The Pharisees never watched Francis Ford Coppola’s film The Godfather Part 2, but they must have been familiar with an early form of Michael Corleone’s famous words “My father taught me to keep my friends close, but my enemies closer” because that is exactly what they did with their archenemy Jesus Christ. Even though they were skeptical of his miracles, perturbed by his teachings, and infuriated by his ever increasing popularity, they kept him close by inviting him into their homes for dinner parties. By engaging him in direct discussion, they hoped to discover some character flaw in him that they might exploit to their advantage. To his face, they acted like friends, but behind his back they were plotted his demise.
This is the third time Luke has depicted Jesus as an invited guest at a Pharisee’s home (7:36-50; 11:37-54), and on each occasion Jesus turned the tables on them and exposed the character flaws of his esteemed hosts. Needless to say, these scenes made for some extremely uncomfortable table talk. Let’s sit down at the table and watch how Jesus teaches the Pharisees about love and humility!
Love over Legalism (1-6)
Again, we find Jesus having dinner with the Pharisees on the Sabbath. This was probably the afternoon meal before they went to the local synagogue to worship God. As they were eating, a man suffering from dropsy is there, a painful condition where the body swells from the retention of fluids. In ancient Israel, this condition was often considered a form of God’s judgment. The Pharisees probably brought this man to dinner as a trap to see if Jesus would heal on the Sabbath, but he saw right through their sanctimonious scheme. Jesus cleverly took the initiative and asked the Pharisees if it was lawful to heal such a person on the Sabbath.
Now we must remember that the Pharisees were legalists—that is, they took the original commandment to ‘Keep the Sabbath day holy’ and heaped a bunch of their own laws on top of it. According to their narrow construal, Jews weren’t supposed to anything that could be considered work on the Sabbath. So, when Jesus posed this question about healing, they remained silent.
As the Pharisees balked, Jesus tenderly took the man’s hand, healed him from his debilitating condition, and sent him on his merry way. Rather than rejoicing when they saw the man’s swelling disappear, the Pharisees huffed and puffed like a child who just got sent to the time out chair. Then Jesus made the obvious point that if one of their children or oxen fell into a well on the Sabbath that they would do whatever they would immediately pull it out. Jesus is once again insisting on the priority of love over legalism!
No reasonable human being would say to their kid, “Hey, Cindy Lou, how did you get down there in that well? Hold your breath for a while and we’ll come back and get you after church!” No one in their right mind would say to a trapped ox, “Sorry Big Boy, we’ll have to wait and pull you out after the sun goes down.” In our neck of the woods in northern Vermont, if your cows get out on a Sunday morning, please round them up instead of coming to church. We’ll give you a day off!”
Now instead of applying this principle of love over legalism to our daily lives again (this is the third time we have seen Jesus heal someone on the Sabbath in the presence of the Pharisees), I want to ask you all why you think Luke continues to tell essentially the same story and apply the same principle? Any guess? Luke is trying to show that, even after all of these miraculous demonstrations, the Pharisees still refuse to believe Jesus’ message. Sin is blinding, and a hard heart is tough to break. Despite numerous opportunities, the Pharisee’s fail to see what God is doing. (Bock 392)
Isn’t it amazing how the Pharisees repeatedly saw Jesus’ miracles and heard his teachings, and yet they refused to believe in him? But unfortunately, the same phenomenon happens today. There are many people who attend church week after week, sing hymn after hymn, and hear sermon after sermon, and still do not make a commitment to Jesus Christ. They go through all of the outward religious motions, but they resist receiving Jesus’ love and grace into their hearts. Why do people do this?
First, many people don’t think their sin is a very big deal. They say, “O sure, I’ve committed a few little sins, but surely God would not punish me for that!” Second, people are like the Pharisees and have been deceived that doing good deeds or being a religious person will protect their souls from hell. They say, “Well, as long as my good deeds outnumber my bad deeds, I will be OK.” Third, people resist the grace of Jesus Christ because they simply do not want to submit their lives to anyone other than themselves. They want to call all of their own shots, be the master of their own universe, and the determiner of their own destiny. In short, they don’ want anyone telling them how to live their lives or that they have to repent from their sin.
