Luke 14

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0:00 I want to look at this, our golf arena this morning, as you've been, come on with us, see the going through, let's see it all year long. And, you know, they assigned a song, which we read, as I call the worship, like Red Forest, really well. And then they had Proverbs as the Old Testament, which is always interesting. But the golf arena really captured me this week. And the golf arena is in Luke chapter 14.

0:36 And, it takes place, it's like in this section, Luke grouped several little parables together about parties, a couple of them. And if you start at the beginning of Luke chapter 14, the reading of the average Luke chapter 14 verses one through 11, so we're going to start right at the beginning of chapter 14.

1:12 And Luke writes one Sabbath when he went to join at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, and they were watching carefully and behold, there was a man there before him, of who had dropsy. I don't look up the word dropsy, but you know what dropsy means? Just curious if I'm the only one. Okay, that makes me feel better. It's the only time he is in the New Testament. So if I read that they think it was used in New Testament,

1:44 it says, you know, we've talked about how Luke before, before he becomes this philosopher and Jesus and the like documentarian for Paul's missionary journeys, you know, we're pretty sure Luke was with Paul on several missionary journeys. If you read, ask carefully at some point, it changes to we in first person and you realize that whoever's writing the absolute apostles is there with them. We're pretty sure that Luke, who wrote the gospel of Luke,

2:16 also wrote the actual apostles, but he found his way together with Paul after having been a physician, you think, and so I would drink it so good, some of the best in the New Testament, which is good writers. And so that he includes this technical term of dropsy, which is something about the way they, like, super retain water and like so, they're unhealthy because of the way they retain water,

2:49 which is like, I mean, we could go for a while trying to figure out why Luke mentioned that specifically. And some people try and make a big deal out of it. I think if we had more time or were like the deeper expert we might spend our time on that, but there's a larger less of year, I just thought it was interesting, but this is the only place that that were occurred in the New Testament dropsy.

3:19 And it tells us a little bit, reminds us that these biographies are written by people, like, and that the gospel message is so embodied and that Luke isn't making this up, but he's writing for us a story of a single happen. And so it's on a Sabbath, a Sabbath meal. Jesus goes to have, to dying at the house of the ruler of the Pharisees. It's like really interesting that he goes there.

3:53 You think almost that Jesus had been making enough rounds that they were interested in having this itinerant rabbi after a house for the Sabbath dinner, like maybe it would be an interesting conversation. You know, most of the time Jesus is antagonistic with the Pharisees, but it's that kind of like passive aggressive antagonism where they pretend that they're asking honest questions, but they're really trying to trap and trick Jesus. And so in that spirit they have him at the meal that you would go over

4:28 on Sabbath and they were watching him carefully, Luke said, and behold, there was a man before him who had dropped the end, and it had this sickness. And some people wonder, did they put the person there on purpose? It doesn't say the person like Snuck in or came in. Remember, like, one time Jesus is out of dinner and there's a woman with the alabaster jar who comes in and like very obviously unwelcome but comes in.

4:58 There is a system in the time there in the first century Israel where the dinners would happen almost in semi-public places, especially of wealthy people, where you might have other folks around like that. The plaza at the house would open air and people might make their way in. But it seems like this person is there on purpose. Like, Jesus is coming, they're watching him close, and the guy with drops he comes in front of them.

5:28 Luke mentioned this on the Sabbath, right? And so Jesus catches this chap that they try to touch him in a lot. Let's think about the Sabbath, right? And so Jesus responded to the lawyers and parathy things. Jesus responded, he doesn't report that they asked him a question, but maybe it was implied when Jesus, they're walking the behavior of the judge again, what are you going to do? And Jesus said, is it lawful to feel on the Sabbath or not that they remain silent?

6:03 In other places, the writers pull out the predicament that the Pharisees are in. If they say it's not lawful to heal on the Sabbath, they're real church. If they say it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath, they're allowing them to do work on the Sabbath, which looks like the alternate know, right? Like, a lot, some of the Pharisees believe that they could get all of Israel to keep the Sabbath perfectly just once, then the Messiah would return. The Sabbath was a really big deal for them.

6:35 But they remain silent, then he took him and healed him and sent him away. And he said to them, which of you having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on the Sabbath, they will not immediately pull him out, and they could not reply to these things? We're going to go on, but I've got to stop here for just a second because I don't think necessarily that Jesus went to the meal to teach the Pharisees a lesson.

