Luke Reading (#38)

Take a few minutes to catch up and pray that God would bless you through the reading of His word.

Read Luke 14:1-24

[14:1] 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.”
[15] 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!” [16] But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. [17] 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.’ [18] 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.’ [19] And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ [20] And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ [21] So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and 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.’ [22] And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ [23] 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. [24] For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’”

Observation

• Look at verses 1-6:
  • Setting:
    • When do these things take place (v. 1)?
    • Where is Jesus (v. 1)?
    • Who is there with him (v. 1-3)?
  • What questions does Jesus ask (v. 3 and 5)? What does he do (v. 4)?
  • How do they respond (v. 4 and v. 6)?
• Look at verses 7-11:
  • What does Jesus notice that leads him to tell a parable (v. 7)?
  • At a wedding feast in those days, guests were seated according to their relative importance.
    • How might a person be tempted to seat himself or herself when he or she arrives (v. 8)? What might happen as a result (v. 9)?
    • What should a person do instead (v. 10)? What might happen as a result (v. 10)?
    • What conclusion does Jesus emphasize (v. 11)?
• Look at verses 12-14:
  • To whom does Jesus speak in v. 12?
  • What kind of people should he not invite to a dinner or banquet (v. 12)? Why not (v. 12)?
  • What kind of people should he invite to a feast (v. 13)? Why (v. 14)?
• Look at verses 15-24:
  • What did someone say in response to Jesus’ teachings (v. 15)?
  • In Jesus’ parable:
    • How many people were invited to the banquet (v. 16)?
    • Why didn’t people attend (v. 17-20)?
    • What did the master do in response (v. 21)? What does he do when there is still room in the hall (v. 22-23)?
    • What are the consequences for those who were invited originally but failed to attend (v. 24)?

Interpretation

• Why would it be controversial for Jesus to heal a man on the Sabbath?
  • Did the OT law forbid healing on the Sabbath?
  • What point is Jesus making? How does the question in v. 5 make that point?
• What is the point of the parable in v. 7-11?
  • Is Jesus teaching that we should fake modesty in order to manipulate people into flattering us?
  • Should we desire to be exalted?
  • What important spiritual principle is Jesus illustrating?
• Is Jesus telling us not to have our friends over for a party (v. 12)? What is he telling us about who to befriend and why?
• Look at the parable in v. 16-24:
• Who does the party host represent?
  • What does the party represent? (hint: look at the context!)
  • Who do the invited guests represent?
  • What is represented by their refusal to attend the party?
  • What is Jesus showing us about God and his salvation?

Application

• What are some ways that you can intentionally humble yourself today (v. 11)?
• To what kinds of people do you normally show love? Are there “unlikely” people in your life to whom you could show hospitality this week?

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