breaks bread with the two disciples

that he's walked with all that way to Emmaus.

And then he goes back to Jerusalem,

and when he meets the disciples in Jerusalem,

he eats a piece of boiled fish.

He shares food with them as well.

But Jesus carried out his mission on earth

in the context of meals.

And it's not just because he had to eat

in order to physically survive,

but because meals were an important context

for teaching and embodying the values

of his kingdom.

The Old Testament anticipated

that when the Messiah came,

he would throw a party.

He would provide,

and he would preside

at a great banquet of grace,

a wedding feast

celebrating the reunion

and reconciliation of God and his people.

We read one of those prophecies earlier

in the service.

On this mountain,

the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples

a feast of rich food,

a feast of well-aged wine,

of rich food full of marrow,

of aged wine well refined.

You know, in the Gospel of John,

Jesus did his first miracle

at a wedding feast.

He's saying,

I've come to fulfill that vision

that the prophets have foretold.

This morning's passage has four parts.

Verses 1 to 6,

Jesus is invited to a Pharisee's house.

Verses 7 to 11,

he gives a word to the guests.

Verses 12 to 14,

he gives a word to the host.

And then verse 15 to 24,

he ends with a climactic parable

of the great banquet,

but there's one main point

to it all.

Jesus came to host

a banquet of grace.

This sermon has one main point,

just one,

and then we'll have two applications from it.

So, yes,

there will still be the three sections.

But one main point,

Jesus came to host a banquet of grace,

and then we'll get to how it applies to us.

So, let's look at this passage.

How do we see

Jesus came to host a banquet of grace?

Well, at the beginning of the chapter,

Jesus is invited as a guest

to the Pharisee's home.

It was a Sabbath day,

and synagogue leaders

would normally invite visiting teachers

to have lunch in their home

following the Sabbath synagogue worship service.

So, that's probably why they invited Jesus.

So far, all is well and good.

But there's a problem.

The Pharisee's meal

is marked by a complete lack of grace.

Notice in verse 1,

they were watching Him carefully.

From the very beginning,

the Pharisees,

who we've already seen

having some conflicts with Jesus,

they were hostile to Him.

They refused to rejoice

in His healing power.

They refused to even engage

with His questions.

And further,

they are indifferent

to a broken and hurting man.

A man with dropsy,

today it's more commonly called edema,

that is,

swelling,

bloating,

caused by excess fluid buildup

in the body,

usually a sign of heart

or kidney failure.

Ancient writers commented

on the tragic irony

of this condition.

Ovid wrote,

the more a man with dropsy drinks,

the thirstier he grows.

Having the condition of dropsy

would make you feel bad

and look bad.

And yet the Pharisees

were cold and indifferent.

They planted this man

in front of Jesus,

not because they hoped

he would be healed,

but because they wanted

to test Jesus

in order to accuse Him

of violating the Sabbath laws.

But it wasn't only the host

who lacked grace.

Jesus noticed in verse 7

how the guests

were all about

self-promotion,

trying to put themselves

in the places of honor.

How did Jesus respond

to this graceless meal?

Well,

by demonstrating grace

and by teaching about grace.

First,

we see Jesus demonstrating grace

by healing the man

with dropsy.

Now,

several ancient writers

saw an analogy

between the physical condition

of dropsy

and the moral condition

of insatiable greed.

Always wanting more

and yet

never being satisfied

and becoming increasingly

deformed as a result

and unhealthy.

dropsy.

Now,

many writers

distinguished

the medical condition

from the moral condition,

but not all.

Some said

the medical condition

is a sign

of the moral condition.

It's an outward sign

of a disordered heart.

And so,

many people in practice

kept their distance

from people with dropsy.

I mean,

it doesn't make you

look that great

if you're always

swollen

and bloated.

Just as many people

today

keep their distance

from people

who are

very overweight

or who have

obvious physical deformities,

but not Jesus.

Verse 4 says,

Jesus took him.

The word means

he took hold of him.

He touched him.

He did not stay far away.

He did not keep himself

at a distance,

and he healed him.

