City Life Starter

Written by Megan Meier

The Word

“12 He [Jesus] 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.’”

Luke 14:12-14 ESV

Reflection

The man who invited Jesus was a ruler of the Pharisees (Luke 14:1), his role was similar to supervisor or CEO. When a rabbi came to teach, others were allowed to come to the host’s house and listen. The CEO Pharisee’s house was filled with others, mostly other Pharisees. The Pharisees did not wish to associate with many of those who came to listen to Jesus, much less share a table with them.

Jesus is known for shocking His audience, and He does the same here. He tells the CEO Pharisee to not give or host simply for networking, business opportunities, or social climbing purposes, but give and invite those who do not have wealth or connections, to give to those who cannot pay back with financially or socially, and invite those to their table who would not have the opportunity otherwise. The Pharisees saw the poor, crippled, lame, and blind as cursed by God due to sin, whether from the person themselves or their parents (John 9:1), and Jesus tells His host and those in attendance, particularly for those who were fighting for the important seats (Luke 14:7), to invite them over for dinner like friends and family.

The Pharisees gave their tithes but their hearts did not value for what God values (Matthew 23:23), they gave to the poor but made sure everybody on the street knew about it (Matthew 6:2-4). Outwardly, they followed the law of God, but their hearts did not value the reason for the law of God. The reason for the law of God is to protect against Satan’s insidious ways and to develop the character of our Lord. The Pharisees did not worship God, they worshipped themselves. Jesus stated the remedy for pride and greed was to be generous to those whom they looked down upon and humble enough to befriend them and they will be blessed (Luke 11:41).

Application

The Pharisees had a big problem with pride and greed, and Jesus states the remedy is humility and generosity. Who is someone you look down upon? Be kind to them. Ask them how their day is going. If both of you have time, ask them their story. In doing so, you will be storing treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21).

What if pride and greed aren’t your vices? What if your big vice is something else, like ungodly anger or bitterness? The remedy would be their corresponding virtues, practicing patience and forgiveness, respectively. God specializes in turning vices into virtues, He turned tempestuous Moses into the humblest man who ever lived (Numbers 12:3) and cowardly Gideon into a mighty warrior (Judges 6:12), but only because they allowed Him to change them. Whatever your vice is, the corresponding virtue is the antidote, if you allow God to change you.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, help me to focus on what is unseen and eternal rather than what will not last (2 Corinthians 4:18). I give You my vices and ask You to turn them into virtues. Lead me to someone whom I can make a positive difference and show Your Love to them. In Your Name I pray, amen.