Year 1, Day 223: Luke 14

More Questions about the Sabbath

Here in Luke 14 Jesus goes on the offensive.  Jesus has already gotten into an argument about healing on the Sabbath, and Jesus knows the Jewish leaders are still gathering information against Him.  So He brings it out in the open.  I love the fact that Jesus’ offensive move silences them. 

Their silence does not intimidate Jesus, however; Jesus does what He has come to do anyway.  Jesus heals on the Sabbath.  More importantly, Jesus does the work of the Father on the Sabbath.  Jesus has mercy, has compassion, and honors His God upon the Sabbath.

I also love that Jesus chooses mercy in spite of the trouble.  If Jesus ignored the man with dropsy then He would be accused of being without compassion.  If he healed Him, then He would be accused of working on the Sabbath.  The man was a virtual trap.  Jesus decides that if He is going to be trapped, then He is going to do the right thing. 

What is character?  Some say character is doing the right thing when nobody is looking.  While that is correct, I say character is even better described as doing the right thing for the right reason when the consequences are not favorable.

Parables at Dinner

While at the dinner, Jesus tells two very neat parables to the man who had invited Him.  The parables are simple: Do as a response of God granting eternal life rather than as a way of establishing favorable consequences in this present life. 

• If we only hang around the spiritual in this life, who will we call to Christ? 
• If we only hang around those of better social status, who can we elevate? 
• If we only hang around those with plenty to eat, who will we feed? 
• If we only hang around people who have all that they need, to whom will we be able to give anything?

On the other hand,

• If we hang around those who genuinely have need, we have no trouble giving away Christ at all. 
• If we hang around those who are hungry, we have plethora of opportunity to hand out both physical and spiritual food. 
• If we hang out with those society rejects, we have ample opportunity to elevate others to a higher place in their life.

But no.  We don’t think that way in this world.  We want to hang out with those who elevate us, who can give to us, who can satisfy our needs.  That is in no way Christianity.  Sure, we do all need a spiritual mentor and we all need to come to a place where we can be fed spiritually.  But we are called to go out and feed all the more!  What can we gain that we have not already gained?  On the other hand, oh how we can give out what we have already gained!

Cost of Discipleship

This leads us marvelously into the need to count the cost of discipleship.  {Awesome book by Deitrich Bonhoeffer, just saying.}  We don’t call it the ease of discipleship – even though Jesus says “My yoke is easy and my burden light.”  (Matthew 11:30) We don’t call it the joy of discipleship – even though Jesus teaches that the faithful will enter the “joy of the master.” (Matthew 25:21,23)  Yes, God brings both ease of burden and joy of the spirit.  But we call it the cost of discipleship because one must first give up the world, its ways, and its priorities.  If we are not willing to give up the world and its priorities, we will never be Christ’s disciple.  After all – as I am becoming accustomed to saying – “only the one who believes obeys, and only the one who obeys believes.”  (Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship)  Discipleship cost us – it costs us in obedience.

But oh, the rewards are worth the cost.  There is a cost to discipleship, but the burden and the joy is so worth it.  Knowing what I know now, I’d have been more faithful in my youth.  If I could go back in time, I would not sow more wild oats but rather less!  Responding to Christ’s invitation has been the best “accounting of cost” that I have ever done.  And I’ve got so much more to learn and implement into practice even!

Parable on Salt

So we get to wrap this chapter up with a small parable on salt.  I always laugh when I hear Jesus’ words about salt and its effectiveness.  What good is salt if it loses its saltiness?  Well, from a modern perspective it would be like raising your blood pressure for no reason!  Who would do such a thing?  You would toss such things into the trash and think you did the right thing.  And you would be right!

So why would God not do the same thing?  Why would God not toss those who profess to “be salt” but have no desire to actually “do anything?”  Again, I’m not talking works righteousness.  None of us are saved by what we do.  We are saved by Christ and only through His righteousness.  But as a response to that salvation we are called to do the work of God.  We are called to pick up our cross and follow Christ.  We are called to die so that Christ may live in us.

So why would God keep around those with empty declarations of loyalty and faith – those who are not interesting in working in the kingdom, those who are not interested in picking up their cross and struggling against their own sinfulness, or those who are not interested in putting their own agendas to death so God’s agenda can be seen through them?  Would anyone keep a bottle of “blood pressure elevators” in our spice cabinet if it does nothing other than elevate our blood pressure?  Why, then, would God?

Through Christ, God bids us to come.  He bids us to join Him in eternal life and salvation.  But He bids us to count the cost and live up to that accounting.  And He bids us to be salt in the midst of a world that needs His brand of seasoning.

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