Loving God and Your Neighbours Luke 14:1, 7-14

Bible Reading : Luke 14:1, 7-14 Topic : Loving God and Your Neighbours

Pentecost 15 54C G Jeremiah 2:4-13, Psalm 81:1, 10-16, Hebrew 13:1-8, 15-16, Luke 14:1, 7-14

According to the Gospel Reading today, a leader of the Pharisees invited Jesus for a meal on the Sabbath. The invitation was their culture of generosity. Especially on the Sabbath and for the Pharisees it was good to show off their faithful living in love. They had strong religious beliefs and tried to practice it in their way of living. Practicing it was not just by inviting people for a meal but also giving to the needy, praying in the synagogues or on the street corners, and fasting twice every week.

Let us remember the biblical text that we read today. When one of the leading Pharisees invited Jesus, the other Pharisees also were invited. This was good for them, but the people at the table were watching Jesus closely. It was because Jesus had criticised the Pharisees to their faces several times before. Some of the Pharisees respected Jesus, but others did not.

Hard Questions in front of me

While preparing today’s sermon, I felt that I unintentionally bumped into this story of Jesus and Pharisees. I have been challenged for the past few weeks. Reading the story several times and researching the details about the message, I asked myself, “How can I find the Good News in this story for me and for the church? I like happy and good message for sermons. But, today’s text gives us hard questions. Let me explain why I have been wrestling with this text.

1. Are the Pharisees mirrors of us?

First, it was because of the Pharisees. I felt the Pharisees are like mirrors that reflect contemporary Christian life in various ways. I am looking myself through the Pharisees. They, the Pharisees, were not accused of their teaching itself but accused of their practice that they showed off. While reading today’s biblical text, I felt uncomfortable. Jesus said to the host in the presence of all the guests, “....... Do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbours - for they will invite you back, and in this way you will be paid for what you did. When you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind; and you will be blessed, because they are not able to pay you back. God will repay you on the day the good people rise from death.”(Luke 14:12-14) I remember that my grandmother invited the poor(the beggar in this text). Nowadays in today’s society, it is difficult to invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind for a meal in my home, because they are strangers and also they are not my best friends. So, this is way when Jesus talked to the Pharisees, I felt ashamed of myself.

2. Who are the Poor of Today?

Secondly, the word, “the poor”, who Jesus mentioned in his talking, hurt my feelings. When I asked myself, “What does the word “poor” mean to me?” and “Who are the poor around me?”, I felt dizzy. In the biblical Greek, there is a word for “poor” that means a relatively poor condition. But, in today’s reading, Jesus used another word for the poor that refers to the absolute poverty having no resources, no food, no home etc. Later in his teaching, Jesus intentionally used this word to describe Lazarus, the beggar. As we know, Lazarus was begging at a rich man's door, hoping to eat the bits of food that fell from the rich man's table, but died there.(Luke 16:20-22) Who are the poor today? The food banks of our city are busier than ever.

When Jesus strongly said to the host, the leader of Pharisees, he delivered his saying in an imperative present active form. Also, the word “Invite the poor!” in today’s text meant “Invite the absolute poor like the beggar Lazarus in your society, for the meal!”.

3. God is always on the side of the Poor.

God is always on the side of the poor throughout the Old Testament and especially the teaching of Jesus. They are special to God.

I was shocked when I realised the meaning of the Greek word that Jesus used in this time. Earlier, when Jesus said, “Happy are you poor; the Kingdom of God is yours!”(Luke 6:20), he used the same word for the absolute poor in this proclamation. The Gospel of Matthew added “spirit” to the word “poor”. But in the context of their society, there were many beggars like Lazarus around the Pharisees in those days. I have come to believe that the poor in spirit were living in their extremely poor condition.

After reading this story again, one more question had remained in my mind, “Do I have suffering people around me in my suburb?” I could not find a person like that around me. I drive through the government housing several times every week, but I cannot find any real poor condition there. I maybe a blind to the poor.

Meeting Pharisees again today

I checked again the Pharisees at the table around Jesus.

First, the Pharisees were only sharing their meals with their friends, brothers, relatives, or rich neighbours. All of them were safe people within the purity system of their religion. They were too religious to have “open table” with unclean people religiously. They did not want to be defiled.

Secondly, they liked to show themselves to the public. Most of all, they tried to sit in the best places as much as they possible could. Jesus had to teach them, “Go and sit in the lowest place.”(Luke 14:10), and added this, “For those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great.”(Luke 14:11)

Thirdly, they might not be able to notice the poor around them. It can be thought because Jesus mentioned the poor Lazarus later in his teaching. Jesus wanted and taught his disciples to focus on the poor around them. This teaching has been connected to the teaching about humility. Jesus’ disciples had to sit in the lowest place and honour the unimportant people around them. What did the Pharisees learn and feel? Were they ashamed, embarrassed, or did they become angry?

One more Hope and the Good News Jesus taught

Let me focus on Jesus’ message today. Jesus intentionally emphasised clearly that those powerless people are the more important in God’s kingdom. They belong. They have a special place there, because they are poor. (The rich could not have their places in the kingdom of God, because they already have enough wealth and the good things that are given.(Luke 16:25))

Jesus did not stop teaching. He went further and enforced again on the Pharisees to open their minds and hearts to strangers and the Gentiles around them. When he mentioned “Go out to the highways and hedges”(Luke 14:23), the phrase in the story means “Go out to roads and places outside the town”. Several scholars have interpreted the phrase refers to foreigners who were not members of God’s people in the biblical time.

The Pharisees needed to practice their teaching by accepting the poor and the foreigners into their boundaries and life. Jesus already taught the same love when he commanded, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your friends, hate your enemies.’ But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for them.”(Matthew 5:43-44) I believe this message is good for all the people of the whole world nowadays.

Conclusion and Blessings

Please, let me conclude my sermon today. Jesus pushed me to open my eyes with today’s message to the Pharisees. I have to open my mind to the poor - beggars like Lazarus and invite them to a meal. Would you teach me how I can be able to recognise the poor and focus on them? And also, how could we be with them? Carefully I want to invite you, “Would you join this Jesus’ message of loving the poor neighbours around us today?”

Loving God is the same as loving neighbours. And, neighbours include the poor. Jesus wants us to open our lives to the poor(the beggar), the crippled, the lame, the blind and the Gentiles(foreigners). He wanted to love all the people by teaching the Pharisees to their faces. This is the Good News for them and us when the poor are invited.

May God bless us to love God and our neighbours with all heart, with all soul, with all strength, and with all mind. May God bless the poor to live with us as important members of our society..^^*