Original Meaning
LUKE RETURNS TO a meal scene, which will extend to verse 24.1 The meal comes in three segments: a healing (vv. 1–6), a discourse on humility (vv. 7–14), and a closing parable (vv. 15–24). The miracle, unique to Luke, occurs on the Sabbath and completes the mirroring that also came in the miracle of 13:10–17. It is one of several Sabbath incidents Luke narrates (4:16–38; 6:1–5, 6–11; 13:10–17). The repetition puts these religious leaders on notice. What will they do with the evidence of God’s power Jesus provides through these healings? By the end of this account, they are silent. Yet they will not believe, since they are filled with blindness and hardheartedness.
A healing (vv. 1–6). As Jesus enters the house for the meal, the Pharisees have their eye on him (cf. 11:53–54; 20:20).2 A man suffering from dropsy is there, a condition of retaining bodily fluids. Many see the condition as a result of God’s judgment.3 So Jesus takes the initiative and asks the Pharisees and scribes if it is lawful to heal such a person on the Sabbath. They remain silent. Jesus then takes the man’s hand, heals him, and sends him on his way. He defends his action by noting that if they had a son or ox in the ditch, they would pull him out (cf. 13:10–17). In other words, it is appropriate to show compassion on the Sabbath (or any other day!).
The repetition of these “mirror” miracles and the discussion of the appropriateness of compassion may grate on the patience of Luke’s readers. But Luke is trying to show that, even after all these demonstrations of power and compassion, the leaders do not get the message. Sin is blinding, and a hard heart is tough to break (11:29–36, 47–52). Despite numerous opportunities, the leadership fails to see what God is doing.
A discourse on humility (vv. 7–14). Jesus then pursues other related issues (vv. 7–14). This passage, also unique to Luke, highlights the importance of genuine humility. The imagery recalls Proverbs 25:6–7, where the author writes that it is better for the host to call someone up than to assert oneself to try to get his attention. Humility means not reflecting social snobbery, not exalting oneself, and not thinking only of one’s own gain. God honors those who have friends on both ends of the social ladder.
This parable is a poignant story of genuinely relating in a needy world. Jesus tells it because the guests at the Pharisee’s table are trying to find places of honor. At an ancient meal, the table was usually in the shape of a U, and the host sat at the base. The seats of honor were located next to him. Often the most honored guests arrived the latest.4
Jesus pictures a gathering where many prominent people are invited, such as a wedding feast or some other special feast,5 and he discusses the fundamental question about how to approach being honored. In the background are the issues of God’s relationship to us and of the nature of our standing before him. Before God and in light of who he is, no one stands exalted; but if the Lord exalts anyone for services well rendered or attitudes well held, then that is indeed an honor. Luke 14:11 makes this connection clear by noting that exaltation by God, not self-exaltation, is where honor resides, and that God is committed to exalting the humble. Nonetheless, the exhortation itself concerns affairs in this life. The connection to God’s response in verse 11 only highlights the fact that the exhortation also applies to divine relationships.
According to Jesus, you should not seek a seat of honor, for a more distinguished person may arrive who gets your seat. Then the host will ask you to move, and you will have to move to the least important seat. That move will come with a sense of shame, because you will have assumed more honor for yourself than others acknowledge. The mention of shame is important, because in ancient Near-Eastern culture, honor and shame were key issues of a person’s identity, worth, and character.
