Eyes on the Father • Luke 14:1-14

1:10:42 Teaching begins

Notes

Today Jesus goes to lunch after synagogue. Doesn’t sound that important. But for Him it wasn’t just another meal. For Jesus, anytime is a time to please the Father and glorify Him. Even if it means eating lunch with people who really don’t like you.

Why in the world does He do it? Not because He cares who likes Him and who doesn’t. He cares what the Father’s thinks.

He keeps His eyes on pleasing the Father because that leads directly to the resurrection.

I’m reading in Luke chapter 14.

1. Jesus does something the Pharisees are against, He heals a guy in trouble on the Sabbath, vv. 1-6.

A. A Pharisee invites Jesus to eat at his house. It seems reasonable  that it’s the Sabbath, they’ve probably come from synagogue, Jesus has probably taught there. No one ever spoke like Jesus. He spoke graciously. It could be this is just a courtesy.

B. What’s amazing to me is, Jesus accepts the invitation.

1. He knows that they don’t like Him and what He’s doing. They’re watching Him closely for Him to do something they don’t agree with.

2. But God has no limit to being gracious. He said to Moses, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” Jesus can be gracious and compassionate to His enemies. He can love them. He is certainly not intimidated by them.

C. There’s a guy at this lunch with dropsy. Dropsy is fluid retention in the body that is a symptom of a more serious problem, like heart failure, kidney failure, or cirrhosis of the liver. It shows that the disease is in an advanced stage. This guy is dying. Dropsy can be cured only if the underlying disease is cured.

D. Before Jesus heals him He asks the Pharisees: is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not? What do you think?

1. Just last chapter He healed a woman in the synagogue on the Sabbath and the leader chewed Jesus out. There are six days you can get healed. Don’t do it on the Sabbath. Their understanding of the Sabbath is very literal and mechanical. Don’t do any work on the Sabbath. They believe that they are pleasing to God when they do nothing on the Sabbath.

2. The leader called out Jesus publicly and Jesus pushed back publicly and the leader was humiliated publicly.

3. Jesus knows they don’t like Him healing on the Sabbath so He anticipates their dislike. You want to discuss it?

4. They refuse to answer. They will not submit to Jesus and give account for what they believe and why. We won’t budge.

E. So Jesus heals the real problem that caused the fluid retention, his heart, his kidneys, or his liver. The dropsy disappears.

F. Jesus asks these men the same question He asked before: “Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?”

1. That donkey or ox is in distress. You don’t let it sit a day in a pit before you get it out. It needs help right now.

2. If you would help an animal, and you would, that means you can help a man. Compassion is lawful at all times and is not a conflict with keeping the Sabbath.

3. Before they wouldn’t answer Jesus. Now they can’t answer Jesus because He is right. They would pull that animal out of a pit right now. They have no basis for their opposition. Jesus has proven that He’s right and they’re wrong.

G. But they still think He’s wrong and they’re still against Him.

2. The Pharisees are not only against Jesus, they’re also against each other, vv. 7-11.

A. Jesus notices how they choose the best places, the places of honour. They are jockeying for position. If they get a certain position that means I’m above you and I’m below you, but that’s okay because you’re a bigger guy than I am, but you’re not as valuable as I am.

B. They are striving for glory from each other. Therefore they compete with one another and strive for honour. How can you be at peace with people when you’re competing against them? I wonder where they seated Jesus? Awkward, because they invited Him, but they don’t like Him.

C. Jesus gives them advice. Seek true glory. What He tells them isn’t new, it’s something from Proverbs 25:6-7 Do not claim honour in the presence of the king, and do not stand in the place of great men; for it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,” than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince, whom your eyes have seen.

D. Humble yourself, choose the low position. If you’re called up higher, then you can receive that high opinion that the authority has for you. If the authority doesn’t call you up higher, then you take that as a clue that you are not pleasing to the authority. That’s how he values you. You need to pay attention to that.

E. The principle is,  if the king or the host, the one in authority, says, “Come up here,” there’s nothing anyone can say against it. If he says, “Go down there,” there’s nothing you can do. The authority’s opinion is all that matters. The whole point then, is to please the authority. His favour is your good reputation before men. His displeasure will ruin you before men.

3. Now Jesus shows whose good favour to seek, and here’s a goal you ought to strive for: the resurrection of the righteous.

A. Jesus again gives the host advice: don’t invite people who can repay you. That’s all the reward you’ll get. I invite you, you invite me, we jockey for position, we eat, we have a pleasant evening competing for the glory of men and sometimes winning it. Everyone laughed at my wit and humour. It was memorable. That’s all there is.

B. Jesus says invite people who are suffering, who have sickness and afflictions, and who are poor and can’t pay you back.

1. You can imagine these men’s thoughts: Why would you even associate with these unwashed, undesirable people? Why go out of your way to find them and invite them? There’s no earthly advantage in it. They can’t promote you if they like your wine selection. They can’t advance you. They have no power, no influence.

2. Jesus’ point is that you will be blessed. The Pharisees would know these Scriptures. Proverbs 22:9 He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor. Proverbs 19:17 One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed. Think blessed, and repay.

C. God blesses you because you are doing what He counts as valuable: giving attention to the weak, the suffering, the poor, and meeting their need. He is gracious and compassionate, you are acting like Him. You are seeking what is pleasing to Him, not the praise of men, especially these men lunching with Jesus.

D. God repays your compassion with the resurrection of the righteous, the glory of God, that will last forever.

1. If God counts you worthy He raises you in glory, you’re alive forever.

2. Everyone has to accept His decision. Every mouth that ever condemned you is shut forever.

E. It’s worth your whole life to seek the resurrection of the righteous.

F. What if you’re doing what is worthless in God’s opinion, competing for the glory of men? Why should He raise you from the dead? He doesn’t have to. He doesn’t owe you 10p.

4. So what?

A. Jesus definitely lived to please the Father. He always did what pleased the Father, and He knew it. He looked forward to the resurrection of the righteous.

B. What about you?

1. Do you live to please God? Do you seek His glory? Or do you care what people think about you and compete for their good opinion?

2. Do you do what pleases God? Do you show compassion to suffering people? Or do you think it doesn’t matter what you do? It does matter what you do.

3. Do you look to the resurrection of the righteous? Think about it this year and live for it.

C.  You don’t start with trying to do good things. You will never do enough for God to count you worthy.

D. You start by humbling yourself.  Turn away from your own ways. Turn to Jesus. You depend on Him, that He died for your sins. That’s God’s compassion for you, that’s His grace. Have you received Jesus? Say to Him, “Be my Lord and my Saviour.”

E. Then you get to present yourself to the Father as someone alive from the dead. You say, “Here I am. What do You want?

1. You know you’re going to run into conflict with people. Some will not think highly of you for following Jesus. They will condemn you and humiliate you.

2. Take Jesus’ attitude. What does the Father think of me? Only what He thinks of me matters. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.  This year make your relationship with the Father better. Be with Him and say, “Here I am.” Listen to Proverbs 16:7 When a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

3. What does the Father want me to do? Jesus did what the Father wanted and went to lunch with people that He knew opposed Him and really thought He was wrong. He spoke what the Father said to say.

4. Jesus stayed faithful by keeping His eyes on the Father and the resurrection.

5. That’s what the Father wants you to do. Keep your eyes on Him and the resurrection.

Let’s pray.