What’s the key to greatness? One of Jesus’ disciple’s favorite things to argue about was who was the greatest…
In Luke 9:46 an argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. What’s up with that?! You would think that after walking with Jesus for 3+ years, they might have learned about the source of power and authority, and probably shouldn’t have been arguing about their own greatness with one another…
Unfortunately, this wasn’t just a one-and-done conversation… it wasn’t an isolated even… it happens again in Luke 22:24, “And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest.” What’s interesting about this dispute this time? They were in the Upper Room… sharing one last supper with Jesus and one another…. Jesus would be hung on a Roman cross in just a matter of hours… and the disciples were fighting and arguing amongst one another about who among them would be the greatest, most powerful.
Luke isn’t the only Gospel writer to talk about this… both Mark and Matthew included these conflicts in their Gospels, too. Mark 10:35-37, “James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, *came up to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” 36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 37 They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.”
The Sons of Thunder believed the Messiah would come and overthrow the Roman occupation of Israel. They thought the Messiah would sit on the throne and rule with absolute power in the sovereign nation of Israel. His disciples – especially James and John – wanted to sit next to Him in power… they wanted to be the greatest among them.
In Matthew’s Gospel, even their mom got involved! Matthew 20:20-21, “Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. 21 And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She *said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.”
Like a parent complaining to the coach that her boys deserve more playing time… Even their mom thought that Jesus was going to arrive in Jerusalem, overthrow the Romans and then take His rightful throne. And more than that, she wanted her sons to be part of that endeavor… and wanted them to be recognized! She was ambitious for her sons to have power and position… and that would have provided prestige for the whole family.
Jesus was on this final walk to Jerusalem… and it had to be a lonely one for Him… Sure, He was surrounded by people, including His disciples… but even though they were with Him… they did not understand what He was facing or what He was about to endure.
You could say that their ambition had blinded them. Pride is blinding after all. It would seem that even those who were closest to Jesus had a bit of a thirst for power and position… and this seems to be a recurring problem for the disciples… and Jesus seemed to pretty consistently call it out… All this bickering and back-biting between the disciples… all striving to be the proverbial “king of the hill” right next to Jesus. They wanted the keys to greatness.
CONTEXT
Jesus ate with the Pharisees 3 times in Luke’s gospel… our text today is the third time. The first time in Luke 7 ended with a fight when Jesus allowed a sinful woman to anoint His feet. The second dinner ended in a fight because Jesus neglected to wash His hands before He ate. So… I wonder how this third one is going to end… the conflict this time [not joking here] is about a seating chart… let’s get some context…
Luke 14:1-6, “It happened that when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching Him closely. 2 And there in front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy. 3 And Jesus answered and spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” 4 But they kept silent. And He took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away. 5 And He said to them, “Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?” 6 And they could make no reply to this.”
This narrative sets the stage for the fight that’s about to begin… My first thought is to tell Jesus to be on guard because this has to be a trap! He’s having dinner with a Pharisee. It sure seems like when Jesus is invited over to an event at a religious leader’s house there is some ulterior motive behind it… something to try catch him in some heretical teaching, or saying, or action, and this time is probably no different.
3 details hint at this… first, the banquet is in the home of a “prominent” Pharisee… literally, “one of the rulers of the Pharisees.” Which means he isn’t just a big wig… he might be one of the biggest of all wigs… maybe a member of the Sanhedrin [the Jewish Supreme Court], or maybe the ruler of the synagogue they just worshipped in that Saturday… and second, on top of that… this whole ordeal is taking place on a Sabbath… and that usually means trouble for Jesus and His crew… They had seen Jesus in action before on the Sabbath and they assumed they knew what He would do this time. Third, There is a guy here at the party with dropsy… this would be like modern day edema. The body is retaining water… often indicates heart failure or liver issues… A sickness which could lead to a person’s organs beginning to shut down. They would hold fluid and become extremely swollen. It could be fatal. So, we see a man with a very serious condition. It makes me wonder if the only reason this sick man was invited was to be used by these religious leaders…
Maybe the biggest hint of their motives is at the end of verse 1… it says, “they were watching Him closely.” Why? Well, probably not because they loved Him or were amazed by Him… I would think it was because they set Him up and were trying to catch Him.
