Highways and Hedges

Good Morning! 

Are you ready for yet another trip down Jim’s memory lane?  Well, I guess you don’t have much choice … either walk with me or close the blog this morning.   When I read Luke 14, I cannot help but go back to some memories of working in the bus ministry at Red Oak Baptist Church. This work took place in the 1971-1975 timeframe.  It is hard to believe that I am looking back almost fifty years … my goodness!  This means that the “little ones” of five are approaching their mid-fifties … and the ones who were in high school are in their sixties.  Wow!!! I am getting a little long in the tooth!

Anyway, Luke 14 always brings back memories of the sermon on reaching people.  Let’s read the passage … and then some comments:

Luke 14:1-24 English Standard Version (ESV)

14 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[a] 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[b] 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[c] 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,[d] none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’”

Footnotes:

a.   Luke 14:5 Some manuscripts a donkey

b.     Luke 14:12 Or your brothers and sisters

c.     Luke 14:17 Or bondservant; also verses 21 (twice), 22, 23

d.     Luke 14:24 The Greek word for you here is plural

One of the chief sticking points for the religious leaders was the keeping of the Sabbath.  Over the centuries, much discussion of the meaning of keeping the Sabbath had resulted in draconian rules regarding what it meant to labor on the Sabbath. Jesus confronts this immediately at this “ruler of the Pharisees”.  In short, this was a high muckity-muck in the religious community.  One of the invited guests had dropsy (modern term is “edema” meaning the swelling of tissue due to congestive heart failure).  Jesus asks the religious leaders if it is wrong to help someone in need even on the Sabbath.  They couldn’t conjure up an answer … so Jesus healed the man – right then – on a Sabbath day.

The second subject Jesus deals with on this Sabbath day is pride.  He observed how some attempted to position themselves at the table.  Jesus points out that it is the host that determines the position … not the attendee.  What does this mean to us?  God gives us His gifts and His talents for His glory.  We should rejoice that we have a place at the table … and not try to outdo one another.

The third subject is reaching out to people.  Surrounding one’s self with people of like means is okay … but it is much more impactful when the less fortunate are included at the table.  Jesus noted that the ruler had surrounded himself with other religious leaders … and omitted the less fortunate.  True love is inclusive. True love reaches out to all … and is not exclusive. 

Last, Jesus points out how the religious leaders had become complacent and presumptive.  They assumed their goodness would be sufficient … so they didn’t have to respond when God called.  They assumed that since they were “God’s Chosen People” , they did not have to do the work God called them to do.  They set their energies on self-fulfillment.  Jesus points out that God’s chosen are those who respond to Him. 

So … what does that all have to do with us today?  God is calling on us to fulfill His commission to reach people with the gospel message and to teach people about Jesus.  While I love to gather with my fellow believers to worship God, the task still remains … as I am going, I am to tell people about God’s offer of salvation in Christ Jesus. I am to help them to identify with like believers.  And I am to help new believers to grow in Christ.   In short, my invitation to the banquet says “and bring others with you”.

God bless you on this good day …

Agape’

Mr. Jim

  

Prayer:  Oh that I might have spiritual eyes to see all the need, dear Father, and be willing to respond with action. Fill my life, dear Father, with opportunity to glorify You by caring and sharing.  In Jesus’ Name … Amen.

Scripture for today:  Luke 14:1-24