If you are a wise person, Jesus says, you will take the least important place, so when the host comes and sees you in a seat that is not worthy, he will beckon you up to a better place. Then, instead of shame, glory (doxa; NIV “honor”)—that is, approval and commendation—will result. Such honor God will also give in the age to come. The principle of the passage is clearly stated in verse 11—God will exalt those who humble themselves. The kingdom is his gift. Though he owes his blessing and divine acceptance to no one, he makes the way to divine favor open to all. Paul shows how Jesus is the greatest example of this truth (Phil. 2:5–11). On the other hand, those who exalt themselves will be humbled by God. The passive verbs in this verse suggest that the humbling and exaltation come in terms of God’s assessment. How we treat others impacts how God treats us.6
Jesus expands the call in verses 12–14 as he introduces another topic. Beyond worrying about what seats we get as guests at a table, there is the question of whom we seek to serve as guests. Jesus calls us to serve those who cannot repay our kindness. We should not invite friends, relatives, or rich neighbors, for the repayment comes in the fact they will invite us back. Jesus’ point is that loving and hosting those who love you and are your friends is not inherently morally commendable. One expects that to be the case. Rather, we should invite “the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.”7 The best hospitality is that which is given, not exchanged. Then divine commendation will come. Though those invited cannot repay, God will reward such care in the resurrection to come (1 Cor. 4:5). Again, the promise of reward is expressed in the passive voice (“will be blessed”), which means that God gives the response. He commends those who reach out to the needy and minister to them, often in quiet ministries that no one ever sees. True righteousness does not look for a payback but is offered free of charge, graciously, just as God in Christ has forgiven us free of charge (Eph. 4:32; 5:2).
A closing parable (vv. 15–24). This final portion of the meal scene (vv. 15–25) serves as a summary of all Jesus has warned the nation about in these last few chapters. A remark from one of the guests about the blessedness of those who sit at the banquet table in the kingdom leads Jesus to tell another parable.8 The remark probably is designed to remove some of the tension Jesus’ remarks and actions have created. Its force is, “Despite our differences, won’t it be nice for all of us to experience the blessing of sitting in fellowship before God when he reasserts his rule fully?”9 Jesus challenges some of the assumptions in that remark. Those who appear to be in line for such blessing run the risk of not making it to the table at all. The points made here build on 11:37–54 and 13:6–9, 31–35.
Jesus tell the story of a man who is planning a great banquet at his home. This is a major affair, which includes an initial invitation and an ancient form of RSVP. When the time for the party comes, the owner sends out servants to announce the beginning of the meal (cf. Est. 5:8; 6:14; Lamentations Rabbah 4:2). To opt out of the meal at this point is rude.
At this moment the story gets interesting. Three of the invitees, who have previously accepted, opt out of coming. Each has what he considers a good excuse. One wants to check out a recently bought field, a post-purchase inspection that will seal the deal. This reason sounds similar to the reason one might use to be excluded from participating in Israel’s wars (Deut. 20:5–7).10 The second excuse involves the purchase of five oxen. Recently purchased livestock also need to be inspected. The purchase suggests that the man is wealthy, holding two to five times the amount of land of an average landowner.11 Of course, the man could make this inspection after the meal, but his desire to consummate the deal and his priorities compel him to absent himself. The third excuse is a commitment to a recent marriage—the Old Testament sometimes allowed newlyweds to beg off certain vital responsibilities (Deut. 20:7; 24:5). Since the banquet probably includes just the men, this third invitee opts out because his new bride cannot attend.
The servant tells the master about the last-second cancellations. The host is in a dilemma. Does he postpone the party to a better time, even though the food is out and ready? Or does he go ahead? Rather than waste what has been prepared, the party will go on as scheduled. So the servant goes out and invites the poor, maimed, blind, and lame—groups already mentioned in 14:13 (also 1:52–53; 6:20–23; 7:22–23). God will invite all kinds of people to the table, including those usually excluded (cf. Lev. 21:17–23). Kingdom tables must be filled.
With the first round of secondary invitations, the room begins to fill with people, but there is still room for more. So the host sends his servant out to the edges of the city, to the highways and hedges.12 There he must urge others to come to the banquet. These folks will not know the host, even secondhand, so they will need encouragement to come. The master intends to have a fully attended party.
Here is the crux of the parable. The original invitees represent Israel. Although the nation as the originally invited is not responding, the time for the arrival of the kingdom has come, and the initial celebration of its blessings will go ahead. Others previously thought excluded from the celebration will get invitations. These people represent the spread of God’s blessing beyond the bounds of the needy of Israel. In all likelihood, the inclusion of Gentiles is alluded to here (Isa. 49:6). Israel, though first in line, is missing her present chance to sit at the table. The first have indeed become last.
