Relationships

Weddings, Social Politics, and Seating Charts

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Do you care where you sit?

7Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  Luke 14:7-11

What was obvious to Jesus is also obvious to others. When we are eager for respect, honour, position, status, we will climb over others to get into the seat of honour. Those who demand honour cannot calibrate the mind of a greater host. We are at the mercy of the host; to act otherwise is to show our smallness, pettiness, jealousy, vanity, and fear.

Jesus’ words here are not just wisdom for endearing ourselves to others by refusing to manipulate social politics for personal gain. Jesus is showing us the basic internal posture of kingdom citizens. His Kingdom citizens entrust themselves to the Host of the Great Wedding Feast. We are His servants, invited to His party, and He decides how, when, where, and why to exalt us.

Humility is a choice. It only becomes unconscious and part of our character when we are glad to be at the party with Jesus and anyone else He has included. Humility becomes our character as we are extraordinarily confident and secure in the Father’s love and acceptance of us through Christ Jesus our Lord. Then it doesn’t matter where we sit.

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Going Home to Friends

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18As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled. Mark 5:18-20

Exiled to the grave yard, this man’s humanity was barely recognizable. Unbindable. Uncontainable. The man’s freedom among the tombs displayed his captivity to the demonic as he spent his days and nights crying out and cutting himself.

And then came Jesus.

Jesus, His divinity unrecognizable to many was seen by the demonic and they called out to Him.

“And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 7And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”  Mark 5:6

It was a bad day for pigs, but a great day for this man. The herders and villagers were scared; they begged Jesus to leave. This man, restored in his health, begged to go with Jesus.

But Jesus sent him home to his friends.

Jesus commissioned him to tell his story. “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.”

This warms my soul. Can you see it in your mind? The reunions. The incredulous looks. The questions. The amazement. The joy.

Go home.

To your friends.

And tell them how much the Lord has done for you.

How he has had mercy on you.

 

It’s personal

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2And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”  Matthew 9:2

It was a fact; this young man was a paralytic. That’s public information. What was not so public was the deepest need of his life: forgiveness.

His friends brought the young man to Jesus, so he could be healed. And he was healed first from the inside and then in his external relationships and capacities. That’s what forgiveness does. Jesus used the physical miracle here to demonstrate the reality of His authority for the spiritual miracle of forgiveness. The wonderful thing about it: there was nothing the could do to earn such forgiveness. That’s grace!

Only God can forgive sins: the act and condition of acting and being separate from Him. Jesus came from the communion of the Father and Spirit with a mission: to deal with our sin problem. His announcements of forgiveness were a prelude to the cross.

 

Our sin – God takes it personally.

 

(50 Day Gospel Challenge: Matthew 9-10)

Gospel Training

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6 If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. 7Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 9The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. 10For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. 2 Timothy 4:6-10

I have some friends who train. And they work hard to train their bodies. They are dedicated. They create a plan. They create a schedule. They create goals. They have a vision for which they strive. Lifting. Running. Insanity. Cross-fit.

I admire them!

Some of these friends also strive with Jesus for godliness.

What would it be like to bring the same energy, vision, dedication, planning, optimism, attitude, drive to the pursuit of godliness? Godliness is a response to the Gospel of Jesus. We are not striving in order to get God to like us. He loves us and has brought us into the family of Jesus. Godliness has a quality of doing something that trains our soul to respond to Jesus. Its a reality generated by the Spirit of God as we bring our all for loving God and loving people.

Bring it!  Whoooo, we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savour of all!

To Be a King

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1The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.

2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.

3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin. Proverbs 21:1-4

The folly of kings is to believe they are above judgment. Their position gives the illusion of independent movement and the illusion of being untouchable.

But God… can move them.

But God… weighs the heart.

But God… values righteousness and justice.

But God… considers pride and contempt as sin.

Careful… we all want to live like kings. And their folly is too easily mine.

Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords full of truth and grace. If He can move the hearts of kings, He can move my heart too.