Pay Me Later

Luke 14:12-14 - He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

The old expression, “Pay me now; pay me later,” did not make much sense to me when I first heard it. Of course, I would rather keep my money now and pay whatever I owed at a later date. Similarly, the promise of a long term reward had a hard time competing with immediate gratification. Many of us give in regularly without thought. Yet, choosing the short term gain over the long term reward is rarely the best option. That attitude is one of the core causes of the Great Recession we are still overcoming: I want it NOW. I will buy it NOW. I will figure out how to pay for it LATER.

We Americans are not alone in pursuing immediate gratification. Jesus attacked the shortsightedness of those in his generation with the story above. People threw parties and invited their friends, relatives, and rich neighbors in the hope of repayment through a return invitation. There was no doubt the immediate benefit of prestige in their eyes, as well. Yet, Jesus told them to go against the normal, seemingly sensible, trend and invite those who could not repay. Why? Because their payback would come in the resurrection after this life is through. That is a long time to wait.

Waiting like this goes against our very human nature. How can Jesus ask this of us? Because the later payback is far greater than the immediate. Even the old adage, “Pay me now; pay me later,” only makes sense because the later payment is so much more. Today, make sure you do not sell out an enormous long term reward for a short lived immediate indulgence.

Improve Your Standing

Luke 14:11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus has a lot to say about humility. Often we do not fully understand it. Humbling ourselves may sound like becoming a milk toast wallflower never accomplishing anything and not being recognized for the little we do. In our competitive world, it might seem like Jesus does not even want us to get in the game. However, Jesus raised a team of world changers who had to face a great deal of opposition head on for his message to get out, and get out it did. His followers had to get noticed, have credibility, and be heard. So, what is this humility Jesus wants?

The parable Jesus tells in Luke 14:7-11 describes someone who picks out the best place for himself. The person sought his own honor and glory in front of all of the other guests. The irony is that the host did not want him in the best place – that was saved for someone else. So, instead of getting the glory he sought, the presumptuous man was humiliated, while the humble man who seated himself in the lowliest place had his standing raised in the eyes of all when the host invited him to the place of honor.

Note that the honored man attended the banquet. He did not reject the invitation to sit at the place of higher honor. True humility is not denying the gifts and talents God has given, but it is allowing others to recognize them. I am sure you know people like the first guest. They are always promoting themselves, afraid they will wind up in obscurity if they do not toot their own horn. They fight to get their way. They do not hesitate to put others down to make themselves look better. Yet, in the end, how do they look? What do you think about those kind of people? Jesus’ words are still true – selfishly fight to promote yourself and most others will probably think you a jerk; honor others first and you will be respected and sought out.

Fine for Me

Luke 14:5 And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?”

What rules or laws do you regularly break? Be honest. You have probably rationalized your transgression. Perhaps you have said to yourself, “Everyone does it,” or, “It is not hurting anyone,” or, “It is a stupid law anyway,” or perhaps the doozy, “It is only wrong if you get caught.” We make peace with our disobedience and sleep soundly at night, but what happens when another breaks a different law or rule? Are we quick to dish out criticism and a guilty charge?

Jesus often challenged the Pharisees on their hypocrisy of holding one standard for themselves and another for everyone else. They were furious that Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath. In their tradition that constituted “work,” and God had forbidden work on the Sabbath in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11). So, rather than acquiesce and wait a day to heal the man, Jesus healed him anyway and pointed out the Pharisees’ double standard.

If they had faced an unexpected crisis, like a son or an ox falling into the well, they would have taken immediate action even though it would have been more “work” than healing a man. Why would they have broken the law? “My son or the ox would die if I left him in a well over night. He would need immediate help. Surely that is alright.” Jesus’ point was not that it was not alright to rescue a wounded animal or child. In fact, his point was that it was wrong to say, “It is fine for me, but it is not okay for you.” Neither was he trying to do away with all laws. Instead, he attacked stratified selfishness once again. We need to exercise the grace we want to receive.

One Reason Bad Things Happen

Luke 13:34-35a (NLT) - “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. And now, look, your house is abandoned.”

One of the biggest barriers for most people believing in God is the problem of evil. Sometimes this can be evil in general: “Why are there earthquakes? How could God have allowed the Holocaust and World War II?” More often, though, the objections are personal: “I prayed my grandma would not die when she was diagnosed with cancer, but she did anyway.” “I lost my job.” “If God was real and cared for me he would not have allowed my son to run away from home.” The list of all personal disappoints that keep people from Jesus would be quite long, but far too often he was not the one to blame.

Jesus’ words to the people of Jerusalem above give us a telling picture of his heart for all people. Note how he desired to protect the people of Jerusalem. He used a beautiful and unforgettable image of a loving mother hen protecting her chicks under her wing. He cares. He wants to help. He wants to protect, but he will not force his love and protection.

He told the city the reason they did not receive his help is that they would not allow him to help them: “You wouldn’t let me.” Receiving that help meant welcoming him as lord and master. Because they did not, Jesus told them, “You house is abandoned.” Less than forty years after uttering those words the city of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. How would history have been different if they had welcomed their savior?

When you face difficulties in your own life, do not be too quick to blame God. Have you welcomed his help on his terms? He is the Lord of the Universe not a stuffed toy to only bring out when you have a sniffle.

Staying on the Mission

Luke 13:31-33 - At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’

What distracts you? When you are hard at work, focused on your main task at hand, what can draw away your attention and rob your effectiveness? For some, it is physical discomfort. For others, it could be the arrival of a friend to chat. Perhaps for you it is opening day – whether fishing season, golfing season, or shopping season (Black Friday, anyone?). In today’s world the notification sound of a newly arrived text or email can pull us off task. Studies have shown how much social media use has reduced the efficiency of today’s office worker.

During the peak of his public ministry in Luke 13, Jesus risked a distraction more debilitating than even Facebook. The ruling governor sought to take his life. That would seemingly be the greatest reason of all to step away from the job at hand, but Jesus had none of it. His response to those who warned him was that he would stay on the mission until it was finished. He knew the day was coming when he would be killed, but fear of it would not keep him from doing what he needed to do.

I encourage you to stay focused on your mission today. Our day will come, and when it does we will not be able to escape it. Worrying about it will only bring it more quickly and rob our ability to get anything done in the meantime. Let’s stay on mission.

It’s Hard

Luke 13:24 - Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

America has mastered the science of making life comfortable and easy. Through our technologic and economic mastery we have developed public utility systems providing reliable water and electricity that give every comfort imaginable. We have eradicated many once fatal diseases. We have generated an unimaginable number of gadgets and activities that have no purpose except to make life fun and pleasurable. Our “pursuit of happiness” has given most of us the expectation that life should be comfortable, easy, and fun all that time.

Jesus’ words in Luke 13:23-30 do not sound very American. “Strive” comes from the Greek word which gives us “agony.” It describes an all-out struggle. It is in the Greek middle voice which implies some effort from the one doing the action and some from the object of the action. In this case, it sounds like the door is fighting back. Getting through the right door is not always easy or comfortable. It requires a real struggle, but Jesus warns us it is worth the agony.

Are you in the midst of a struggle right now? Do not take a lack of ease and comfort in your life as a sign you are on the wrong path. More often than not the right path is hard. There may not be many on that road, but Jesus will be waiting for you at the end.