Bridging Contexts
THOUGH SABBATH ISSUES are no longer with us, the importance of compassion is. Jesus models a ministry that is ready to meet needs at any moment. Excuses for failing to show compassion, even those that might look pious, are not excuses at all. The sheer repetition of these themes shows how Luke worked to make this point. At the same time, the lesson of the powerful force of sin to blind someone to human needs is an attitude that still resides in humanity today. To hear God one must open the mind to seeing things his way.
Luke 14:7–14 treats two key themes: humility and generosity. Both attitudes are important to the development of Christian character, and both reflect commitments to be giving in life. We are to give rather than look how to receive. But these attitudes also run counter to the expectations our culture tends to instill in us. Our culture loves to tell us to go for what is ours by right and to “go for the gold.” We love to cater to the rich and famous, the powerful, the movers and shakers. It is prestigious to minister to these circles. These ministries are not inherently wrong, but they should be pursued in a way that reflects God, who “does not show favoritism” (Rom. 2:11). The rich and the poor (James 2:5), the master and the slave (cf. Eph. 6:9), are all alike in his sight (cf. Gal. 3:28). The attitudes inherited from our culture subtly destroy the ability of people to minister compassionately to anyone.
Another attitude that derives from our culture is that certain conditions in someone else’s life are that person’s problems. For example, people are poor because they are lazy. Such an attitude does not breed compassion to help such people, who may have grown up without any familial support, training, or reinforcement in life. All our “back to the family” emphasis in Christian circles today, as good as it is, must come to grips with the reality that some have never had a family to go back to! A genuine humility is a guard against a personally destructive and blinding perspective that ignores such people.
The benefit of thinking outwardly is that it helps to build community. Jesus exhorts against pride because it makes community impossible to build. In the selfless outreach that takes place in true Christian ministry, a goodwill can be built that allows ministry to deepen and advance in its effectiveness. People who know we care are also more likely to hear when hard things need to be said.
Our highlighting of Israel in the parable of 14:15–24 addresses concerns about position and timing in God’s plan. This feature of the parable is unique to its setting in Jesus’ time, in that the Jews were the first in line to receive God’s invitation to his kingdom banquet, but they were refusing it. But one should not overlook the result for anyone who refuses Jesus’ invitation to join in the benefits he offers. When he issues an invitation to sit at the table of divine welcome and forgiveness, one should take it. No claims of proximity to Jesus will help if we have not personally come to the table. To refuse means in the end missing the celebration altogether.
The beneficiaries of Israel’s refusal are the many others—the Gentiles—who now are invited to the party. This list of “late invitees” opens up the parable into the timeless future, for such groups are still being invited and are coming to the banquet. The kingdom will be made up of people from a wider spectrum of background than many originally conceived. Israel’s refusal became an opportunity for God to show his grace to the world (Rom. 11). To come to the table means to embrace the offer of salvation Jesus makes. We should come with humility and gratitude, for many of us are “late invitees.” A later parable, building on earlier remarks, will speak further of the vineyard going to others as a result of national refusal (20:9–19).
Contemporary Significance
THE THEMES OF this passage recall the applications of other Sabbath healing texts. The major lessons deal with the willingness to show compassion and with how sin can blind one to the activity of God. The Jewish leadership failed to see what Jesus was doing because they had a fixed expectation of God’s rules and methods of operation. They failed to appreciate the scope of those laws. They had elevated into an absolute prohibition what God had intended as a positive expression of celebration and worship. The Sabbath became a day of exclusion for them, so that compassion was limited in how it could be expressed. God was showing through Jesus that he desired compassion, even on his day.
This type of legalistic view, where laws are pressed beyond their scope to create a stifling environment, we already noted in 11:37–54. The Pharisees were not ready for any surprises. They wanted to define the limits of God’s work. We sometimes risk missing what God is doing because we think we know how he will act. Those who wish to see God at work must be careful not to dictate to him. He acts as he wills, and he has revealed aspects of his will to us; but that does not mean that he cannot sovereignly choose to manifest his grace in new ways not yet revealed to us. God will accomplish his plan, but we can be sure that it may come in surprising ways.
