“The Just Shall Live By Faith”

New King James Version                          Written by: David Hicks

 

Romans 1:17 “ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

Galatians 3:11 “But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."

Hebrews 10:38 “Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."

“Articles of Faith"

An Orderly Account Of The Greatest Story Ever Told

(A Study in Luke)

Chapter 14:1-14:

As the Lord continues His circuit of teaching and preaching around Judea , we find Him once again invited to dine with one of the rulers of the Pharisees. The Pharisees were not an organized party as such, so a ruler was one by influence and not by appointment.

There can be no doubt based on the conclusion at the end of verse one; this invitation was for the purpose of watching Him in order to find fault. This is in fulfillment of what was said earlier, note:

Luke 11:53-54 “And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, 54 lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.”

The Lord, instead of being trapped and accused would use this occasion to once again teach and correct.

Text #1:

Luke 14:1-6 “Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely. 2 And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. 3 And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
4 But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. 5 Then He answered them, saying, “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?” 6 And they could not answer Him regarding these things.”

Feasts on the Sabbath were common; however, the food would have been prepared the day before in order to keep from violating the Sabbath precepts, note:

Exodus 16:23 “Then he said to them, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.'”

A Man with Dropsy: In modern medical terms this disease is better known as ‘edema', which means to swell. It was a condition by which one retained fluid caused by heart disease, kidney disease, or infection and in many cases it was fatal.

Is It Lawful to Heal on the Sabbath?: The Lord has dealt with the issue of doing good on the Sabbath when He was in Galilee (Luke 6:6-11; Matthew 12:9-14), and He would again deal with it in Jerusalem as He went to observe the feast (John 7:20-24). Since they were aware of His previous teaching in this issue, they remained silent.

Let Him Go: This man with dropsy may have been part of the multitudes that follow the Lord everywhere He went. However, this note concerning the Lord allowing Him to go and the circumstances involved in the Lord's invitation and the desire of the Pharisees to catch Him in something, may suggest that he was planted by them to catch the Lord in something to accuse Him.

This is enforced by the teaching that would follow. Even though they kept silent at the original question, the Lord recognized this issue was far from dead with them.

The teaching of the Lord concerning their care for their animals on the Sabbath, is once again the assertion that the Sabbath day precepts do not prevent the act of mercy.

They Could Not Answer: If they declared the Lord's action as lawful, they would defeat the purpose of their plot. If they denied the Lord's teaching they would be humiliated by the Lord and His powerful teaching as before. Silence was their only recourse in order to remain antagonists of the Lord but save face before the people.

Now that He has defused this situation and avoided their attempt to catch Him in anything; He notices their own elevated egos in seeking the best palaces at the table. This will spark a parable of the Lord teaching against the self exalted.

Text #2:

Luke 14:7-11 “So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: 8 “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; 9 and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.' Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. 11 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Chose the Best Places:

The tables of this day consisted of three sections, which were placed together in the form of a ‘U', with the center left empty so the servants or women could serve the guests. The best places at the table were at the top of the ‘U', or basically the center and then diminishing as one sat closer to the ends.

This struggle for precedence was a small ambition; but likewise, many such ambitions of men are equally small in nature, but lead to arrogance and self elevation.

The Lord uses a wedding feast to illustrate that the places of honor should not be sought by the guest, but awarded by the host. Remember that a parable was intended to teach a spiritual message or principle. In this paradox, as the Lord casts beside the spiritual message laced within the story, we learn that true humility leads to exaltation, not worldly honor.

The Pharisees suffered from this style of ambition in virtually everything they did. They served God not for Him, but for self elevation. Thus the Lord would condemn them often in this practice as demonstrated in the summary of verse 11.

This was a favorite axiom of the Lord:

Matthew 23:12 “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 18:14 “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Now the Lord is going to shift from those seeking the best places at the table to the host. As we can see, he is inviting those closest to him in order to gain a return invitation. In other words, he is only inviting those who can repay him in kind.

Text #3:

Luke 14:12-14 “Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

After the Lord uses one of His favorite maxims concerning exhalation, He now is going to emphatically command a course of action by denying another.

He is not condemning social hospitality, but is forbidding hospitality that seeks a return expectation. Instead, He demands a charitable disposition.

This was not the practice of the judgmental Pharisees. This host was going to have to drastically alter his mindset concerning how he interacted with others and how he presented himself before his God. Yet, as we see, this would be the only way that he could alter his condition for judgment.

Concluding Thought:

Humility: Humility and terminology supporting this very important disposition appears in the Bibles message hundreds of times.

It reflects a godly character!

James 4:6 “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:
“God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

Humility is associated with true wisdom!

Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.”

James 3:13 “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.”

The humble are known for their fear of the Lord!

Proverbs 22:4 “By humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches and honor and life.”

The humble seek God's righteousness (like Paul)!

Acts 20:19 “serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews;”

The humble seek benefit for others!

Philippians 2:3 “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”

There can be no doubt that humility is the only posture that a servant of God can have before Him and others!

We must always be on guard concerning our motivation for serving the Lord. The very essence of a servant is “Thy will, not mine be done!”

Luke 12:4-5 “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!”

Next: “The Parable of the Great Supper”