1 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.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Jesus was invited to dine in the house of a Pharisee on the Sabbath, but this was not a friendly invitation, they used it to observe Jesus carefully. A man was there who had dropsy. Jesus turned to the lawyers and Pharisees and asked them if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not. They remained silent because they had no basis for their position that it was unlawful. Jesus healed the man and sent him away and then turned to the leaders. He reminded them that they would be quick to rescue one of their animals if it were in harm’s way on the Sabbath. Their concern for their wealth superseded their concern for strict observance of their laws. They held others to a higher standard than they were willing to live. They had no response to His accusations. Do you hold others to a higher expectation than yourself? Consider if you judge others by their actions while you expect others to judge you by your intentions?
Jesus noticed how those who had been invited to the dinner had chosen places of honour and he told them a parable. He told them that when they were invited to a wedding feast, it would not be good to sit at the place of honour. When you put yourself in the place of honour you run the risk that someone more dignified than you has been invited and you have to give up your place for them and move with shame to the lowest place. Instead, if you humbly take the lowest place, you will be shown dignity when you are invited to sit at a place of higher honour. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled but those who humble themselves will be exalted (James 4:6). Humility is to have a right view of yourself before God and not to presumptuously assume that you are more entitled than you are. When we live our lives in humility before God in this life, He will reward us with honour in heaven. Would your life be described as always looking to be seated at the place of honour? Or would it be described as thinking others should be seated at a place of higher honour than you?
Then Jesus turned to the host and gave a lesson on motives. When you host a dinner, don’t invite your wealthy friends who will return the invite and repay you. Instead invite the poor, crippled, lame, and blind so that you will be blessed because they cannot repay you. The world has a system of “quid pro quo” where we give and receive in return. Jesus is advocating for a system of extreme generosity where we give with no expectation of return. When we give selflessly like that, God promises us that we will receive a reward in heaven.
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Vashti Dethroned and Esther Becomes Queen: Esther 1-2