Luke 14- Andy's thoughts

The Kingdom of God-(Part 1)

This chapter has several seemingly disparate stories all merged together. It may be that Luke is rapidly accelerating toward the end of his description of Jesus’ teaching and ministry before the Passion. I do see a recurring theme, however, running through these stories. They are stories that teach us about the Kingdom of God. Specifically, we learn how and why we should live in this Kingdom.

Let me pause a moment and just explain what I mean by the Kingdom of God. This is a very prominent subject in the gospels. The subject of the Kingdom of God has also become very popular among theologians for the past two millennia and so I will not try to summarize all there is to say about it. I will simply say that a Kingdom is that which is under the rule of a king. Jesus is the king of his kingdom.

The Kingdom over which Jesus reigns refers to both our current existence here on earth as well as our future existence after death. When the gospel is proclaimed, it is the announcement that Jesus is the new king of his new kingdom- of which he calls us to be a part. To believe the gospel is to believe that Jesus has saved us out of the kingdom of this world which leads to death and has saved us into his kingdom which leads to life. To believe the gospel is to believe that Jesus is the king of the kingdom in which we are subjects and so we acknowledge his rightful sovereignty over our lives. There is a deeply royal tone to the gospel.

During his earthly ministry, Jesus inaugurates his new kingdom and is progressively revealed to be a king. At his baptism, he is anointed by John with water to identify him with God. God the Father’s voice proclaimed that Jesus was the Son of God and God the Holy Spirit physically manifested himself and rested upon Jesus. In this Trinitarian moment we see Jesus being confirmed as king. After Jesus death and resurrection, we will more fully see Jesus being confirmed as king.

So much of Jesus’ time on earth is seen in his winning over not only the hearts and minds of the people but also their very souls. History has its short list of beloved kings who ruled their people well. Some were gifted warriors, some gifted administrators, some were renowned for their justice, and others for their compassion. Jesus was all of this and more. He was the king who came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. His kingdom is unique in that it is ruled by Jesus.

Hmmm… I think I am tempted to continue too much here on the topic of the kingdom of God and Jesus’ kingships but I will stop for now. More on this to come.

Kingdom Ethics

In the first part of this chapter we read about now familiar scenario. Jesus heals on the Sabbath and the religious leaders don’t like it. Again, the religious establishment believed that they had God all figured out and Jesus kept presenting a vision of God that didn’t fit into their theological system. What is Jesus teaching here? It is never the wrong time to be merciful. It is always the right time to be gracious.

In my own life, I wish that I could say that I have no regrets about anything. Unfortunately, that is not the case. I can say that one course of action that I have never regretted is choosing to be gracious. I think that when we give grace and show mercy, we are living out Kingdom Ethics.

I think that Jesus is also teaching us that kingdom ethics might not fit comfortably into our preconceived notions of what we thought was right and wrong. This is scary territory for those who love order and rules. Yet choosing to follow Jesus involves opening wide our eyes to see the ways that Jesus loves and shows grace.

So does this mean that there are no rules or that we should turn a blind eye to sin? Of course not. That is absurd. If sin didn’t matter, Jesus would not have died for our sins. If the Law didn’t matter, then Jesus wouldn’t have cared to be the fulfillment of the Law.

This does mean something extremely practical. If we are ever faced with a seemingly difficult decision- whether to follow a rule or to show mercy- we should show mercy. It is up to the disciple- led by the Spirit- to determine what showing mercy may mean. (For example- There is a rule about not giving liquor to minors. Even if a minor really wants us to provide them with alcohol- that may not really be showing them mercy. That is more likely to be fostering unhealthy behavior- which would be the opposite of showing mercy. I am speaking from experience here. Sigh…)

Kingdom Values

The next part of the chapter discusses a banquet. Jesus gives two stories about a banquet and I think both reveal something about the values of the Kingdom. In the first story Jesus tells us that we ought to have humility. Instead of just saying that, however, he tells a story in order to engage our imaginations. He paints a vivid story of a banquet table and its guests. He evokes emotions of shame and pride and honor. He calls us to actively choose to humble ourselves.

Just as a little cultural background to the story- in the Roman times events like this were laden with social status significance. There was not a welfare system in the empire and so the poor and even the middle class were supported by richer patrons. These Patrons gave out food and money on a daily basis in exchange for votes or favors.

There was a very meticulous system of doling out the food and money. The more noble and honored guests received their allotments first. The poorest and least known families received theirs last. It would have been a very shameful thing for a poor person to cut in front of a more respected family in order to get food first. It would have been a semi-scandalous thing for a rich person to stand at the back of the line. To the honor crazed Romans, it was widely believed that people should adhere to their status in society. Jesus turns this self-absorbed, judgmental system on its head. He gives honor to the dishonored. His Kingdom values reveal a deep egalitarianism among its citizens.

In the second banquet parable, Jesus reinforces the notions of who is valued and why. There are those who were initially invited (representing the Jews) and those who are later invited (the Gentiles). The Gentiles were not held in high honor by the Jewish religious leaders. Jesus is teaching here that even these Gentiles are valued by God. I think this is the primary implication of the text.

I think that there is a secondary implication to the story about the lameness of making excuses. The pursuit of property, professions, or marriage should not inhibit us from pursuing the Kingdom of God. It would be tempting to discourse a lot on this topic but I feel that would detract from the primary message. That message being- God’s grace extends to more people than we may realize.

The very last section includes some very sobering teachings about discipleship. While I don’t think Jesus is telling us that we should intend to hate our families, we should have a prioritized value system that acknowledges that Jesus is preeminent above all other relationships in our lives. In comparison to our love for Jesus, our love for others should seem like hate. In comparison to our love for Jesus, our love for ourselves should seem like hate.

How striking Jesus words about taking up your cross must have been. This is before the crucifixion happened. I imagine that the disciples assumed Jesus was being metaphorical here. How soon they would be surprised. What does it mean to carry our cross and follow Jesus?

In light of the Kingdom motif, I think that it means that we actively die to the kingdom of this world in order to enter Christ’s kingdom. We follow him as he figuratively and literally dies to this world and for this world. He does not call us to do that which he himself has not done. When he takes up his cross, Jesus most fully shows us the kind of king that he is. He is brave and selfless. He is gracious and merciful. He is loving and truthful. He is exalted and humbled. This is our king. Let us follow him.

Application:
• To whom is God calling us to show mercy?
• Have we been overly prideful of ourselves in a way that puts others “at the back of the line”?
• What have we been pursuing that is “of the kingdom of this world”?
• What have we not been pursuing that is “of the Kingdom of God”?