Book of Luke

Luke Chapter 14

• Luke 14:1 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. 
• 2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. 
• 3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? 
• 4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go; 
• 5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? 
• 6 And they could not answer him again to these things. 
• 7 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, 

Again the Pharisees watch and are more concerned with finding fault than in seeing one delivered from disease. This type of thing shows clearly the difference between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. Religion vs knowing the heart of God.

• Luke 14:8 When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him; 
• 9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. 

We still do this today. We give the celebrities and the rich the best places to sit. Of course, most of them have the money to buy the best places but we do see the popular and most favored honored more than those who have nothing. 

Christ is speaking to us as individual people though. We can't help what the public does but we can judge our own behavior. We are not to seek the best but to walk humbly. It would be better to sit in a less desirable place than pick a reserved seat and have to be asked to move. He is simply saying that we should not exalt self but prefer that others have the better places.

This isn't easy in this day of me first, I want the best, type of attitude. Just go to a bargain sale and see people pushing, shoving and grabbing. We don't have to be like that because we can remember that our true treasure is in heaven. If we don't get the last item that is on sale, we still have better things in heaven so what does it matter?

Again I say this is hard until we get to the place where God is all in all in our lives and the things of this world remain unimportant. Loving our neighbor means to care more that our neighbor gets that last item on sale rather then ourselves. I realize that not all of us can receive this teaching but if we do, we would be happier. Our happiness should never be in the things we possess in this life only, for those things will pass away.

One hundred years from now we will not have what we have today. If we have laid up treasure in heaven that is where we will be, if we have not, then we have nothing for we brought nothing into the world and we cannot take anything out with us. 

• Luke 14:10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. 
• 11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 
• 12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. 
• 13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: 
• 14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. 

I remember someone I know very well telling me that once when she was trying to raise four children by herself, she would allow them to go where a church was having a picnic and let them join in. Luckily they were never rejected. That says something for those churches. I don't know where she got the nerve but I do understand her motive. She had very little and was willing to make sure her kids were fed and were around good people while doing so. She had a very hard time back then and finally became a nurse and was able to get out of poverty. She gives the Lord credit for seeing her through those hard times. 

• Luke 14:15 And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. 
• 16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 
• 17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. 
• 18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 
• 19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. 
• 20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. 
• 21 So that servant came, and showed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. 
• 22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. 
• 23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 
• 24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. 

This is like the gospel. Some make excuses that it is not convenient at the present time and ignore the salvation message. Some put it off too late. The gospel is the greatest message given to mankind since man fell away from God in the beginning. The gospel is the way God planned to bring mankind back to Himself. Sin separated, Jesus takes that sin away and we are then reconciled back into fellowship with the God who created us to have fellowship with Him. God created, the devil deceived and separated us from God. Jesus intervened and brought us back. We can accept this or ignore it. 

When a church falls away from its first love or first calling and begins to compromise the truth of the word, it is keeping people from finding truth and entering into the kingdom of God. People have a better chance of finding God on their own than finding God through a dead church. I read once somewhere that false religion can take over a whole city if the church in that city is dead.

We must remain true to God's word even if it means that many will forsake us and we will have less money. Actually sometimes it works favorably and a church that is alive with the word and power of God working among them and they are able to pay the bills and help others at the same time. Nevertheless whether we gain materially or lose, we must stay true to God and His word. We hurt not only ourselves but those that are influenced by us if we don't stay true to God. 

• Luke 14:25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, 
• 26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 

This sounds harsh but if we let our most beloved family members separate us from God, we are not worthy of God. If we listen to a family member instead of the word, we will not only harm our own souls but also that family member. If we stay true to God even if we lose that family member's approval, in the long run we will be more likely to save them than if we give into their desires and forsake truth. The word hate above does not mean what we assume hate means but the meaning there is that we don't put family ahead of our relationship with God.

• Luke 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 
• 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 

This reminds me of the parable of the seed. If we accept the message of the gospel but have no root and do not count the cost of serving Christ, then when bad times come or persecution, we will fall away and be as one who had received seed on stony ground. Good may happen to us if we choose Christ as our savior but sometimes bad happens if we are faced with friends and family who reject Christ. If we do not choose Christ above them, we are unworthy of God's salvation. We have to forsake all to follow Him. 

• Luke 14:29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 
• 30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. 

This is exactly what unbelievers will do. We think if we compromise it will make them like us more. NO. They will mock and say, I knew there was nothing to his conversion. Even though they give us a hard time, we will gain more respect by standing up for what we believe than if we compromise. The love you feel when you compromise truth to please men is false and will not last. 

• Luke 14:31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? 
• 32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth ambassadors, and desireth conditions of peace. 
• 33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. 
• 34 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be seasoned? 
• 35 It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 

We see here good teaching on the difference between a real conversion to Jesus Christ and a weak or false one. The true believers will stand firm and not compromise on important things. They will be as seed on good ground that will bring forth fruit both saving themselves and those that hear them. They will be strong and not weak. Those that compromise will gain only temporary friends and will not accomplish anything that is worth accomplishing. 

I'm not talking here of unimportant things like which kind of music to sing or whether to paint the church red or blue. I'm talking of things contained in the word and things that pertain to eternal life and the truth of the gospel. There are times that we need to put others first and give way to their opinions if it is issues that have nothing to do with eternal life and the will of God. When it comes to obeying God rather than men though, we have to obey God. DC