Jesus, of course, recognizes their intentions, and as usual, asks them a question. Is it right to heal on the Sabbath? If a Pharisee answered yes it’s right to heal on a Sabbath, his friends would accuse him of watering down their traditions. If he answered no, it’s not right then the people would say, what kind of heartless religion are you running here? If their hypocrisy is exposed, they might lose a few followers to Jesus. The only option they had was to stay quiet!
It seems like an awkward dinner, right? Usually at a dinner table, there is a conversation…a discussion where someone says one thing and the other(s) respond accordingly. That’s how dialogue works… you say something and people respond, then you respond, and so on and so forth… But not here!
Jesus asks a question… the answer seems simple and obvious. And yet, the Pharisees keep quiet. They want Jesus to break the traditions by healing… but they found themselves in a catch-22. Their solution is silence.
Jesus’ response is to heal this guy right in front of their faces. He heals him, sends him away… Then he turns to deal with the Pharisees. And He asks another question… to which they stay quiet yet again… His question reminds them that they also heal on the Sabbath. If they would save a son or an ox, certainly Jesus can save this man with dropsy.
Jesus breaks their Sabbath traditions in favor of God’s greater concern for mercy and compassion. And His logic overpowers them. The phrase, “they had nothing to say,” is literally, “they were not able to answer against these things.” They are not just tongue-tied… they were hog-tied. They know they’ve been outwitted. They so badly wanted to contradict Jesus in the worst way, but are glaringly unable to do so.
What they’ve left us with is a clear picture of hypocrisy. It’s a self-seeking attitude… one that fears man and not God… one that lives for worldly importance and lacks a genuine heart for Kingdom matters.
They only invited the man with dropsy to use him and they only invited Jesus to trap Him. At this point, they were looking for any reason they could find to trap Jesus. This world has a high demand for fame and status. This sets the stage for Jesus’ thoughts on status and power and position… let’s keep reading…
Luke 14:7-11, “And He began speaking a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place. 10 But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
There was a definite pecking order at these feasts. And the seating chart was pretty important… now I know we’re creatures of habit and like to sit in the same seat every week at church… and we can get a little defensive if someone takes our seat… but at these banquets, it was next level… 1st century tables were shaped like a horseshoe… the host would sit at the top in the center… the place of honor was at his right hand, and the number 2 would be at the left… this seating chart would then go back and forth across the table until you got to the lowest “seat.”
You might get away with sliding up a seat or two… but if you were feeling a little froggy and moved up the ladder too far… then the host would have to ask you to give away your seat to a more prominent guest. That wouldn’t just be embarrassing, but shameful.
These guys are like children arguing over who gets to sit in the front seat of a car. It’s ridiculous, selfish, and arrogant. Jesus’ attention is focused on this scene of grown men fighting over which cushion they were going to park their hineys on. His wisdom, “don’t take the best seat you can get… take the lowest seat.” Instead of being singled out for demotion, you will be singled out for promotion!
Jesus isn’t just talking about good banquet etiquette. This rule applies to every arena of our lives, from parking places to company parties. If we act arrogantly, we will get put in our place… if not in this life, then the next. But oftentimes in this life… We may get away with a little bit for a little while, but eventually, it will catch up with us.
The converse is also true. If we humble ourselves by taking a lower position we will eventually be properly recognized. Oftentimes in this life… certainly in the next.
God’s economy is not only different than ours, it is often opposite of ours. And when life is over, God will turn the totem pole upside down. Those who were on the top will be on the bottom and those on the bottom will be on the top. God is able to do this because He judges the heart and we are only able to judge appearance and performance. God knows the depths of a person, whether his motive is pure or poor.
Jesus knew what was in a person’ heart… and His disciples were filled to overflowing with pride… they constantly battled for positions of power, arguing about who was going to be the greatest. And this makes them not so different from the Pharisees in this text… they all wanted positions of power and recognition.
Jesus gets at the heart of this a little bit further on His journey to Jerusalem… in Luke 18:9-14 it says, “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
How about that. Not once, but twice, His disciples argued with one another as to who would be the greatest. And, not once, but twice, they heard Jesus say: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” If it’s repeated, it’s important. If a person exalts himself, He will be humbled.
I wonder if God wants us to see something here… maybe it’s that pride is at the root of all that is evil. Why did Jesus call it out? He knew Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.”
Before I say this next line… hear me out, okay… hold your tomatoes for just a minute… Adam and Eve did NOT commit the first sin. Satan did. Satan rebelled against God, wanting to be just like Him. Pride was the first sin ever to be committed and that is why we call it the cardinal sin! It is at the core of human existence and God hates it.