Now,

most translations

of verse 4 say

he healed him

and sent him away,

which is possible.

Perhaps the Pharisees

would have become

even more hostile

to him if the guy

had stayed,

but it's more likely

that the word

should be translated

released

or loosed.

That's how the same word

is translated

in chapter 13,

verse 16,

when Jesus heals

a woman

on the Sabbath.

she was loosed

from her bond.

So,

it's probably better

to say,

translate verse 4,

as Jesus took hold

of him

and healed him

and released him.

He set him free

from what was

ailing him.

And notice that

Jesus was not concerned

here with assigning blame.

Jesus does not say

one way or the other

whether the man's dropsy

was a result

of his excessive greed

or lust

or whether it had

nothing to do with that

and it had no connection

to that at all.

Jesus simply

demonstrated grace

to the lowliest

and most despised

man in the room.

And then Jesus began

teaching about grace,

about the grace

that would characterize

his party

in contrast

to the Pharisees.

Verse 7 to 11,

Jesus taught the guests,

those who were invited,

about grace.

Now at first,

when you read

verses 8 to 10,

they might seem like

merely pragmatic advice.

How to avoid

being embarrassed

at a dinner party.

If you're not sure

where to sit,

don't assume you belong

at the head table.

Better to be boosted up

than brought down.

But what Jesus said here

goes much deeper.

It's not just

about dinner etiquette.

verse 7 says

this is the parable.

In other words,

there's a spiritual lesson

to be learned.

And verse 11

makes that lesson

very clear.

Everyone who exalts

himself will be humbled.

And he who humbles himself

will be exalted.

You see,

Jesus is talking about

how we relate to God.

Not simply

how to avoid

being embarrassed

at a party.

better to be humble

and get lifted up

by God

than be proud

and get taken down

by God.

You see,

pride is the opposite

of grace.

Pride says,

I don't need grace.

I can do it myself.

I can rely on my own merit

and achievement.

Pride says,

I deserve better

than what God

has given me.

Now,

in one sense,

the best thing

that can happen

to a proud person

is for him

to be brought down

in one way

or another.

Because then

he might possibly

see how foolish

his pride was.

And so,

God may even

be showing mercy

as well as justice

in bringing down

the proud

because it may

lead them

to repent.

But Jesus says,

the only people

who will get good

seats at God's table

are those who

willingly,

humbly,

take the lowest

place of all.

Not in a fake

display of modesty,

not in a calculation

of reverse psychology,

but having rightly

perceived their

desperate need

for God's mercy.

You see,

that's what humility is.

Humility is not

thinking less

of ourselves

than we ought to.

Humility is seeing

ourselves rightly

in light of our

position before

a holy God.

Realizing that we

don't have any

entitlement

when we come

before God.

So,

Jesus speaks to

the guests about

grace in verses

7 to 11,

and then He speaks

to the host about

grace in verses

12 to 14.

And here,

Jesus didn't start

with seemingly

familiar advice

about how to

avoid embarrassment

at a dinner party.

In fact,

that advice,

you can find it

in the book of Proverbs,

you can find it

in the ancient

writer Plutarch.

But in verses

12 to 14,

Jesus didn't start

with conventional

wisdom and take

it a step further,

He attacked the

conventional wisdom

head on.

Verse 12,

when you throw

a party,

don't invite

your friends,

siblings,

relatives,

or rich neighbors,

or anyone else

who might invite

you back

or repay you.

What?

Really?

That's what

everybody did

in the ancient

world.

You throw a party

to connect

with people

who will benefit

you in some way

or at least

who won't

drag you down.

You run with

the winners,

not with the losers.

I scratch

your back,

you scratch

my back,

and we all

get along.

It's not all

that different

today.

Sometimes we

call it

networking.

Jesus says,

don't play

that game.

Jesus says,

invite the poor

and the disabled.

Invite the people

who can't repay you,

the people who

can't help you

get ahead in this

world.

Invite the elderly

man with advanced

Alzheimer's who

won't remember

what you did

for him ten

minutes later.

Invite the

disabled woman

who can't get

to your place

on her own

and you have

to wheel her

across town

in a wheelchair.