7:08 I also don't think actually that most of the time Jesus liked picking a fight with the Pharisees. I don't think he was antagonistic towards them. There are a few times where he calls them names, but it's not to decide it's in protection of people that they're burdening or mistreating. But in this case, I don't think he steals the man just to get their growth. I think Jesus healed the guy just because he wants to.

7:47 I don't think he had to. I don't think it's like if he moves past the guy, he's not Jesus anymore, somehow because he's Jesus, he must heal as a sick person he encounters. I don't think that's the case. Because he decides it there further when he says, and he says,

8:17 which of you having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on Sabbath day will not immediately pull him out? He says, the things that you love and care for, you take care of Jesus does not know the person and the person is not a significant. Remember, one time Jesus heals the blind energies walking out of Jerusalem, he heals blind, barbed male, so they give us his name.

8:48 They'll give us the name of the person that Jesus heals when the person goes on to some kind of significance or importance in the church later when they say his name, people go, oh, that's where barbed male came from. The dude in the drop is nobody. He's just a dude at the house who retains water unnaturally and is not well. And happened to be tried to be used as a trick by the Pharisees to catch Jesus in something else. He just happens to be there, and Jesus cannot heal him.

9:20 He can't not fix him. His love and compassion is not for punctury or obligatory. It's not compulsory. It's dynamic and real. It comes from a place of genuine concerns. You can learn something about Jesus of Nazareth, about the God of creation and life here. His care is genuine and dynamic.

9:50 It is particular and new all. Good heavens, Jesus loves you like his own kids. And will come for you in trouble and sickness, in peril, you will come for you. Oh, man. There are times when Jesus says, in fact, I only came for the one during trouble.

10:30 And when the story went in, I left the 99 to go get the one. Everyone tells the story about the prodigal coming into the party, the good law of hiding older brother doesn't. Remember the story when he said, I came for the six, the ones who need a doctor not to help him. When I read, when I hear Jesus say, which of you having a son or an aunt has fallen so well on the status date, I feel like I want the feeling, the connection of being rescued by Jesus.

11:19 Remember the story with the woman caught in adultery where she feels like her life is actually in peril, the self-righteous condemnation, but accurate accusation of people in her life coming down on her. Jesus could firstly the crowd and look in her eyes and says, does no one can do this? Then neither do I. The feeling of forgiveness from the God of the universe is substantial and powerful and it is a thing I look for.

11:52 It's worth uncovering your sins and your need not to wallow or to feel strange but to receive forgiveness because these are the ones for whom Jesus came, the sons and the ox in the well, the ones in drop seat without any other hope, the ones lost and confused and tempted and afraid and anxious and lonely and sad and hope these are the ones Jesus came for to come with forgiveness and hope.

12:26 The Pharisees would have done better to recognize their own brokenness and get the healing from Jesus just like the man with drop seat and so would you. What should you have in your son or an officer who has fallen into a well on the status day? They could not reply to these things because they said, oh my God, we thought we were going to debate about law and this guy talks about love.

13:07 You know, they had rules on the status. You could be on the status but somebody had to work in order for you to eat. They weren't buying the food from, you know, sent me a while to realize one of our coffee shops is at Adlet Health and they have parking garages, you know, where you park and they have parking attendants in the garage. And they are, uh, stem day, then so they, they, they're very particular about a jovian status.

13:45 So by three o'clock on Friday, all the parking lot of tenants were gone. The parking was free. And it took me a while to figure out that they didn't want anyone working on the status. So even they would have a skeleton through it, the hospital just to keep folks alive. But the parking lot of tenants didn't want them to take the parking money. That's right. And so they didn't have to compel those people to work. The Pharisees had rules about, about what, what looked like work.

14:17 What kind of fire were you allowed to start? How far could you walk to get water? You could walk a certain distance to get water, but not so far that it is a state that you have to plan to have to. And when, when Jesus says, is it lawful to feel on the status, they thought they were going to have a conversation, a debate about the law. And Jesus shields the guy and then talks to him about whether or not they care about anybody at all. And they got nothing to say.

14:48 Because Jesus is more concerned about who we're going to come from the inside out than who we're becoming from the outside. And then what we're doing is he cares who we are. And he has genuine compassion. Verse 7, Then he tells the parable, goes right into it. And I told the parable to those who were invited when he noticed how they chose the places of honor.

