The Word Is Alive The Gospel of Luke

1. The Word Is AliveThe Gospel of Luke Chapter Fourteen Presented by Tony Gillon

2. Chapter Fourteen • Luke 9:51–19:27 - The Journey to Jerusalem • (continues)

3. Chapter Fourteen • Luke 9:51–19:27 - The Journey to Jerusalem • (continues) • Luke 13:22–17:10 - The second mention of the journey to Jerusalem (continues)

4. The Journey to Jerusalem • Summary of Chapter Fourteen • Jesus again heals on the Sabbath.

5. The Journey to Jerusalem • Summary of Chapter Fourteen • Jesus again heals on the Sabbath. • The need for humility.

6. The Journey to Jerusalem • Summary of Chapter Fourteen • Jesus again heals on the Sabbath. • The need for humility. • The Parable of the Great Feast.

7. The Journey to Jerusalem • Summary of Chapter Fourteen • Jesus again heals on the Sabbath. • The need for humility. • The Parable of the Great Feast. • Disciples need to make sacrifices.

8. The Journey to Jerusalem • Luke 14:1–6 – • The healing of a man on the Sabbath

9. The Journey to Jerusalem • Luke 14:1–6 – • The healing of a man on the Sabbath • This is Jesus’ third and last Sabbath healing recorded in Luke: • On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shrivelled. (Continued).

10. The Journey to Jerusalem • The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shrivelled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone”. So he got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” (Continued).

11. The Journey to Jerusalem • He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand”. He did so, and his hand was completely restored. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus. • (Luke 6:6–11).

12. The Journey to Jerusalem • On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity”. (Continued).

13. The Journey to Jerusalem • Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath”. The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? (Continued).

14. The Journey to Jerusalem • Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing. • (Luke 13:10-17).

15. The Journey to Jerusalem • 1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2 There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy.

16. The Journey to Jerusalem • 3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?

17. The Journey to Jerusalem • 3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not? • Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not? • We have just looked at two instances elsewhere in Luke. There is nothing under the Law of Moses to prevent the healings that Jesus performed on a Sabbath. It was something that had become a Pharisaic tradition.

18. The Journey to Jerusalem • There are 39 things prohibited on the Sabbath in Mishnah but Jesus shows that the Sabbath was a day for good work as long as it brings glory to God. • Bringing glory to God is what life is all about!

19. The Journey to Jerusalem • 4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away.

20. The Journey to Jerusalem • 4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away. • 5 Then he asked them, If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?

21. The Journey to Jerusalem • 4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away. • 5 Then he asked them, If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out? • 6 And they had nothing to say.

22. The Journey to Jerusalem • On a previous occasion, Luke 6:10-11, neither Jesus nor the man healed did anything that could remotely constitute work. • Jesus performed a mighty miracle but the Jewish leaders hearts were hardened and they failed to recognise the reality of their situation.

23. The Journey to Jerusalem • Luke 14:7–17:10 -  • Various Teachings and Parables

24. The Journey to Jerusalem • Luke 14:7–17:10 -  • Various Teachings and Parables • Jesus teaches on discipleship and God’s love.

25. The Journey to Jerusalem • Luke 14:7–14 – Places of Honour

26. The Journey to Jerusalem • Luke 14:7–14 – Places of Honour • We have met this idea before. The religious leaders loved the status they had in the community and this included being seated at banquets, weddings or public gatherings in the most prominent seating that was allocated according to an individual’s perceived social status.

27. The Journey to Jerusalem • 7When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honour at the table, he told them this parable: • 8 When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honour, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited.

28. The Journey to Jerusalem • 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your seat’. Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. • 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place’. Then you will be honoured in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

29. The Journey to Jerusalem • The parable of the wedding feast was directed to thosewhomay have been invited to the dinner at the house of the Pharisee.

30. The Journey to Jerusalem • When he noticed: • Luke states at the beginning Jesus’ purpose in telling the parable. • The parable teaches the wisdom of humility: it is better to be humble than humiliated; lowest place; move up to a better place.

31. The Journey to Jerusalem • Solomon confirms this: • Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among his great men; it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here”, than for him to humiliate you before his nobles (Proverbs 25:6–7a).

32. The Journey to Jerusalem • Humiliatedhonoured: • Jesus provides an example in the account of the Pharisee and the tax collector, where he says of the latter: • “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 18:14).

33. The Journey to Jerusalem • But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble” (James 4:6).

34. The Journey to Jerusalem • But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble” (James 4:6). • Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up (James 4:10).

35. The Journey to Jerusalem • In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble”. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. • (1 Peter 5:5–6).

36. The Journey to Jerusalem • The best way to become high is to start low, as true humility is a great gift; false humility is hypocrisy and an offence to God. Prideful ambition leads to dishonour; humility to true honour, which is given to us by God.

37. The Journey to Jerusalem • 12 Then Jesus said to his host, When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.

38. The Journey to Jerusalem • 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.

39. The Journey to Jerusalem • Do not invite your friends but do invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind. • Jesus again emphasises the radical generosity and care that his disciples are to show toward those who are physically impaired and economically deprived.

40. The Journey to Jerusalem • ‘Give to your friends but let it be to your poor friends not to those that do not need it’. • Pliny the Younger.

41. The Journey to Jerusalem • ‘Give to your friends but let it be to your poor friends not to those that do not need it’. • Pliny the Younger. • He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich — both come to poverty (Proverbs 22:16a).

42. The Journey to Jerusalem • And in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, and the nobles of the provinces were present. For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendour and glory of his majesty (Esther 1:3-4).

43. The Journey to Jerusalem • Luke 14:15-24 – • The parable of the great banquet

44. The Journey to Jerusalem • Luke 14:15-24 – • The parable of the great banquet • This is a parable relating to the point in salvation history, when those chosen to be the bride of Christ, his church, sit to dine with him at the wedding feast of the Lamb in heaven or on a new earth, wherever it is that he will choose to hold it.

45. The Journey to Jerusalem • 15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.

46. The Journey to Jerusalem • 15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God. • Blessed is the man who will eat seems to be a common saying, possibly intended here to change the uncomfortable subject.

47. The Journey to Jerusalem • In the kingdom of God points to the future messianic banquet to which the people of Jesus’ day would have understood only godly Jews would be invited. • Jesus will again teach they have misunderstood the scriptures and that it is only those who accept him that will be invited.

48. The Journey to Jerusalem • 16 Jesus replied: A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready’. • 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me’.

49. The Journey to Jerusalem • 19 Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me’. • 20 Still another said, ‘I have just got married, so I can’t come’.

50. The Journey to Jerusalem • A great banquet refers to the arrival of the kingdom in the ministry of Jesus with its initial present taste of the joyful fellowship with God that will be fully realised in the coming age.