Jesus said

earlier on in Luke,

if you love

those who love

you,

what benefit

is that to you?

Everybody

does that.

If you do

good to those

who do good

to you,

what benefit

is that to you?

If you lend

to those from

whom you

expect to

receive,

what credit

is that to

you?

Love your

enemies

and do

good and

lend expecting

nothing in

return and

your reward

will be

great and

you will be

children of

the Most

High for

he is kind

to the

ungrateful

and the

evil.

Be

merciful even

as your

father is

merciful.

That's what

it looks like

to be a

gracious

host,

to be

merciful as

God has

shown us

mercy.

Now by

this time

somebody at

the table

seemed to

think that

Jesus had

gone a

little bit

too far.

So he

tried to

smooth things

over in

verse 15.

Blessed

is everyone

who will

eat bread

in the

kingdom of

God.

Doesn't that

sound nice?

And can't

we just

end this

conversation

here before

there's any

more tension

in the

room?

Sort of

like somebody

today who

says,

well isn't

everyone in

the world

just following

our own

path and

we're all

walking up

the same

mountain and

we'll all be

together in

the end?

That might

sound nice but

it's not

reality.

And Jesus

is not thrown

off by the

comment.

In verse

16 he

launches into

the climactic

parable which

again is all

about grace.

The parable

begins with a

man like his

Pharisee host,

like any

typical host

of the day.

Seems to be a

well-off man.

He invited

many to a

great banquet.

Of course he

invited people

like him,

people with

means,

people with

status,

people with

who could

buy a field

and buy a

bunch of

yoke of

oxen.

He got his

initial RSVPs.

The way that

banquets worked

back then is

you invite your

initial guest

list, you get

their initial

RSVPs, you

decide, similar

to how

wedding banquets

work today, you

decide how much

food you have

to cook,

depending on

how many

people reply.

That depends

whether you

have to kill

a sheep or

a goat or

two goats or

whatever,

whatever you're

going to,

whatever everyone's

going to feast

on.

And then,

when the food

is about ready,

you send a

messenger out

and tell everyone

food's ready,

time to come.

So he's got his

initial RSVPs,

he's got his

guest list,

they've all said

yes, they're

going to be

coming,

he's got the

food cooking,

got the table

set, got the

decorations out,

all's going

just as planned,

and then

verse 18,

but they all

alike began

to make

excuses.

Down to the

very last

man.

Plan

foiled,

party

ruined,

host

disgraced,

he will sit

alone that

night in

his banquet

hall with

all the

platters of

food,

and all

the tables

set,

and every

chair

empty,

feeling the

sting of

rejection.

So he gets

angry,

verse 21,

that's exactly

what one would

expect.

But then,

he does

something

unexpected

in verses

21 to

23.

In a

parable,

you always

have to

look for

what is

the surprise.

There are

two surprises

in this

parable.

One is

what the

guests all

make excuses

and no

show,

but the

second

surprise is

what he

does.

In

verses

21 to

23,

he tells

his servant,

go out

and bring

in the

poor and

the crippled

and the

blind and

the lame.

The same

kinds of

people that

Jesus just

told his

host to

invite,

in verse

13.

And then

he even

goes one

step further,

says,

go outside

the city

to the

highways

and the

hedges,

the people

who are

far off,

and bring

them in.

The host

begins by

acting exactly

like the

Pharisee,

but he

ends acting

like Jesus

by extending

grace even

to the

last,

the lost,

and the

least.

And in

verse 24,

Jesus

concludes the

parable.

He looks

around the

room and

says,

I tell

you.

Now,

you know,

verse 24 is

not just the

master in the

parable speaking

to the

servant,

because you

is plural.

Jesus is

looking around

the room and

says,

I'm telling

y'all,

none of

those men

who were

invited will

taste my

banquet.

Wait a

minute.

My

banquet.

Jesus is

saying,

I'm not

just your

guest.

I'm the

host of

God's

heavenly

banquet,

and you

all are

in grave

danger of

missing out

on it,

because you

haven't grasped

the most

basic reality

of what it

means to

know God,

and that

is grace.