Life in the ancient world was full of vanity. A man’s image was all about his title, wealth, power, prestige, possessions. King Solomon wasn’t only known for his wisdom, but he was just as famous for his wealth and his women – all 1,000 of them! The culture then was all about the importance of self above all others. Humility was never seen as a virtue, but as a weakness. People would shun humility. Humility was viewed as humiliating.
The word ‘humility’ means ‘low, low to the ground.’ When a king conquered another king in battle, it was common to force that king to the ground, and the conquering king would put his foot on the defeated king’s neck, cursing him in humiliation, and then kill him.
You’re like Joe… “it’s just a seating chart.” Not really… it’s more than that… Jesus is getting to the heart of humanity… matters of self-importance. Recognition. Pride. And I would even say that life then looks much like life now.
Hollywood provides a realistic commentary on pride in our culture… Hollywood basically survives via pride. Think about all of the award shows… it’s kind of ridiculous… The Oscars first took place in 1927… since then, more and more award shows have followed… the Emmys, Golden Globe, Grammy, People’s Choice, Critic’s Choice, Screen Actor’s Guild, Producer’s Guild, Writer’s Guild, Director’s Guild, MTV Movie, and more. I learned that there are 564 award shows today for Hollywood. They award over 4,025 trophies per year to themselves. Hollywood sure enjoys being in the spotlight.
And so do we… it’s a little thing called pride… it’s a cancer that has spread throughout our culture, coast-to-coast, home-to-home, person-to-person. And God hates it. Because it edges Him out of the picture… believing that we have made it in life due our own strength and our own talent. We have the mindset that we have built up all we have and that we have polished the talents and skills that we have… and we edge God out with our over-active egos. Is it any wonder that James 4:6 says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Now I can’t speak for anyone except myself, and I for one, do not want the Creator of the universe opposing me! Let’s continue…
Luke 14:12-14, “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, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment. 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.”
Jesus moves from the perspective of the guest, to the perspective of the host. As a guest, have humility. As a host, serve. Loving and serving people who are your friends shows nothing that is commendable! So, invite people who are hard to love. Invite poor people, crippled people, lame and blind people. The man with dropsy should have been invited out of love! Not to be used, but to show compassion. True Righteousness does not look to be repaid. Hospitality needs to be offered free of charge, just as Jesus Christ has given us grace and forgiveness…free of charge.
How do we do this? “Stop continually inviting…” important people to your parties. Now there’s nothing wrong with having friends or family over for dinner… but if they are the only ones you ever invite, you might have a problem. One rabbi named Yose ben Yohanan summarized this text by saying this, “Let your house be wide open. And seat the poor at your table.”
We know investments are important. If we spend all our money now, then we probably won’t have any to enjoy later. Jesus is speaking the language of investment. Giving to the poor is really an investment. We are choosing to forego the enjoyment of recognition by our peers, so that we will be recognized by God. He will reward well at the resurrection.
Luke 14:15-20, “When one of those who were reclining at the table with Him heard this, he said to Him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” [That man’s remark prompted Jesus into another parable. The remark was probably meant to remove tension in the room, this is an awkward dinner after all, so there was tension no doubt, like “despite our differences, it’ll be nice to experience the blessing of sitting in fellowship with God when he brings His rule to completion.” Or , “Won’t it be nice when we can all eat with God when His work is done?”] 16 But He said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; 17 and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.’ 19 Another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’ 20 Another one said, ‘I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’”
Jesus describes an instance where those who are in line to dine with Jesus run the risk of not making it to the table at all. He tells the story of a man who plans a great banquet, his guests were invited, and the servants were sent to announce the beginning of the meal!
The punchline is powerful here. The picture is really of God giving a banquet for His Son Jesus. The invitations are extended far and wide announcing this feast. The meal is prepared and a second invitation is sent. Everybody who’s anybody is invited – all the rich and famous. But they reject the invitation unanimously. With once accord they send the servant away.
Three friends flake. One bought a field, the other oxen, and the third has a new wife. None of these excuses are good! They may seem urgent at first, but the truth is that they all could have waited. The guy with a new wife had the only-halfway decent excuse because he was a newlywed, and that excuse didn’t measure up either. The host is in a dilemma.
