*Luke 14:1-14
Jesus challenges traditions, heals on the Sabbath, and teaches about humility.
- Setting:
- Jesus is invited to dine at the house of a prominent Pharisee on the Sabbath.
- He is closely watched by those present, particularly other Pharisees and legal experts.
- Healing on the Sabbath:
- A man suffering from dropsy (edema) is also there.
- Jesus questions the Pharisees and experts, asking if it’s lawful to heal on the Sabbath.
- When they remain silent, he heals the man and challenges them, citing examples of pulling an animal out of a pit on the Sabbath.
- Lesson on Humility:
- Jesus notices how guests choose the best seats at the table.
- He advises them to avoid seeking places of honor to prevent embarrassment if they are asked to move.
- Instead, he encourages them to take the lowest seats, so the host may elevate them, fostering humility and teaching the principle, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
- Guidance on Whom to Invite:
- Jesus addresses the host directly, suggesting that when hosting a banquet, they should invite those who can’t repay: the poor, crippled, lame, and blind.
- Such acts of generosity will be rewarded at the resurrection of the righteous.
Luke 14:1-14 teaches us the importance of humility and kindness. Jesus reminds us not to seek the best seats or try to elevate ourselves but to be humble and let God lift us up at the right time. He also encourages us to help those in need, especially those who cannot repay us. This means showing kindness without expecting anything in return. We can apply this by treating others with love and generosity, putting their needs before our own, and trusting that God sees and values our actions.
Luke 14:1-14 (WEB)
14:1 When he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching him. 2 Behold, a certain man who had dropsy was in front of him. 3 Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”4 But they were silent.He took him, and healed him, and let him go. 5 He answered them, “Which of you, if your son or an ox fell into a well, wouldn’t immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?”6 They couldn’t answer him regarding these things.7 He spoke a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the best seats, and said to them, 8 “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the best seat, since perhaps someone more honorable than you might be invited by him, 9 and he who invited both of you would come and tell you, ‘Make room for this person.’ Then you would begin, with shame, to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes, he may tell you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”12 He also said to the one who had invited him, “When you make a dinner or a supper, don’t call your friends, nor your brothers, nor your kinsmen, nor rich neighbors, or perhaps they might also return the favor, and pay you back. 13 But when you make a feast, ask the poor, the maimed, the lame, or the blind; 14 and you will be blessed, because they don’t have the resources to repay you. For you will be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous.”