Tell Me a Story: Time To Eat

Luke 14:7-24

Our country is full of people who claim not to like the church but to be fans of Jesus. I see Jesus all over in pop culture: everything from “Jesus is my homeboy” t-shirts to Jesus bobbleheads. It seems like everyone except violent atheists like Jesus. That’s all well and good, but some people at some point in history didn’t like him; they didn’t like him enough that they crucified him.

What is it about Jesus that makes him such a polarizing person? How could he attract large crowds who would follow him everywhere and at the same time have a group of influential people willing to stop at nothing to kill him?

It could have something to do with the things he taught. But the only way to find out what he taught is to listen to what he said. In this sermon series, I’m going to invite you to listen to the stories Jesus told. There are some that are familiar enough that their phrases have come into normal cultural use, like “Good Samaritan.” Others are a little more obscure.

One thing that Jesus loved was taking everyday objects and experiences and using them to explain aspects of the Kingdom of God. Today’s stories revolve around eating.

If there is one thing that can be said of United Methodists across the country it is that we know how to eat. Last week we had our church picnic and it was too cold for anyone but the bravest souls to swim, but the food was fantastic. Nobody went away hungry. In fact, when I had eaten my fill, out come the root beer floats!

Eating has always had a central place in culture including the culture Jesus lived in. The scene we read about today from Luke 14 took place at a meal hosted by a prominent Pharisee. As we look at this meal, know that a meal was never just a meal. It was part of a huge reciprocal system based on honor and shame.

A reciprocal system simply means that if I do something for you, you’re obligated to reciprocate, to do something for me. If I invite you over for dinner, you’d better start planning for when you’re going to invite me. Hospitality was a vitally important concept in the Ancient Near East, but it the practice was laden with implications from the reciprocal system. If you showed hospitality to me, I would need to reciprocate by showing hospitality to you.

To make matters more complicated and difficult, the Ancient Near East had a deep-rooted system of honor and shame in place as well. They would have needed no explanation of several aspects of the story I read from Jesus. They would have understood that no wealthy homeowner would have thought of inviting the poor to his banquet, not only because it would have reflected poorly on him, but because the poor could never have reciprocated with an invitation and so the very invitation would have shamed them and they would have had to decline. For that reason, the only reason he would have invited them in the first place was to shame them.

A prominent Pharisee invites Jesus to eat, and Jesus watches the way people picked the places of honor at the table. Can you picture Jesus, standing over to the side, just watching as people rush to get the places of honor at the meal? Have you ever been to a general admission event with polite people? Everyone is there early, and when the doors open, everyone speedwalks to get the best place? But there was an art to seating at such a banquet; even as people rushed to sit in the places of most honor, there was a problem.

Here’s how I can kind-of understand this problem. I’ve gone to numerous sporting events; it seems like pretty much half of the time, when I get to my seat, someone is in it. I’m try to be polite when I say, “Excuse me, I believe this is my seat.” They’ve usually just made a simple mistake and they’re sitting in section 122 instead of 123, but sometimes their tickets are for a completely different section (with a much worse view). It’s embarrassing to have an usher send you back up to the nosebleed seats.

What made it worse in Jesus’ time was that to be “sent down” is to be publically shamed, to be told “you are less than this other person.” So Jesus tells the people at the banquet: instead of picking the best seat and risking shame, pick the lowest place. Then the host will honor you by telling you to move up to a better place.

Did Jesus really care about where people sat at a banquet? I don’t think so. What he did care about comes with his next words. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 14:11)

Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines humility as “a freedom from arrogance that grows from the recognition that all we have and are comes from God.” There are times when it can be easy to lose perspective and to get arrogant and prideful, especially when you’re always hearing or experiencing how good you are; when I played high school soccer, I was regularly the fastest person on the field; I could usually outrun just about anyone. I thought I was a pretty special soccer player. In college, however, I found out that everyone playing club ball had been the fastest guy on the high school field. And many of them were stronger than I was, so not only could they keep up with me, but they could also push me off the ball. Any arrogance I had about my playing ability went out the door.

Generally, whatever you’re great at, there’s going to be someone in the world who is better. We’re all better off knowing that at the outset so we don’t get too upset when we discover it. But that’s not all there is to humility. Humility isn’t beating yourself up or selling yourself short. It is a recognition that everything you have, including skills and gifts, it all comes from God. So don’t get all puffed up over your gifts; give glory and honor to the God who gave them.

When you do so, God will exalt you.  One of my seminary professors, Dr. Joel Green, put it this way: It is “Better to have honor bestowed on you than to make a bid for honor that may not be granted” (Joel Green NICNT)

So Jesus tells the host to turn social norms on their head. Instead of inviting people who can reciprocate, 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.

