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Copyright © 2012 J. Neely. All rights reserved.
Chapter 3 - Dinner - Honor
Luke 14:12-14
12 Then [de] said he [lego] also [kai] to him that bade [kaleo] him [autos] , When [hotan] thou makest [poieo] a dinner [ariston] or [e] a supper [deipnon] , call [phoneo] not [me] thy [sou] friends [philos] , nor [mede] thy [sou] brethren [adelphos] , neither [mede] thy [sou] kinsmen [suggenes] , nor [mede] thy rich [plousios] neighbours [geiton] ; lest [mepote] they [autos] also [kai] bid [antikaleo] thee [se] again [antikaleo] , and [kai] a recompence [antapodoma] be made [ginomai] thee [soi] .
13 But [alla] when [hotan] thou makest [poieo] a feast [doche] , call [kaleo] the poor [ptochos] , the maimed [anaperos] , the lame [cholos] , the blind [tuphlos] :
14 And [kai] thou shalt be [esomai] blessed [makarios] ; for [hoti] they cannot [ou] [echo] recompense [antapodidomi] thee [soi] : for [gar] thou [soi] shalt be recompensed [antapodidomi] at [en] the resurrection [anastasis] of the just [dikaios] . KJV-Interlinear
12 And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, 'When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and repayment come to you. 13 'But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. ' NASB
When God placed each one of us in this world, He paced us in varying sets of circumstances which none of us had any say in nor control over. To some He made kings, to some He made peasants, and that leaves a lot of room in between for the rest of us.
We are living souls. Jesus has stated that in heaven there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither male nor female, neither marriage nor giving in marriage. That means that in this life our circumstances, no matter what they are, are temporary and not permanent.
God placed each one of us in a position which would best fit the circumstances we would face in life. Some He made male, some He made female, some rich, some poor and so forth. We should never look upon anyone and presume our self better than they just because of what we see.
However, the world is by its nature, very superficial. We look at the filthy and we presume they are the dredge of the earth. We look at the beautiful and we presume that they are the gifted and blessed. We naturally gravitate to those who will enhance our life style, our position, our life in general.
Now this doesn't mean that you need to be stupid in life and trust everyone. If you have any doctrine in your soul, then you know that caution and common sense are a part of your spiritual life as well.
But as a pattern of how we treat people in general, then we should avoid prejudice and we should avoid being self centered.
Those who lack doctrine will generally pursue the prejudiced path. And prejudice can be very subtle. The Pharisee invited only those who were influential and those who were well off in the community. He was thinking of himself only. He was thinking of entertaining those who could enhance his career. There was no courtesy, no graciousness, no humility in his manner. He was a self indulgent and self centered man. That is not uncommon for most people. We are all raised to be winners, to get to know those who will help us along in life, to have connections and so forth. And this is not a bad thing per se, but when the motives begin to deal harshly with those whom you do not see as fitting of your time, then you have crossed over into the path of the hypocrite.
The Pharisee was a priest and in that capacity he was obligated to teach the Word of God to all, and to help all. Those who were well to do probably did not need much in the way of earthly help, but they did have money and connections, so there is the political aspect of knowing such people.
The man with the disease was in need of help, but he was looked down on and he was used for evil purposes rather than given help.
So Jesus now places our thoughts on the motives of our choices in life. How do we look at people? God placed each of us in the position we are in. Some of us will use our time and volition to advance ourselves in our spiritual lives (regardless of our circumstances of life) and some will not advance in their spiritual lives. Circumstances are irrelevant as far as the spiritual life is concerned.
Our life is evaluated by Christ and that evaluation is greater than any evaluation or kind thoughts we 'think' we are receiving from those who we look to as connections to the better life. The better life comes in eternity not in this life.
So Christ reminds us that in the resurrection, and that means the resurrection of the righteous (people who are saved because they have believed in Christ), there will be an evaluation. Your life will be laid out for all to see. Did you live for your own selfish motives and desires in this life only, or did you live to gain Christ's approval in a manner in which He would actually approve of? Are you obedient to Christ's design for your life, or are you one who wished your were someone else?
We all have responsibilities in life - children to parents, wives to husbands, individuals to God and doctrine and so forth. We all have careers of sorts. Some of us will design rockets. Some of us will change diapers. Some will have tremendous physical abilities. Some will have handicaps. None are better than the other.
Your circumstances in this life are merely your logistical means for living in this physical life. Your support (your life, job, ability, IQ, etc.) keeps you alive so you can learn and grow up spiritually. Your spiritual life is or should be your primary concern, and your abilities, your career, your circumstances support that objective.
While you grow up spiritually, you are also given this life in order to apply spiritual principles to your daily life. This gives you even more learning and more application and more evaluation of exactly where your thoughts, your motives, and your actions really are in life. This means you have the opportunity to practice what you know.
If we look at life as doing nothing unless we receive something in return, then we prejudice ourselves right out of a spiritual life and right into the trap that the world (the jungle) would have us in. Humility comes with no strings attached. We interact with others without prejudice. We give without strings, or without concern for how the funds will be used. There use is not our concern. God will deal with those who receive your gifts just as He will deal with you and your attitude in life.
Therefore, learn scripture, learn its principles, and practice them daily in your life. That establishes your true pattern of life in which you really believe, and in the long run will gain you a high evaluation grade when it really counts - at the Judgment Seat of Christ. To do otherwise is leading a self centered and phony or duplicitous life which will gain you nothing.
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Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth.
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