[Propertalk] Fwd: Come to the Feast - Luke 14:1-14

[Joe Parrish]

Forwarded:

PENTECOST 14c                                                    August 29, 2010
Luke 14:1-14                                                             Holy Trinity ELCA
                                                                                    Trumbull, CT
                                    Come to the Feast
            Just now I read more of our Gospel lesson than what was proposed for our consideration this week.  I wanted to include the healing of the man with dropsy because it connects this week’s text with last week’s.  The two stories have a lot in common.  In both, Jesus is in the presence of people who live their lives strictly guided by what they’ve been taught is religiously necessary.  In both, the ailing person doesn’t seek out Jesus and ask to be healed.  In neither case does Jesus require a confession of faith, a payment or even thanks for the gift that is given.
            Jesus chooses the one who needs him most so that God might be glorified most highly in that person’s restoration.  Let’s keep that in mind as we move into the dinner table stories for today.
            The Gospel tells us that Jesus has been welcomed into the home of a leader of the Pharisees.  Now the Pharisees were among the religious people who were always testing Jesus to see if he measured up.  They sent scribes to ask Jesus questions that had “no right answer” according to their way of thinking.  For example, the Pharisees sent Jesus the question of whether it was right to pay taxes to the occupying Roman government or not.  Jesus didn’t fall into their trap, remember?  He told them to give to God the things that were God’s and give to Caesar the things that were Caesar’s.
            We might be right in thinking the reason Jesus was invited to this Pharisee’s home was so that this religious leader might test him.  Perhaps this householder wanted to see if Jesus practiced what he preached in private or if it was all a line of malarkey that he only pretended to believe.
            Well, right off the bat, Jesus demonstrates that his teaching and his daily life are all of a piece.  Jesus lives what he teaches.  He shows no partiality, only offers opportunities for health, growth and trust.  He reaches out without any hesitation and heals a needy person on the Sabbath, as if it were any other day of the week.  Jesus is consistent.  He is reliable.  He is trustworthy.
            I wonder how that man with dropsy got into the Pharisee’s home.  Usually, the infirm were shunned; people thought illness meant that a person was being punished for living a sinful life and no one wanted to associate with them.  Well maybe he was a family member or the wealthiest man in town or someone brought in just for the purposes of testing Jesus.  We don’t know.  
            Maybe we’re wrong about this particular Pharisee, Jesus’ dinner host.  Maybe this man was truly a righteous Pharisee, someone who not-so-secretly thought Jesus actually MIGHT be the long-awaited Messiah.  We know there were some religious leaders who were willing to listen to Jesus’ teaching with open minds.  They risked their livelihood and their very lives by taking such a stand, but some were willing to give their all.
 
            When I taught school, no matter what grade it was, one of the most useful writing project starters was a simple question.  “If you could invite anyone in the world – living or dead, fictional or historical – to dinner at your house, who would it be?”
            Of course, many students had the typical answers you would expect, depending on their age and life experience.  From the youngest to the oldest, answers ranged from Spiderman to Jesus, from Attila the Hun to the President of the United States, from Mother Theresa to Queen Elizabeth the first.
            If YOU had the choice, wouldn’t you like to share dinner conversation with someone world-renowned?  Wouldn’t you like to pick their brain and find out what it is that made them tick, what it is that led them to become so famous?  Sometimes I think that would be really fascinating!  But, then I think again, and I wonder if I might NOT like to eat dinner with Ghandi or George Washington or Pope John XXIII, because the illusion of their perfection might just shatter right before my eyes.
            When Jesus tells the parables in the home of the Pharisee, he advises us not to place ourselves above others in importance.  He also reminds us not to be generous with the expectation that we might get something back from our generosity.
            When we look at both pieces, we see Jesus once again living what he taught.  The Lord and Master of our souls isn’t some Super Hero who comes charging in on a lightning bolt, masterfully overpowering wrong and restoring right.  Jesus simply lives his life in such a way that others are drawn to him in amazement.  We wonder, how can a person possibly live in such a loving, giving way and still be honored by so many?  Many of us have been taught that in order to have what we need and want we must rise above the other guy, show our worthiness, excel beyond the routine.
            That was the trap the Pharisees fell into, too.  Each one felt it was imperative he must meticulously follow not only the letter of the Law but the intent of the Law in order to receive the blessings of the Almighty and the respect of his neighbors.  
            And then, along comes this prophet, this suspected Messiah, and everything they’d been taught was suddenly questioned.  
            We know some of the Pharisees listened to Jesus: Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea come to mind.  But we know many Pharisees, Saducees, rich and poor hung onto their traditions, their beliefs, the well-worn ways that had advanced them in the eyes of their neighbors, and they fought with all they had to resist anything that might shake up the status quo.
 
            I’ve been talking about the Pharisees as if this situation only existed 2000 years ago – this situation of people questioning the value of adopting Jesus’ ways.  But you and I know that throughout history ordinary people have put themselves above Jesus’ teaching.  For example, 
+          while Jesus taught love for all people, Christian Crusaders singled out non-believers and took their land, their goods and their lives.  
+          While Jesus attracted others to consider his teaching simply by living what he taught, Imperialists overcame “heathen” nations, requiring conversion to Christianity. Those who didn’t comply lost their livelihood, their status, sometimes their very right to eat.  
+          While Jesus considered all people equal in his sight, it wasn’t until 1865 that slavery was abolished in these United States.  
+          While Jesus didn’t ask questions before freely giving abundant life, today there are “Christians” who promote hatred and even death for homosexuals, illegal immigrants, Muslims, and even the sitting President.
 
            *Mother Teresa was once asked, "How do you measure the success of your work?" She thought about the question and gave her interviewer a puzzled look, and said, "I don't remember that the Lord ever spoke of success. He spoke only of faithfulness in love. This is the only success that really counts." I think Mother Teresa would point to this story in Luke to justify that response. Jesus is saying in essence, don’t do things that bring you the honor of men, do things for which God will honor you.
            Why are we Christians asked to take the seats of least honor?  Why are we Christians asked to give expecting nothing in return. The Table set before us today is a reminder of why we are asked to behave in this way. This table reminds us that Jesus did not choose a palace but a stable in which to be born. He did not choose the priesthood but carpentry as his profession. He did not choose world leaders but world losers, to develop his plan. He did not choose a throne but a cross from which to govern. 
            What is your choice? The places of honor at this Table are not open. In fact they don’t even really exist. There are seats open to every poor sinner and unrighteous cripple willing to humble themselves before their Host. (1) 
            At THIS table, our Lord Jesus is host, and all who confess Jesus as Lord are welcome. In fact, if your faith is weak today, if this week or month or year has made you notice that you are not perfect, if you are willing to admit you have fallen short of the glory of God and need to begin again, come to the table.  Get a new beginning.  Receive the strength you need to give up the well-worn ways that have advanced you in the eyes of your neighbors and shake up the status quo.
            At this table is offered abundant life, no matter who you are, where you’ve been, or how others see you.  Jesus offers you an eternal embrace.  Come to the feast.   Amen
 
(1)  Collected Sermons, Brett Blair and Staff, www.Sermons.com, 2005, 0-0000-0000-1, www.esermons.com
 
Rev. Linda J. Kraft
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
Trumbull  CT   06611
office p/f 203-372-8844
home 203-881-5997
 

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