Jesus came

to host a

great banquet

of grace.

That's the

main point.

Now,

two practical

applications.

What does

this mean for

us today?

First,

what does it

look like to

be a guest

at Jesus'

banquet of

grace?

we see

three aspects

of this.

First,

Jesus says,

come just

as you

are.

Verses

1 to 6.

Do you

notice the

man with

dropsy is

the only

person in

the Pharisee's

house that

Jesus does

not rebuke,

but simply

blesses and

heals?

And what's

the man with

dropsy doing?

he's just

standing there

in front of

Jesus,

probably feeling

helpless and

maybe a little

embarrassed.

He has a

problem.

He has a

condition.

He can't

fix it on

his own.

He can't

hide it.

It's out

there for

everyone to

see,

but Jesus

has mercy

on him.

come to

Jesus

just as

you are

with all

your problems

and all

your junk

hiding

nothing,

and he

will have

mercy on

you,

and he

will receive

you.

Second,

come in

humility.

Verses

7 to

11.

11.

The Pharisees

and their

pride pushed

themselves

forward,

and the

result was

they pushed

others out.

What did

Jesus Christ

do when he

came into

this world?

He did not

take the most

honored place,

even though he

deserved it.

He willingly

took the

lowest place.

He took

the lowest

place in

order to

make space

for us to

join him

in his

father's

house.

He humbled

himself and

took on the

form of the

servant and

became obedient

even to death

on a cross.

Jesus

didn't merely

teach about

the importance

of humility,

he lived

it.

And God

raised him

from the

dead and

exalted him

so that

one day

every knee

will bow

and every

tongue will

confess that

Jesus is

Lord.

Come in

humility

before Jesus

the humble

king.

If you

have been a

Christian

and you've

served in the

church ever

since the

day you

were born,

you have

the exact

same status

before God

as someone

who has

lived their

whole life

for themselves

and today

for the

very first

time

repents and

believes in

Jesus.

You're both

undeserving

but honored

guests at

Jesus' banquet

of lavish

grace.

And just

because you've

been at the

banquet for

longer doesn't

mean that you're

entitled to

special seats,

special honors,

special perks

that aren't

available to

newcomers.

You see,

we can be

tempted to

try to inch

our way up

to the

honored seats

the longer

you've been

at the

banquet

and then feel

that we're

entitled to be

there.

Christian,

have you

fallen into

self-pity,

envy,

bitterness,

or a sense

of entitlement?

Those are all

toxic

manifestations

of pride.

And they

will all

steal your

joy,

peace,

and love.

Even more

than that,

they are an

insult to

Jesus,

our host.

forsake

these things

today in

Jesus'

name and

receive grace

from Him

anew.

The only

way that any

of us can

come before

Jesus is

simply by

receiving and

resting on

His grace.

Whether you're

coming to Him

for the first

time or

whether you're

coming today

after being in

the church

for 90

years,

we come

to Him

on the

basis of

His grace,

not on the

basis of

any merit

or achievements

of our

own.

Come just

as you

are.

Come in

humility.

Come

without making

excuses.

Verses 18

to 20.

They all

alike began

to make

excuses.

excuses.

Now, some

of the

excuses are

worded more

politely.

The first

two, please

have me

excused.

The first

one, he

sort of says

it's necessary,

I must go

out and see

it.

He claims a

competing

obligation.

Some are

less so, I

can't come.

Some of the

excuses sound

pretty lame.

Honestly, the

first one,

wouldn't you

check out a

field before

you buy it?

Sort of like

saying, I

just bought a

house and I

need to go

look at it.

Well, didn't

you look at it

before you

bought it?

I mean, I

just bought a

car and I

need to test

drive it.

No, you

test drive the

car before you

buy it.

Others

sound perhaps

more reasonable.

I just got

married can

be a good

reason for

declining certain

invitations.

You got a

legit excuse.

But here's

the question.

Whether you're

being polite or

defiant about it,

are you putting

something else,

whether it's

owning a piece

of property,

starting a

business, or

entering into a

significant

relationship, are

you putting that

ahead of Jesus?

