Luke Part 2 Week 26

Day 1 

RECEIVE 

Luke 14:1-3 

¹ One Sabbath day Jesus went to eat dinner in the home of a leader of the Pharisees, and the people were watching him closely. ² There was a man there whose arms and legs were swollen. ³ Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in religious law, “Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?” 

This is another passage indicating the Sabbath day was always an issue with the Jewish religious leaders. Jesus seemed to take pleasure in healing people on the Sabbath day that irritated the Jewish unbelievers. One would think anyone would have pity on the man whose arms and legs were swollen, but not the Pharisees. They preferred he come on another day to be healed. 

REFLECT 

Does your heart go out to people you see with infirmities? Do you want to help them if possible? 

RESPOND  

Discuss with a friend how limiting it would have been during Old Testament times with the extreme limitations imposed on the Sabbath day. Read Exodus 31:12-13 to see the Sabbath day was the sign of the covenant between God and the nation of Israel. No such decree was ever given to the Gentiles or to the New Testament Church.  

Day 2 

RECEIVE 

Luke 14:4-6 

⁴ When they refused to answer, Jesus touched the sick man and healed him and sent him away. ⁵ Then he turned to them and said, “Which of you doesn’t work on the Sabbath? If your son or your cow falls into a pit, don’t you rush to get him out?” ⁶ Again they could not answer. 

When the Pharisees did not know how to answer Jesus, they just kept quiet. They were condemned in their own hearts. Jesus presented logic they could not answer. They knew if they answered they would say things contrary to what they were telling others. Their teaching was contrary to the purpose of the Sabbath. It was to be a day of rest, not bondage. 

REFLECT 

Does this help you to see that even in the Old Testament there were exceptions to what one could do on the Sabbath? They were allowed to do some work on the Sabbath. 

RESPOND 

Visit with a friend about honoring Jesus on all seven days of the week. Talk about the importance, however, of needing to take a day of rest even if it is not on Sunday. The late Vance Havner was known for saying, “You either come apart and rest awhile or you just come apart.” 

Day 3 

RECEIVE 

Luke 14:7-9 

⁷ When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: ⁸ “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? ⁹ The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!” 

Luke, the gospel writer, now switches to what Jesus had to say about where to sit when invited to a dinner. One should be careful about taking the seat of honor in case a person who is more distinguished arrives and should have that seat. The person who has to give up the seat would be embarrassed and would have to take a seat at the foot of the table.  

REFLECT 

Has an embarrassing time like this ever happened to you? What did you learn from it? 

RESPOND 

Visit with a friend about how practical some of Jesus’ teachings were. See what Matthew recorded Jesus as saying in Matthew 23:11-12. Talk about the importance of serving others. 

Day 4 

RECEIVE 

Luke 14:10-11 

¹⁰ “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. ¹¹ For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” 

Those who exalt themselves love to take the places of honor even if they are not asked to do so. Those who exalt themselves are those who want others to serve them. This appears as the sin of pride. Notice what is written in Proverbs 16:18. 

REFLECT 

There are various ways of thinking about what it is to be “humble.” Perhaps it is best demonstrated by the person who thinks of others rather than of himself or herself. 

RESPOND 

Visit with a friend about the apostle Paul and how he expressed humbling himself. This is seen in 2 Corinthians 11:7-8. There are various ways a person can humble himself, but one must always be careful of not being prideful about how humble he is.  

Day 5 

RECEIVE 

Luke 14:12-14 

¹² Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. ¹³ Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. ¹⁴ Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.” 

After telling the guests how to act, Jesus then instructed the hosts how they should act. They should not always invite only those who could invite them back. These are instructions that few follow. Today there are many who are needy. Individuals and churches should be concerned about caring for them.  

REFLECT 

What can you do to help the needy? If you cannot have them in your home, can you contribute to organizations that help care for them? 

RESPOND 

These first 14 verses in Luke 14 give much to think about. Talk with a friend about how they can be applied in this century and in your situations.