That Luke 14:7–14 offers a call to humility is obvious. But actually developing a humble spirit and living in light of it is difficult, because it goes so against our own tendency to desire strokes of affirmation. It is difficult not to seek the honored role, to voluntarily move down a few seats, to let others bring credit to our work, or to pay attention to those who may not be able to give back. Do we ignore “unimportant” people? The service we give, when offered without cost, becomes a badge of honor that God sees.
It is also difficult to praise a colleague when we want to blow our own horn. Jesus does not speak against all honor here. There is an appropriate time to receive “glory” from others and from God, but such glory should emerge spontaneously and naturally. We need to ask ourselves: Do we seek attention? Do we act sensitively only to those who can repay us with kindness or status?
A good litmus test of a community is to see how many activities it engages in that are outwardly directed as opposed to being self-serving. Selfishness can surface not just individually but corporately. It can be instructive to examine programs in the church or in the budget and ask how many activities are used on our own interest versus how many represent genuine giving. Our personal use of time and resources can be assessed similarly.
In our church we recently as a board of elders realized that we had neglected missions as we turned more inward to deal with issues related to our numerical growth as a community. A self-study revealed that in our early years we were actually giving more to outside concerns. The result was a fresh commitment to raise more money for missions, both local and international, even in the midst of trying to raise funds for a building program. Our premise was that if we were not committed to ministry that reflected genuine giving, how could we expect God to honor our growth? Would not an outward emphasis be healthy for us and for those who were coming our way?
I know of individuals who have volunteered to tutor inner city kids with no payback other than knowing they are meeting an important need. I know of a family that has regularly made their home a “temporary” foster home, so that a child would not be aborted and might have an opportunity at life as a new permanent home is found for them. Here care is given to those who cannot pay us back. Those who benefit from God’s grace should know what it is to receive and be givers in turn. They understand that we give not to get, but out of gratitude because God has given us so much. That is the kind of attitude and ministry Jesus calls for here.
The parable of 14:15–24 is a painfully tragic description of opportunity missed. Many in the nation of Israel missed entering into blessing when the time came because they failed to see the importance of the invitation that came their way. But the opportunity to share in God’s celebration is still being extended today. Whether the invitation is one that comes to an original invitee (a Jew) or to others in the city or to those on the city’s edge, the point is that an opportunity to sit and share in the blessings of God is being offered. We must respond to the invitation. Nothing in life should get in the way of responding to what God is doing through Jesus.
We must be careful not to presume that God will eventually bless us, either because he is not judging us right now or because we can repent at the last minute. I have known people who, upon hearing about grace, say, “I’ll wait until just before I die. That way I can live as I want now.” Such a response often surfaced with my Young Life work among high school and college-age kids. That remark ignores one important fact: Scripture warns that the longer we refuse the offer, the more likely we will have a hardness of heart that becomes callous to any word from God. There are many excuses people give for not responding to the gospel. In college it was, “That will cramp my style.” Later in life it is, “I do not need a crutch.” These responses are attempts to gain freedom from accountability and responsibility before God. They are, if I may be blunt, a form of self-idolatry. It places God in the position of waiting on us. This type of pride is precisely why God’s choosing of and sensitivity to the poor, lame, and blind is so important a Lucan theme (4:16–19; 7:22–23). It reveals how God values the humble and needy. Those who know their need and position before God are the ones he will bring to himself (18:9–14; cf. 1 Cor. 1:26–31).
Furthermore, God is not caught by surprise when some reject him. The celebration of blessing goes on without the original invitees, and by God’s grace others are invited to the table. The important question is not when we are invited to the table, but that we come when invited. God graciously continues to call people to the banquet. If some refuse, others will be found. The loss is not God’s, but those who miss the party.
Central to the imagery of this parable is the assumption that Jesus is the one issuing the invitation. Blessing is not a function of mere devotion or zeal; it must be accompanied with knowledge of and response to God’s Chosen One. Failure to note this reality is what made the Jews’ rejection as represented by the early invitees so tragic (see Rom. 10:1–4). They thought that heritage alone and being a part of God’s chosen people alone were enough. Jesus replies that it is not enough to be among the originally invited. Those invited must choose to attend. If they do not, they will not get a chance to sit at the table of blessing. What a tragedy to hear the invitation to blessing and yet miss it when the time comes.