Are you saying

yes to

something else

and not

quite now,

maybe later,

to Jesus?

Jesus warned

in the parable

of the soils

that the cares

and riches

and pleasures

of life choke

out His

Word and

make it

unfruitful.

There is

nothing in

this world

that can

compare to

the banquet

of grace

that Jesus

is offering.

You know,

there's another

category of

excuses that

perhaps aren't

quite so

apparent here.

But if you

notice in

verses 21 and

23, when the

Master sends

out His

servant, He

gives him

special instructions

about how to

bring in those

who would

naturally be

reluctant because

they would feel

like they don't

belong.

not long ago,

somebody said

to me,

and different

people have

said a similar

thing to me

over the years,

how could

Jesus want

me?

I am such a

mess.

I'm far more

broken than you

know.

If I become a

Christian, I will

almost certainly

fail.

But if that's

you, would

you dishonor

the host by

telling him that

he is not

strong enough,

not wise

enough, not

kind enough to

take in someone

like you?

400 years

ago, a man

named George

Herbert wrote

a poem.

I've included

it in the

bulletin.

But it's

representing the

invitation of

who he calls

love, but he's

clearly talking

about Jesus.

It says,

Love bade

me welcome,

yet my soul

drew back,

guilty of

dust and

sin.

But a

quick-eyed

love observing

me grow slack

from my first

entrance in

drew nearer to

me, sweetly

questioning if

I lacked

anything.

A guest, I

answered, worthy

to be here.

Love said,

you shall be

he.

I, the

unkind,

ungrateful,

ah, my dear,

I cannot look

on thee.

Love took

my hand and

smiling did

reply, who

made the

eyes but I?

Truth, Lord,

but I have

marred them.

Let my

shame go

where it

doth deserve.

And know

you not,

says love,

who bore

the blame?

My dear,

then I

will serve.

You must

sit down,

says love,

and taste

my meat.

So I did

sit and

eat.

Come to

Jesus' banquet

and be his

guest.

Come as you

are, come with

humility,

come without

excuses,

come and be

his guest.

You know, it

doesn't stop

there with

being Jesus'

guest, because

once we become

a guest at

Jesus'

party, he

invites us to

join him in

extending that

invitation to

others.

That's the

second major

application I

want us to

consider, is

what does it

look like to

extend Jesus'

invitation to

others?

The Apostle

Paul said in

Romans 12, 13,

practice

hospitality.

Welcome other

believers as

Christ has

welcomed you.

Extend grace

to others as

you've received

grace from

Jesus.

What is

Christian

hospitality?

It's

welcoming

people because

of Jesus.

It's making

space,

sharing food,

opening

conversation,

and inviting

God's Holy

Spirit to

move.

Some

Christians have

a spiritual

gift of

hospitality, but

all Christians

are called to

practice

hospitality.

You know,

hospitality is

not just

something that

comes naturally

to some

people.

It's a skill

that we all

need to

develop as

followers of

Christ.

It's a muscle

that we all

need to

exercise in

one way or

another.

Many of us

have invested

time learning

to study the

Bible,

learning to

pray,

or reading

Christian

theology.

Have we

invested time

and energy

learning to

show

hospitality?

If you

like to read

books, I

have two books

that I

recommend.

One is

called A

Meal with

Jesus, and

one is

called The

Gospel Comes

with a

House Key.

I've got

one copy

of each, so

if you want

them at the

end, I'll

give them to

you, if you

will read

them.

But they

will challenge

you and

encourage you

in what it

looks like to

show hospitality

as a Christian.

Now, if you're

not so much a

book person, just

find somebody who

does it well.

You don't have to

read a book.

Just find somebody

who is welcoming

and who has

people over their

house or who's

just kind, and

see how you

can help them.

Work with

them.

Learn from

them.

Hospitality can

take many

different forms.

It can look

like inviting

someone to

share a meal

with you at

your apartment,

in the dining

hall, at a

restaurant.

It can look

like opening

your home to

neighbors and

their children

after school or

on holidays.