Luke 14:21-24, “And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.’”
We must read this parable in light of the previous chapter. Jesus has been calling the Israelites to come into the Kingdom of God and over and over they have refused to enter…so he’s saying that the gospel will now go to the Gentiles, the poor, crippled, blind, and lame. The Jews reject their own Messiah, so salvation goes out to the Gentiles. The servants are sent out everywhere. Scour the streets for guests. Invite everyone!
The master is intent on filling the banquet hall in honor of His Son. The servants are not just inviting people… they were to “compel” or “make them come.” In other words, the Gospel’s borders are expanded, and the invitation is strong.
And here’s where the rubber meets the road… in this text we are the poor, crippled, blind, and lame who God invites to the great banquet feast. We don’t have anything to repay the Master… and yet the Gospel comes to us. And we are compelled to come in. Jesus doesn’t just tell this parable so the host will start inviting humble people in… He shows that this is exactly what God has done. This is His practice that we are to emulate. God invites the poor to His parties! He invites the humble… that they may be exalted. And this is the example of Jesus..
Jesus “humbled Himself.” That means He left heaven and “lowered Himself,” coming here to live a human life, one marked with indescribable service for others. He didn’t consider His own desires. He put the needs of others before His own wants.
Even though Jesus was fully and completely God, He was born to a peasant girl from an obscure village. His adoptive earthly father was a blue-collar worker, a carpenter by trade. The Son of God was born out in a barn and laid in a feeding trough for animals. Shepherds— those who were reviled by most people—were the first people to come calling on Baby Jesus in the delivery room.
Jesus Christ, the Creator of Life, was born into and confined by a human body. Jesus, the Sustainer of all the universe, became a helpless infant. Jesus entered this world on a journey into humility. The journey into humility continued throughout His life. Jesus healed those who were ill. He fed those who were hungry. He raised people from the dead. He defended women and welcomed children. He even washed the feet of His disciples. He was not made famous by owning a home or writing a book. His resume did not include a college degree or elected office. While on earth, Jesus lived humility. Even in His death, Jesus lived humility. Though He was—and still is—righteous God, Jesus allowed Himself to be arrested and stand trial as a common criminal. Though He was— and still is—holy God, Jesus died for sins He did not commit. Though He was—and still is— eternal God, Jesus experienced physical death. Crucifixion is both horrific and humiliating. Hanging naked on the cross, the Roman soldiers gambled for the only thing that He owned— the clothing that He wore the day He died. Once dead, He was buried in a borrowed tomb. Not just during the final weeks of His earthly life when He made one last journey to Jerusalem, but from even before the beginning of measured time, Jesus lived humility—for “before the foundations of the earth were laid,” Jesus agreed to come and die for us. When we wake up in the morning, we are faced with a decision – will I deliberately walk into humility?
Let’s take our children and our grandchildren as an example. What do they see in us— humility or pride? Do they see us on the road of life being prideful and envious? Do they see us compare ourselves to others? We see their homes, cars and trucks, clothes and toys, and we want what they have. We hear of their travels and trips, and we want to go where they go. We hear how they just got back from the French Riviera and we just got back from a road trip in our 1995 Buick Riviera. Can we stop the contest of who has the biggest house, newest car, most money, and nicest clothes!
Are we ambitious for our children and grandchildren? We have ambitions for them – wanting them to go into a certain vocation, receive a certain education, graduate from a particular university. Our ambitions for them may be in a particular profession, in athletics, academics, the arts. Our ambitions for them are to be the best at whatever they do—even from the age of 2 — wanting them in the limelight of public recognition.
Here are a few questions. Are these ambitions a reflection of greatness as defined in Scripture? Are the ambitions for our children and grandchildren more important than each of them growing in humility and servanthood? Are these ambitions more important to us than the importance of humbling themselves before God? Are we more concerned about our children and grandchildren’s recognition in THIS life before others than in the NEXT life before God? We celebrate when our children and grandchildren make the dean’s list, honor roll, win games, set a school record, score well on the ACT/SAT, etc. That’s good.
Want to do something better? Let’s REALLY celebrate when the children and grandchildren live like Christ: humility, servanthood, godliness. Those are the marks of greatness. Those are the marks of a “whatever it takes” life.
Let’s close with this prayer of Francis of Assisi:
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being rebuked, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being criticized, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That in the opinion of the world others may increase and I may decrease,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. Amen.