Meals provide a frequent setting for Gospel events to the point that at least two authors have picked up on this as the basis for book themes and structures.[1] Jesus is offered hospitality by various hosts, Pharisees through the tax collectors. These seem to be at least semi public affairs, hosts may have wanted to be seen with Jesus for his popularity to rub off. Guests along with hosts also appear to have other agendas, to watch Jesus and catch him out. Sometimes those serving him were simply seeking to bless him as with Mary and Martha or to learn from him and receive from him. For Jesus though, these settings frequently provided teaching opportunities.
21.1 Read Luke 14:1-6
It’s the Sabbath and Jesus is a guest at a meal, presumably following on from Synagogue. It’s hosted by a Pharisee who is described as prominent, or a ruler, so one of the leading members of the school.[2]and other scribes and pharisees are present. A sick man is present and Jesus calls him forward so that he is the focus of attending (v1-2). Then he begins to question the scrobes and Pharisees
“Is it okay to heal on the Sabbath or does Torah forbid it?” (v3).
“What would you do if it was personal, if a family member or one of your livestock needed help?”(v5).
They are unable to answer his questions (v2 & v6). Jesus goes ahead and heals the man (v4).
21.2 Read Luke 14:7-14
Jesus continues to observe the behaviour of those at the meal. He notices that people are seeking to sit in the best places, the seats of honour (v7). We may think of a top table at a wedding, however, this would be different. The guests would recline on couches around three sides of low table to eat with one side free for food to be brought in. Honoured guests would recline closest to the host.
Jesus warns them that this is an unwise way to behave, if a more important guest shows up, they may be pushed back down the seating rank and embarrassed. Better to take a seat further back and then be invited to come forward. The former leads to shame, the latter to greater honour (v7-11)
Then he offers advise to hosts, starting with his host that day. He tells him not to invite guests who have position and status so can invite you back. Instead, focus on inviting those who have nothing to give back, the poor and disabled (v13-14).
21.3 Read Luke 14:15-24.
Someone responds to Jesus advice by calling out, describing the greater blessing of being invited to the great feast of God’s kingdom (v15).[3] Jesus responds with a parable. He describes a man who organises a great banquet and invites guests. Back in the days before mobile phone alarms, he sends out one of his servants to remind his guests on the day (v16-17). One after each other, they all make excuses. None of the guests turn up (Fv18-20).
The host is angry. He insists that the banquet will be fully attended. So, he sends his servant out into the town to invite in the poor, vulnerable and disabled, the outcasts who would not normally be invited (v21-22). There is still room, so he sends the servant out further afield, into the countryside. He insists that his house will be full but the original guests won’t get to enjoy the feast (v23-24).
21.4 Read Luke 14:25-35
Large crowds are still continuing to follow Jesus. He challenges those with him. Have they really counted the cost of following him.? To follow Jesus, meant following him to the place of execution because he was heading to the Cross. More than that, it meant bearing your own cross, in other words, a willingness to die with and/or for Jesus (v26-27).
Jesus offers two examples, the building committing to a building project to erect a tower and the king deciding whether he can go into battle. It is important to know up front what the cost of commitment is. With Jesus, there is no hidden small print (v28-33).
Then Jesus talks about salt and saltiness. Pre fridges, salt was used as a preservative, rubbed into meat. However, it also enhanced flavour. However, if salt ceased to function as salt, then it was useless.[4] The implication here is that God’s people are meant to be people who die to self in Christ in order to live for him in his resurrection (Romans 6). If Jesus’ followers stopped doing that because they became a crowed of interested, curious hangers on then they would be like the salt that had lost its purpose (v34-35).[5]
21.5. The cost of a meal with Jesus
There was a calculation for those who joined those earthly meals with Jesus. Would it benefit their own popularity, would they receive healing, might they learn something new, could they gain an advantage. There were potential benefits and potential costs. Ultimately as Ovey’s book title alludes to, the benefit is a spiritual feast as well as a physical one. The cost is repentance. Identifying with Jesus was also to attract the ire of those who loved and held power.
This had a wider implication at the time, as the crowds were drawn to Jesus but he made sure to outline the cost for them, the cost was their own cross. Wider still, that need to count the cost has eschatological implications, the parable of the banquet and excuses represents the calculation that many have will make to ultimately turn down Jesus’ great and gracious invitation for the priorities of this world.
[1] See Tim Chester, A meal with Jesus and Mike Ovey, Feasts of Repentance.
[2] Nolland, Luke 9:21-18:34, 745.
[3] It is possible that these meals were intended to act like symposiums, or similar to an after church discussion with semi-structured discussion around themes. If so, then the person here may be intending to move the discussion along. See Nolland, Luke 9:21-18:34, 745.
[4] The Palestinian salt in mind would not have been in its pure form where it couldn’t lose its saltiness/ This meant that “the sodium chloride could leach out of the impure salt in common use so that what was left lacked the taste of salt. Morris, Luke, 254.
[5] Bock comments that “The parallel Matt5:13 is more explicit in applying the image directly to crowds of potential disciples gathered around Jesus.” He goes on to add “Useless ‘discipleship’ is of no value to God whilst useful discipleship pays the price to serve God.” Bock, Luke 9:51-24:53, 1291.
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