Lisa Sheffler, author
For the past couple of months here at Christ Fellowship, we’ve been talking a lot about tables and the conversations that can happen around them. To invite someone to your table is not only an act of hospitality and kindness, but it shows them honor. If done right, you are giving your guests the opportunity to feel known and loved.
In the story from the Gospel of Luke that we are looking at today, Jesus talks about one group of people we should invite to our tables and why.
Read
Luke 14:12-14
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.”
Who does Jesus say we should invite to our tables and why?
Reflect
Luke tells us that Jesus gives this pronouncement at the home of a prominent Pharisee. Jesus had already warned the guests against jockeying for position to sit at the head of the table. He concludes this warning by saying, “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). Jesus’ instructions go beyond having good manners at a dinner party.
One of the many wonderful things about being a Christ follower is the relief that comes with knowing your worth. You don’t have to step over others to prove your value or scrap and claw to find honor. In Christ, you are completely loved and accepted by the Creator of the universe. You don’t have to exalt yourself, because Jesus has already given you a seat of honor at his table. Instead, you are free to be humble and exalt others.
In the ancient world, hosts were careful about who they invited to their tables. Roman society was obsessed with status, and the Jewish elite with purity. Like many in our current culture, they had a harsh, utilitarian view of people — only those who contribute, excel, and achieve in material ways are truly valuable. On the other hand, Jesus says to invite to our tables those who can give us nothing in return.
It is an act of both humility and faith. By accepting people who can never repay us monetarily, we are acknowledging God’s provision for us and trusting in his continued goodness. As N.T. Wright says, “Pride, notoriously, is the great cloud which blots out the sun of God’s generosity: if I reckon that I deserve to be favoured by God, not only do I declare that I don’t need his grace, mercy and love, but I imply that those who don’t deserve it shouldn’t have it.”[1]
So who can we invite to our “tables”? How can we show kindness and honor to those our society often over looks? While those in need may not be able to repay us materially, they have much to offer. Just as he has done for us, God has given them gifts, talents, and abilities. Discovering how to honor those is part of loving our neighbors as ourselves.
[1] Tom Wright, Luke for Everyone (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 175–176.
Respond
- How can you worship God for his generosity? How can giving to those in need help us better experience the generosity of God?
- How can you give welcome, acceptance, and help to those in need in our community?
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