Why would it be a blessing to invite those who can’t reciprocate? Because it’s just like what Jesus. As Christians, our goal is Christlikeness – quite a lofty goal. After all, Jesus lived a perfect life and died on the cross to save humanity – while we were his enemies, and there is nothing we can do to somehow repay him for what he did. While we’ve already blown our chance at living a perfect life, Jesus perfects us. And while we’re not going to die on the cross for anyone’s sin, we have the opportunity to give without expecting reciprocation. This is one reason that our food pantry ministry is so important. Yes, we are giving food to hungry people. This is extremely important. Yes, we are praying with our clients. This is possibly even more important. Jesus said when we feed the hungry, then we’re feeding him. This is important as well. But it’s also important that we give without expecting anything in return. In doing so, we are not only obeying Jesus, but also imitating him.

Hospitality is not for a self-serving agenda. If our reason for hospitality is to get something in return, then it’s not hospitality at all. I’ve heard this discussion around youth ministry, where someone is looking to cut funding and of course, the youth ministry is one of the first on the chopping block (because there is rarely a youth voice on the church finance board and it’s always easier to cut someone else’s funding). Someone inevitably comments that the youth aren’t ‘pulling their own weight’ as far as funding goes. So for many youth ministries, ours included, the youth themselves do fundraising to support the ministry aimed for them. Mike Yaconelli, founder of Youth Specialties, often asked what would happen if the rest of us had to fundraise to do all of our activities. If we have kingdom priorities, things will look different.

Take, for example, those who Jesus advocates inviting. The poor. The crippled. The lame. The blind. These were all people who were considered to be excluded from God’s elect. So it would be natural to not invite them to your banquet. But this is exactly who Jesus says we should invite. The ones who most need inviting.

When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the man who will eat at the table in the kingdom of God.”

I’ll bet the one who said this was hoping Jesus would single him out with praise. “Well said, smart one, now come sit in the seat of honor!” Instead, Jesus tells another story, one of a wealthy man preparing a banquet. He sent out invitations and got back the RSVPs from his guests, but when it came time for the banquet, nobody came. All of the wealthy guests had excuses, lame ones at that. There is only one reason they would skip a banquet they’d already RSVPed to and give the excuses they gave: to shame the person who invited them.

In our study of Titus, we spent a lot of time talking about Paul’s call to Titus to teach Christians on Crete to step out of the cultural worldview they lived in and to live a Christlike life in direct contrast to the culture they lived in. The reason Paul could command something like that is that it’s straight in line with Jesus. Jesus is utterly rejecting the system of reciprocity, saying that the things that are important in this world, like status, popularity, being upwardly mobile, all of these are of no use. The hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” says it wonderfully: Turn your eyes upon Jesus/look full in His wonderful face/and the things of earth will grow strangely dim/in the light of His goodness and grace.

Take time to think about what is important to you and evaluate it. If it gets in the way of your relationship with God through Jesus Christ, then it is an idol.

Now, many scholars have taken Jesus’ banquet scene to represent God and the heavenly banquet. In this interpretation, God has invited his elect, the Jews, to his banquet, but since the Jews reject him, he has to “settle” for us Gentiles. After all, he has to have “some” people, so if he can’t have the ones he wants, he might as well take the ones nobody else wanted.

There is one little problem with reading: it isn’t biblical. It simply ignores all of the covenant language God uses with Abram. God’s plan for Abram was never to make one elect people to the exclusion of everyone else, but instead to bless Abram to be a blessing. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:2-3

So if God isn’t the homeowner who is throwing the banquet, who is Jesus talking about? Jesus is actually inviting those who hear him to identify with the man who gave the banquet. They are the ones who are called to step out of the cultural norm to embrace kingdom living. You see, social status is a terrible master; it can be wrenched away as fast as it can be awarded. So Jesus says, “Step off the treadmill.” Don’t waste your time with the social system of reciprocity or status preservation. Jesus turns the entire system upside down, saying: Don’t chase after all of that; it’s not worth it. It’s all hollow.

“Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.” (Luke 6:22-26)

If you are living your life for the approval of others, if you are living your life for personal comfort, if you are living your life for popularity, you’re in a world of hurt.

So Jesus makes a point that those who would follow him must examine our culture and throw off every aspect that would hinder us and others in our journey toward Christlikeness. What might that look like for us? It means breaking out of a country club mentality of doing church, where we do everything to serve us and neglect others. It means reaching out beyond your chosen peer group. It means finding ways to serve people who can’t give back to you.

I am excited about what the future holds for Millersport UMC. I am excited about ministering to children with our updated Faith Weavers Friends night. I am excited about serving Jesus in the Millersport Community Food Pantry. I am excited about preparing for a mission trip. I am excited about seeing you inviting people who haven’t yet been included in the ministry of the church. I am excited to see how you will respond and serve Jesus.