Q2, S05 The Table

Quarter 2, Session 5: Eat with Jesus

WILL YOU JOIN ME AT THE TABLE?

Passage

Luke 14:1–24

Concept

This session falls under Jesus’ fifth question: Will you join me? In this session, we will observe Jesus at a dinner party thrown by the religious leaders of the day. As Jesus watches the guests at the meal jockey for position and importance, Jesus uses the opportunity to show that a table is for relationship and blessing, not self-promotion.

Key Question

How are you opening your life (and your literal table) to spend time with Jesus and be a blessing to the people around you?

The Network Tool

Do you see our Network tool being played out in Luke 14:1–24? With whom? How so?

Eat with Jesus

What is the thing you structure your life in an attempt to attain? It’s not always easy to evaluate ourselves on this. In some ways, it’s like asking a fish to describe water. We are thoroughly entrenched in our ways of doing things, so it’s difficult to step back and assess what we’re doing and why. But every component of our lives is in place because there’s something we’re reaching for, someone we’re trying to please, or some hole we’re trying to fill.

Looking back to our vector tool, this is another way of asking: What is the thing you want most in life? You probably would never say that what you want most in life is money. But as you examine the way your life is structured, could a person be forgiven for concluding this about you? You probably would never say that what you want most in life is comfort. But do you ever find yourself choosing something less comfortable for some greater purpose? Or does every decision seem to revolve around comfort?

Every moment, we have an invitation to be with Jesus. That doesn’t mean we stop doing our regular activities. We have an opportunity to be with Jesus in the midst of our everyday lives, but it often means reshaping how we do what we do and rethinking what we’re hoping to gain. In Luke 14, we find Jesus eating at the same dinner party as the religious leaders. But the way Jesus interacts with these people invites us into a deeper purpose and a different way of pursuing something as foundational as how we choose to use our dinner tables.

1.     Read Luke 14:1–24. Right off the bat, what strikes you about this passage? What do you find interesting or challenging or confusing?

2.     Take a moment to do a mental inventory of your life. What do your pursuits, your schedule, and the use of your table say about what matters most to you? (The point isn’t guilt, just assessment.)

Blessing, Not Legalistic Law-Keeping

The religious hosts of this dinner party sat Jesus near a man with a skin disease. Because this was on the Sabbath, it seems clear that they were setting a trap for Jesus. Would he heal the man and thereby break the law that requires rest on the Sabbath? Or would he simply ignore the needs of the man before him? Jesus didn’t hesitate at all to choose the needs of the person over the literal requirements of the law. He pointed out that any of these religious leaders would rescue an animal in need on the Sabbath, so why should they be upset about Jesus having compassion on a human being?

With this swift move, Jesus exposed the bankruptcy of the Pharisees’ approach to the law. They had made it about strict and overly literal adherence to commands. But Jesus reminded them that it’s about blessing people. This story reminds us that it’s possible to pursue God’s commands in a way that completely misses the heart of God.

3.     In what ways have you overlooked the hurts and needs of real people in favor of rules (whether spoken or unspoken)?

Humility, Not Self-Promotion

Next, Jesus called out the Pharisees on their efforts to exalt themselves around the dinner table. In that culture, the closer you sat toward the head of the table—closer to the host, further from the front door or the kitchen where the servants would be—the more honored you were as a guest. Jesus said that rather than declaring your own importance, you should sit in a humble position and allow the host to exalt you if that was his desire.

This highlights a fundamental aspect of Christlike living. We are all prone to do things in a way that shows our best side, that presents our best self. We want to be perceived in the best possible light so that others will think more highly of us. But Jesus exposes the bankruptcy of this approach. Instead, we should simply humble ourselves, being secure in a low position because we do not find our worth in other people’s opinions. If exaltation comes, it will not be because we have called attention to ourselves.

Similarly, Jesus told the Pharisees to adjust their approach to inviting guests. They invited people who were important or who could provide them with some sort of benefit. This made them look good, and it would often result in receiving invitations to the dinner parties of other important people. Jesus said that a table is better used for blessing those who get looked over. If you fill your table with the outcasts—those whom the world finds disgusting or insignificant—then you will be blessing people who cannot possibly bless you in return (at least not in terms of wealth or social standing). When this happens, your reward will come in God’s economy.

How often do we choose friends and guests using the same standard that the world uses? Are we able to look at people the way Jesus did and lovingly bless those the world considers unworthy? Or are we just as obsessed with beauty, wealth, and power as the world?

4.     Are there any ways in which you choose your friends or fill your schedule to highlight your own importance? How so? Are there any practical steps you can take to pursue humility and blessing to others in this area?

5.     How does our social structure tend toward receiving reward rather than blessing others? Do you ever fall into this trap? How so?

Relationship, Not Status

The dinner party ended with Jesus telling a parable. In this parable, the guests who had been initially invited—representing the current religious leaders—refused to come to a banquet, so the host sent invitations to the outcasts. We will look at this parable in more detail in a future session, but the point is that the host was determined to fill his table at all costs. The initial guests considered the invitation below them—they had better things to do, and probably they did not want to be associated with this particular host or the banquet he was throwing.

This is another reminder that the kingdom of God is not about status or self-promotion. It’s about a relationship. It’s about joining Jesus at the table and experiencing the kingdom along with anyone and everyone who will accept the invitation.

So will we join Jesus at the table? And if so, who else can we invite in to that experience?

6.     Have you been ignoring Jesus’ invitation to be with him? How so? What practical steps can you take to increasingly join Jesus in the things he is doing?

7.     Spend some time in prayer. Pray that God would guide you in opening your life and your table to the people around you. Pray specifically for the people on your list.

Key Question

How are you opening your life (and your literal table) to spend time with Jesus and be a blessing to the people around you?