Intro: Don’t pray for humility, or better yet, do.

Text:   [Luk 14:1-14 NIV] 1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2 There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. 3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” 4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way. 5 Then he asked them, “If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?” 6 And they had nothing to say.

7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Thesis: Any place you go, pause to put yourself in the mindset of the Lord and of the people you are with. Do this not out of anxiety, but out of love.

Trans:  There is no parallel to this passage in the other gospels. These details from Journey to Jerusalem are unique to Luke.

Trust the Lord for discernment

1. Trust the Lord when going into difficulty. This takes a humility of mind, a lack of presumptuousness.
   1. Jesus is being watched, and he knows it. Willfully chooses to go to the home of a leader of the Pharisees.
   2. The man with dropsy was probably brought in by the Pharisees in order to test Jesus.
2. Discern the true need of the moment – healing was the need, not a tradition. Jesus discerned the intent of his hosts and addressed it.
   1. This takes the Holy Spirit. Are we in prayer and submission to Him?
3. Discern between your own habits and the commands of God
   1. David Guzik: “When Jesus healed the man, His accusers believed that He workedon the Sabbath, and violated God’s command, but that wasn’t true. With this question, Jesus reminded them that there was no command against healing on the Sabbath. Jesus never broke the commandments of God, but He often offended man’s traditions that surrounded and extended the commandments of God. The commandments of God are enough, and we should never make the traditions of man – even good traditions – equal to the commandments of God (Mark 7:8-9).”

Trans:  Tell my own chair story

Don’t take the nice chair

1. [Phl 2:5-11 NIV] 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death–even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
2. What is a mindset of humility?
   1. Others-focused
   2. Not false-humility (narcissism)
   3. Joy/gratitude-based

Trans:  When we are grateful, we are generous. When have we given to someone who could not repay us?

Invite the poor

1. An evidence of humility in our lives is an eagerness to honor those of humble position
2. [Pro 19:17 NIV] 17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.
   1. This is very much what v. 14 says, the Lord who sees what is done in secret will honor and repay us
3. [Pro 16:19 NIV] 19 Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.
   1. To act justly bears greater reward than to seek financial gain as the first order of our lives.
4. [Rom 12:16 NIV] 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
   1. Why do we have conflict? Pride, ego, a need to defend our own rights.
   2. Defend the rights of others, not our own.

Trans:  Jesus was having a table set before him in the presence of his enemies. Despite this, he knew exactly what to say.

Conclusion: Jesus faces the deep challenge of those who hate him by listening to their hearts, caring for those in need, and teaching on the need for humility.