Living in the Spirit

August 28, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 14:1, 7-14

On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely.

He said also 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, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’ –Luke 14:1, 12-14

This must be the season of fundraising for non-profits. Many were canceled over the past two years because of COVID. I think we may have decided that we just must live with the virus. Non-profits have their own personalities. Some hold lavish dinners with cocktails before and special treatment for the big givers. Others offer more modest refreshments often in touch with the service they provide.

The purpose of this scripture perhaps lives in the first verse. Jesus was going to the house of the leaders of the Pharisees. I do not think Jesus is saying we should not enjoy meals with our relatives and friends and enjoy meals when invited to their homes. No, he was addressing a group who at times got a little too caught up in self-righteousness. Eating with the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind might have touched the hearts of some of them to see the needs of others and not just invest their time in strictly following rules targeted at ultimately receiving the rewards they expect from their behavior. I think we can assume Jesus saw none of the groups he named represented at this dinner.

We, too, need to keep our self-righteousness in check. The challenge is to take our blinders off to see ourselves for how we treat others.

Prayer: Lord, help us to recognize that all people were made in your image and that we must see that image in each person not categorizing them by the opinions of the world. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.