Luke 14
March Memory Verse: "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." Luke 19:10 NIV
Read: Luke 14
In Luke 14, we see Jesus challenge 4 different types of people. Here is the ironic thing: the people who Jesus is speaking to is the Pharisees, and He is ultimately challenging them.
1. The Religious People (v. 1-6)
Jesus knew that healing this man was the right thing to do, even when the Pharisees believed that nothing should be done on the Sabbath. They cared more about their religion and regulations than the Son of God healing a man.
2. The Proud People (v. 7-11)
This parable is about pride and seeking prominence, something many of the Pharisees wanted. Thabiti Anyabwile says this about this section, “It is better to start low and allow others to exalt you than to start high and have others demote you. This is the way of the gospel and the kingdom: those who seek humility find that God exalts them.”
3. The Wealthy People (v. 12-14)
The Pharisees were pretty well off financially. Jesus tells them to not invite their rich friends and family to banquets, but instead, they should be generous and invite the lowly to the banquets because the lowly cannot repay. If they invite the lowly, then they will be repaid at the resurrection.
4. The Presuming People (v. 15-24)
In this section, Jesus is really calling out people who presume that they will be going to Heaven one day. God has invited many people to His banquet, but people make excuses and do not show up. The result of that: they will miss out on the banquet.
What I think we can takeaway from this passage is that the religious (there is a difference in following a religion and following Jesus), the proud, the wealthy, and the presuming are all missing something. They are missing the call to follow Jesus. The call to deny themselves and be a true disciple of His (v. 26-27, 33). Jesus is calling all of those people, but the problem is that many of these people have put up a barrier.
My question for you: Is one of these (religion, pride, wealth, or presumption) getting in the way of you being a truly devoted follower of Jesus? If it’s not one of these, is it something else? And how could you take down that barrier to follow Jesus more fully?
By: Brice Stockton
Read: Luke 14
In Luke 14, we see Jesus challenge 4 different types of people. Here is the ironic thing: the people who Jesus is speaking to is the Pharisees, and He is ultimately challenging them.
1. The Religious People (v. 1-6)
Jesus knew that healing this man was the right thing to do, even when the Pharisees believed that nothing should be done on the Sabbath. They cared more about their religion and regulations than the Son of God healing a man.
2. The Proud People (v. 7-11)
This parable is about pride and seeking prominence, something many of the Pharisees wanted. Thabiti Anyabwile says this about this section, “It is better to start low and allow others to exalt you than to start high and have others demote you. This is the way of the gospel and the kingdom: those who seek humility find that God exalts them.”
3. The Wealthy People (v. 12-14)
The Pharisees were pretty well off financially. Jesus tells them to not invite their rich friends and family to banquets, but instead, they should be generous and invite the lowly to the banquets because the lowly cannot repay. If they invite the lowly, then they will be repaid at the resurrection.
4. The Presuming People (v. 15-24)
In this section, Jesus is really calling out people who presume that they will be going to Heaven one day. God has invited many people to His banquet, but people make excuses and do not show up. The result of that: they will miss out on the banquet.
What I think we can takeaway from this passage is that the religious (there is a difference in following a religion and following Jesus), the proud, the wealthy, and the presuming are all missing something. They are missing the call to follow Jesus. The call to deny themselves and be a true disciple of His (v. 26-27, 33). Jesus is calling all of those people, but the problem is that many of these people have put up a barrier.
My question for you: Is one of these (religion, pride, wealth, or presumption) getting in the way of you being a truly devoted follower of Jesus? If it’s not one of these, is it something else? And how could you take down that barrier to follow Jesus more fully?
By: Brice Stockton
5 Comments
I think first we must admit that we have a barrier before we are able to start tearing it down or even chip away at it. Try to seek accountability and discipleship in these areas or even counseling is a must. Otherwise, it is my belief that nothing will change. We must also have a desire to tear down that barrier because deep down we know that on the other side of it is the peace, joy and love that only Jesus gives.
Oddly, at least one Pharisee made a good start of it by inviting Jesus in the first place!
I wonder if he expected Jesus to be a little less direct and honest over a meal in his home than he had been in the synagogue?
Good one today, Bryce. Thanks.
There are times where I have to check my motives for the goals I have set for myself in my career. I want to move up, but is it for the money and pride of it? If I have the right motives the money won't be a selfish thing, and can be used for good in God's kingdom, and pride won't be an issue, so long as I remain humble and know that God has given everything I have. I think that is where the Pharisees went wrong, they believed they had earned everything and didn't understand that what they had done meant nothing without Christ in the picture. When we place God at the center, we will do the things he is talking about here. We will think of the lowly, we will make sure we don't follow a religion but follow Jesus, and we will not let greed or pride get in the way of doing what is right.
Is there a time we can expect jumpstart to be posted every day? At the beginning of the year it was usually earlier but now it's never posted when I do my quiet time.
Powerful blog! Even in our time period, we found many of the four types of people in society!