Enlarging Your Circle or Jesus Teaches about
Relationships
Luke 14:7-18a, 21-24 or 14:7-18a, 22-24
International Sunday School Lesson
January 19, 2014
Commentary
By
Jed Greenough
If you have visited this blog
often enough you will see that sometimes I don’t mince words and this is one of
those times.
The “powers that be” or whatever
we shall call those who chose the different titles for today’s scripture that
we are studying really blew it! Those
are nice titles and well-meaning but they could set some off on a path that
circumvents the true meaning of what Jesus was saying.
Sure, you show up somewhere at an
event to which you have been invited and your social skills should be such as
to not presume that you are “all that” and take the best of anything there for
yourself.
And sure Jesus has given us many
examples of how we are to take care of those in need and to help provide for
them. Stepping outside our circles is
great and we should expand our horizons to those in places we don’t normally
step.
But the message overall was much
more serious than that because it has to do with the salvation of ourselves and
others.
Jesus began by saying in effect,
“Don’t think more highly of yourself than you ought”, that much is clear. We are all the invited guests in this
scripture who seem to think that just because we are invited we have nothing
more to do now than to be prima donnas, taking the best of the banquet when,
where, and how we choose!
What we should see is that we are
to be like the servant who is mentioned in this scripture and the one throwing
the great banquet is of course God.
Those who have already been expected to attend are for the most part
Christians and also those who have heard the gospel and turned it down.
All the rest, those others who
the servant has invited and will be attending were shared the gospel message as
well.
This should be a very sobering
read for those who are sitting there waiting to be served instead of serving.
For Discussion:
1.
Discuss how we might make humility a part of our
being.
2.
Read Romans
12:3-8.
3.
For another example of our role as servant and a
warning about that role and taking it seriously see Matthew 24:36-51.
4.
Why is humility a problem for us?
5.
Discuss why we are acting like guests waiting to
be served instead of the servant.
6.
Discuss how the “well-off” are not as desperate
to see the face of Christ as all the rest mentioned in today’s scripture.
7.
To use one of the titles for today, are we
spending too much time in church, in our groups, with our friends there? And
are our churches afraid we will not?
8.
What will you do to change your role from guest
to servant?
Upcoming
Lessons
1-26-14
Showing Compassion for the Poor or Jesus Teaches Compassion for the
Poor, Luke 16:19-31
2-2-14
Hear and Do the Word, James 1:19-27
2-9-14
Treat Everyone Equally, James 2:1-13
2-16-14
Show Your Faith by Your Works, James 2:14-26
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW
INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by
permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved
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