15:20 It can almost imagine a situation here where he's also a dinner party. It's the ruler of the Pharisee. Big socks are there. There's only what is sick, is right in front of Jesus. Jesus, then instead of quietly healing the guy to send them out, he says, hey, do we think it's lawful to heal on the status? Nobody responds to their praise. He heals the guy, then calls them out. It doesn't have the debate. Now he's got the floor, and the whole party is their looking at him, so he just goes again.

15:52 He just starts telling the story while he's got the floor. Now he's all the parable to go to where he's invited when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, when you are invited by someone to a wedding, you do not sit down in a place of honor, left someone more distinguished than you being invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, give your place to this person,

16:22 and then you will begin the train to take the lowest place, verse 10. But when you are invited, they'll sit in the lowest place so that when your host comes, he may say to your friend, move up hollow, and then you will be honored in the presence of all who says you're stable with your support. Everyone who is golfing self will be humbled, and he who humbled himself will be exalted. I cannot figure out for a few minutes how this parable has anything to do with the healing of the Jews with the drop speech.

16:52 It sounds like a little story you would get in how to win friends and influence people, doesn't it? Hey, here's a little trick when you go to the party. Pretend that you are the loneliest in the room. And then when people are clear that you're way too good to be sitting all the way down there in front of everyone, they'll bring you up to the top.

17:23 But Jesus is not disingenuous. Ever. He's not encouraging you to be disingenuous even. Meaning he's not manipulative. He doesn't play games. He's concerned with who we are from the inside. I think the encouragement here to realize.

18:00 I'm saying you got invited to the feast. Saying you got invited to the feast and if you feel like, oh man, I'm here and you're looking around and you wonder if you're good enough or valuable enough or you're comparing yourself to the people around you and you feel like you're at least better than that dude. Maybe not quite better than that guy, but let's see how far I can go.

18:31 Jesus is saying the point is you're at the feast. I was looking at several places and probably going to talk with the kids about several places where Jesus says, or the church should say that God opposes the crowd but gives grace to the humble. And there's certainly an element of this in the story where Jesus is teaching a paradigm, a character trait of God where he prefers humility, but humility is not a parlor trait. It's not how to win friends and influence people. You don't humble yourself in order that you might be elevated.

19:03 This is not what Jesus is saying. But he's saying, do you realize where you might be found? Recognize the opportunity and honor of the education and be grateful that you have made it. Oh man, one of my favorite verses I'm never going to get off of this guy. It's just what happens to me. It's in the gospel of John and Jesus is talking about where he's going and he's right.

19:46 I'm going to find it. I'm not going to find it. And he, you remember him like he's like, I've got to go be with the father. And then I'm going to prepare a place in my father's house. There are many rooms. Oh, see that John 14. Oh, towards the end.

20:34 Oh, yeah. Oh, you're right. Well, it's in John 14. But Jesus says, I'm going to prepare a place. I'm going to my father's house. And my father's house. There are many rooms. And if I go there, I go to prepare a place for you. And I'll go to prepare a place for you that I'm coming back to get you.

21:05 John wrote at the end. He said, this is written that you might believe that the Jesus who healed the man with drop of the water into wine.

21:35 Who brought up that wine by Bartimaeus who called dead Lazarus out of the grave. We suffered the ritual of the trial who endured pilots who carried the cross who took on the cross. And now to the 500 that the resurrection would hear that the reign of God was now who dispersed the apostles who with his release his spirit on the people who had preserved the church

22:08 until today that this one, this Jesus has prepared a place for you. You have a place, a room, a land prepared just for you. He didn't. He just says, when you realize what you're invited to, you'll stop comparing yourself

22:48 to everyone I know. You won't have to put some folk down in order to elevate yourself. You'll be secure and satisfied. You'll be grateful to the at the party. And your humility, he says, is becoming. Your humility is attractive.

23:18 Your humility is a place where it's well on you because it points to the grace of your hope. You'll come find you, be a new and secure and secure and find.

23:48 That's for you forever. Let me pray that we would find ourselves there. And I go and thank you for your generosity and heart for your persistent, powerful grace. Thank you for your creative provision, your secure protection, for including us in the

24:29 future of our presence. Be with us now. And I go to the church and I go to the church and I go to the church and I go to the church and I go to the church and I go to the church and I go to the church and I go to the church and I go to the church and I go to the church and I go to the church and I go to the church