Prayer
Briefly prepare your heart in silence, and ask the Holy Spirit to awaken your sense of anticipation that God is about to speak to you through His Word. Then, before you read, I invite you to pray this prayer based on Psalm 25:8-9
Lord, You are good and upright
and You instruct sinners in Your ways.
Lord, guide me in what is right
and teach me Your way.
Amen.
Reading
This is a different town and a different Sabbath, but Jesus is nothing if not consistent. Just as He did for a woman in Luke 13, so He did for a man here in Luke 14. He healed them both on the Sabbath. When, in both instances, He was confronted by the religious authorities for “breaking the Sabbath” Jesus defended His actions with reference to the Old Testament. He could have avoided controversy by standing back and doing nothing. But Jesus was willing to lay down His own “safety” and “acceptability” in order to serve the deep needs of these two desperate people.
The setting for this particular miracle was a Sabbath meal at the home of a leading Pharisee. At mealtime, Jesus used the guests’ behaviour to teach a vitally important lesson to His disciples. It brings us to the command I which is our focus for today:
“… Take the lowest place …” (v.10)
Although Jesus gave this command in the context of one’s behaviour at a banquet, His closing statement makes it clear that this is a general principle for all of life. He closed this section by saying: “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (v.11)
The general principle for a disciple’s life is that we ought never to be those who push ourselves forward to gain the advantage over others. The Jesus-Way is always to seek opportunities to honour others, to promote others, and to lift others up. Some may ask, “But what will become of me, then? If I don’t promote myself, who will!” To this, Jesus would simply reply, “When the moment and the situation is right, I will. But you will need to trust Me and follow Me on this road of humility first.”
Just as Jesus laid down His own self-interest to heal on the Sabbath, we are called to lay down our own self-interest to promote the well-being, success and flourishing of others. May Jesus Himself give us the grace to sacrifice our pride on the altar of our love for Him.
Contemplation
Please take time to ponder what Jesus has commanded us. Turn this declaration over and over in your mind. Keep it in mind throughout the day and live in step with Your King, Jesus.
As a disciple of Jesus Christ:
- I will lay down my self-interest to promote the well-being, success and flourishing of others.
Lord Jesus, I long to be humble as You are humble, but I acknowledge how often I stumble over my own pride and self-interest. Please grant me the grace to follow You on the road of humility today. Amen.
Dave's Diary 