Luke 14:1-11[1] As preached at Rolling Hills Church on Sunday, August 28th, 2011
Two weeks ago we learned of the narrow door, and of Jesus' command to strive to enter through it to life. Last week we learned of the hardness of hearts that resist the love and grace of God – O, Jerusalem! Today we're going to a nice feast with our Lord, and we're going to consider two words – compassion and humility. The message is a question: Where is Our Compassion and Humility? We'll begin in Luke 14:1-6.
1 One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully.
2 And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy.
3 And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?"
4 But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away.
5 And he said to them, "Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?"
6 And they could not reply to these things.
This is a Word about Compassion: to the host.
See? Now you can eat with sinners – non religious and religious!
Hospitality is good; using the sick is bad. Good: Romans 12:13, Hebrews 13:2, 1 Peter 4:9. We can at least commend the man for showing hospitality; after all we are commanded in the New Testament to do so, and it is a qualification for elders to be hospitable. Let's not use a sick person to bait a trap over lunch, though. Jesus knew it, and He took the bait.
Man's laws can lose their purpose and miss their mark. Sabbath rules had lost theirs. Jesus was using sarcasm to show that human life is of much more value than animal life! Humans have eternal souls and an eternal destiny; animals do not have an eternal soul.
Two questions: "Is it lawful?" No reply. "Will you help an ox or your son on the Sabbath?" No reply.
They could count on Jesus to show compassion. It was the third time in this book He'd been confronted on the Sabbath, seventh time overall. How much more evidence did they need? Jesus healed people on the Sabbath – guilty. He had compassion – guilty. Now the compassion of Jesus is to be understood not simply as a personal emotional reaction but as a public criticism in which he dares to act upon his concern against the entire numbness of his social context.[2] By His engagement with the sick and needy, Jesus condemned those who ignored and used the sick and weak.
Compassion comes and grows through connection.
Who donates to and staffs Ronald McDonald houses? Those who have stayed there and experienced the warm, generous provision while their child fights cancer. Who raises awareness and funds for autism? Breast cancer? Drunk driving deaths? Those touched by them; those with connections.
Jesus walked among the lowly, the normal, and the average people. He was among humanity; that was the point of His incarnation! This is where we benefit our hearts by keeping them tender, church family; we get some up-close and personal connection with suffering, need, loss, and death. We come to view those we don't agree with or think highly of (and thus we ignore their sufferings) as humans, and we have compassion.
The sick man was a trap; he was being used to catch Jesus. Otherwise it's pretty doubtful he would have been invited. Why did they invite him and sit him next to Jesus? They could count on Jesus' compassion. This tells us something, church; we can't have compassion for sinners if we don't have connection with them. If we can keep away from suffering we can harden our heart toward suffering people. Hard hearts care more for rules than for people. What's the best story of compassion in the Bible? The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37). What was the point? Who is my neighbor? Story, and command: go and do likewise. Love your neighbor; he's the one in need that you have connection with.
Can folks count on the church for compassion, the way they did Jesus? Christ is in us, and He has compassion for the sick, the weak, and the lost. Does that come out through us? Through you? Through me? That is a word about compassion to the host. Now…
A Word about Humility: to the guests. Luke 14:7-11
7 Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them,
8 "When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him,
9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, 'Give your place to this person,' and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place.
10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you.
11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Parables make a point. This one is; don't exalt yourself; let God and others do that. Proverbs 27:2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.
Humility starts with right thinking about God; how huge, holy, wise, powerful, and good!
Humility grows with right thinking about ourselves. How dark, sinful, selfish, frail, and ungodly! Those who think this way know they should take the lowly seat – they're just glad they were invited! "He must increase, but I must decrease"(John 3:30).
Here's the truth; we don't deserve the place of honor. But here's how we often think; I deserve the place of honor. It's based on who we are, who we know, or what we've done. "I'm his friend, doctor, pastor, brother, boss, co-worker, etc."
"I've done this, that, and the other for him, so this is my seat."
We exist in a culture of self-advertising, self-marketing, and self-promotion. It is so unusual to be humble instead of exalting yourself that it is simply weird. Folks, are we weird? Are we humble? If we are weird, it is because we trust God to take care of us?
A man named Selden wrote that, "Humility is a virtue all preach, none practice, and yet everybody is content to hear. The master thinks it good doctrine for the servant, the church for the pastor, and the pastor for the church." I would submit to you that God thinks it to be good for us all[3]. I would also ask your prayers; it is indeed good for your pastor, and he needs more of it.
Humility isn't being a doormat. Jesus was humble: he said so! He wasn't a doormat. Jesus commends compassion. When Jesus obeyed God, He stood firm on the gospel; He confronted lies and errors. That wasn't arrogant, that was humble; He was exalting God, not Himself. Humility courageously stands for the gospel.
So…
A word about compassion: compassion comes and grows through connection with the needy. Is your compassion evident and growing? Is it active? Is it stifled by a hard, lawful heart? If so, look around; connect with the hurting. This is required Christian character, church family.
A word about humility: it begins with right thinking about God and about ourselves. We humble ourselves, and we let God and others exalt us. When we trust God, there's no need to self-promote. Are you growing in humility? If not, this is a serious warning from our Lord; humble yourself; consider others more important than yourselves.
Where is our compassion and humility, church? Let's pray.
A word to those who do not believe Jesus as Lord and Savior; He has had compassion on you through His humility; He humbled Himself to become a man out of compassion for the lost. He humbled Himself to death, even death on a cross. Have you repented of your sin and received the gift of life He purchased for you there? Today would be a good day to turn from sin, believe in Jesus, and follow Him.
[1] All Scriptures, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved. I paste them in red for distinction.
[2] Quote by Brueggemann found at http://www.toddlittleton.net/brueggemann-on-compassion-as-cultural-critique
[3] From 6000 Sermon Illustrations, by Elon Foster, published by Baker Book House, 1992
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