It can look

like inviting

someone in who

needs a place

to stay for a

short time or a

longer time or

indefinitely.

That's what

adopting a child

means, is you're

being hospitable

indefinitely.

Or you might

take in an

elderly relative.

That might

mean indefinite.

It might look

like bringing

food to someone

else's house.

Maybe your place

doesn't work for

hospitality for

whatever reason,

but you can go

help somebody

else.

You can bring

food.

You can help

wash the dishes

afterwards.

You can welcome

people and join

with somebody else

who's hosting.

It can also

look like

intentionally

greeting newcomers

at church,

being welcoming

to the person

who sits next

to you,

even if you

haven't met

each other

before,

trying to

remember people's

names and

faces,

praying for them

during the

week.

It can look

like setting up

coffee and tea

and snacks

downstairs,

as some of you

do every week,

or staying

after coffee

hour to

clean up.

And doing

that,

praying that

God's Spirit

would be at

work in the

conversations that

happen downstairs

in the Fellowship

Hall every Sunday

in coffee hour.

Hospitality can

take many

different forms,

but Christians

ought to be

the most genuinely

hospitable people

on earth.

We can make

time and space

for people because

Jesus has made

time and space

for us.

We can share

food,

physical food

and spiritual

food of God's

Word with people

because Jesus

has welcomed us

to His table.

We can celebrate

in a way that's

honoring and

life-giving and

full of joy

because Jesus

is our host.

So there's a lot

the New Testament

in general has to

say about hospitality,

but back to this

chapter in particular,

there's one

particular emphasis

that Luke 14

has,

tells us,

about how to

show hospitality

and it's this,

make sure to

include the people

who most often

get left behind,

the poor,

the disabled,

and the outsiders.

Now,

is Jesus saying

in verse 12

that it is a sin

to invite

friends,

family members,

and well-off

neighbors to dinner?

No.

He's using a figure

of speech called

hyperbole.

Jesus also said

if your eye

causes you to sin,

gouge it out

and throw it away.

He did not intend

us to carry out

that command literally.

He did intend

to get our attention,

and He did intend

to get our intention

by what He says

in verses 12 to 14.

Jesus spoke this way

because if He made

the point more politely,

we would more easily

disregard it

or explain it away.

In verses 12 to 14,

Jesus calls us

to extend intentional,

costly,

gracious hospitality,

to do people

earthly good

and spiritual good

without calculating

whether people will

or can pay us back.

Can you trust

that God will not

fail to repay

whatever you might

lose in the process?

You see,

spiritually speaking,

before God,

we all fit

in this category.

Spiritually speaking,

we are all poor,

disabled outsiders

compared to God.

And how did Jesus

love on us?

Jesus did not just

leave His house,

go do some good

to us,

and then,

okay,

it's five o'clock,

I can leave you

and go home,

and I'm going to

celebrate with the Father

and the Holy Spirit

because I've done my duty

to help those poor,

disabled outsiders.

No.

Jesus welcomes us

into His household.

He has delighted

to call us

into His kingdom.

He has included us

on the guest list

for His own party.

He says,

I want you,

I want to celebrate

with you.

I love you

and delight in you.

And because Jesus

has done that for us,

He calls us

to extend His grace

and joy

to people in the world

who are physically

and spiritually

poor,

disabled,

and outsiders.

People who

are costly to love.

People who

might never pay you back,

might never be able

to pay you back.

People who are

far off from God

and His kingdom.

But He has sent you

to bring them

an invitation.

Jesus wants us

to make sure

that everyone

in the world

gets an invitation

to His banquet.

that's why

Christians

go to the

ends of the earth

and translate

the Bible

into previously

unknown languages

so that

every tribe

and tongue

and people

and nation

can be invited

to the heavenly banquet.

At times,

this requires

extra effort.

Notice how

the Master

instructs the servant

in verse 21

and 23.

He doesn't

just say,

go tell the poor

and crippled

and blind

and lame

it's time

to come.

No.

He says,

go bring

them in.

Bring in

or lead in.

Why?

Because they'll

need someone