How about you? Many of you have been in church for a while! Has the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ penetrated your soul yet? Have you relinquished control of your life? Have you truly repented from your sin and committed your heart to Jesus Christ? Or are you just going through the motions?
Humility over Arrogance (7-14)
As Jesus engaged in this awkward dinner discussion with the Pharisees, he noticed how the other guests kept jockeying for the best seats at the table. This juvenile display was indicative of their selfish and arrogant hearts. In the ancient world, a dinner table was usually in a horseshoe shape, and the master of the house would sit in the center and the guests would customarily be seated in order of social importance from the center out to the ends. As Jesus often did, he took an imminent occasion and used it as an object lesson. In this case, he used this misguided game of musical chairs to teach the Pharisees and guests about true humility.
In Jesus’ parable, he pictures a table at a wedding feast where many prominent people have gathered. He tells them not to take the place of honor because a more important person might have been invited. This would lead to the awkward and embarrassing situation where the master asks you to give your seat to a more distinguished guest and you will have to take the lowest place at the end of the table. On the other hand, if you willingly take the lowest seat, the host will notice you and move you to a better seat and you will be honored in the presence of all the guests.
In verse 11, Jesus clinches his pertinent parable with the provocative proverb: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
A truly humble person is hard to find, yet God delights to honor such selfless people. Booker T. Washington, the renowned black educator, was an outstanding example of this truth. Shortly after he took over the presidency of the prestigious Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, he was walking in an exclusive section of town when he was stopped by a wealthy white woman.
Not knowing the famous Mr. Washington by sight, she asked if he would like to earn a few dollars by chopping wood for her. Because he had no pressing business at the moment, Professor Washington smiled, rolled up his sleeves, and proceeded to do the humble chore she had requested. When he was finished, he carried the logs into the house and stacked them by the fireplace. A little girl recognized him and later revealed his identity to the lady.
The next morning the embarrassed woman went to see Mr. Washington in his office at the Institute and apologized profusely. “It’s perfectly all right, Madam,” he replied. “Occasionally, I enjoy a little manual labor. Besides, it’s always a delight to do something for a friend.”
She shook his hand warmly and assured him that his meek and gracious attitude had endeared him and his work to her heart. Not long afterward she showed her admiration by persuading some wealthy acquaintances to join her in donating thousands of dollars to the Tuskegee Institute.
This type of humility is so rare these days. We live in a time when people demand their rights, feel entitled to everything, and are offended by anything. We live in a day where bragging, boasting, and self-promoting are the norm. It is a sad day when self-confidence is a chief virtue and self-sacrifice is considered an abnormality. Our politicians, athletes, and celebrities model this type of behavior for us, but Jesus shows us a better way. If there was ever a man who had the right to brag or self-promote, it was Jesus. But he humbled himself by leaving the splendors of heaven and coming to a sinful earth and sacrificing himself on a wooden cross for sinners like you and me.
So, how does your humility compare to your arrogance? Do you have a high opinion of yourself? Do you ever feel like you deserve a better seat at the table? Do you ever expect preferential treatment? Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but she who humbles herself will be exalted!
This proverb doesn’t just apply to practical life situations, but it also refers to the final judgment. This is what Jesus was really trying to impress upon the dinner guests. For people who exalt themselves—who think they are good enough to stand before God on their own merits—the final judgment will be utterly humiliating. People like the Pharisees, who believe that they deserve heaven because of their heritage or good works, will not get what they think they deserve; they will get what God thinks they deserve.
If we want to be exalted in heaven, we must humble ourselves on earth—we must humble ourselves by repenting from our sins and surrendering our lives to Jesus Christ! Have you humbled yourself yet?
As Jesus brought this portion of his table talk to a conclusion, he looked at the host and said:
When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (12-14)
Now, by this, Jesus is not prohibiting us from having friends or family members over for dinner, but he is calling us to serve those who cannot repay our kindness—the poor, the disabled, and the disenfranchised! If we only serve people who will repay our hospitality or give us what we want, there is no real sacrifice, which means there is no love or humility. But if we are gracious and generous to people who can never return the favor, then we exhibit true love and humility!
Even though the Pharisees set this table as a trap for Jesus, he turned the table on the them and used this dinner discussion to confront them with the two chief virtues of his kingdom: love and humility! The Pharisees had nothing to say! What do you say? What will you talk about when you sit down at your table today?