Luke 14

Written on 05/10/2024

Verses 1-6

  • Verse 1. Even those Jesus repeatedly rebuked the Pharisees, they still invited Him into their homes to eat with them (Luke 11:37). This was largely because, as is revealed here, they wanted to examine Him, to look for faults (Luke 11:53-54).

    • Jesus still ate in their homes with them, and He took opportunities in these cases to teach them through His actions.

    • Don't quickly disqualify a person from spending time with you just because they may have impure motives. Consider whether spending time with such a person will give you an opportunity to correct their thoughts for their own good.

  • Verses 2-6. See teaching on Luke 13 for more details on this kind of passage.

 

Verses 7-11

  • Do not seek to be noticed or seen as great by people. If you do, your pride will actually cause you to be disrespected more. Why?

    • A man of modest and honorable character will always end up being honored more than someone who boasts and tries to force honor to himself.

  • Instead, be modest in your conduct and honorable in your character. Then, others will want to honor you. (See Proverbs 18:12, 27:2).

    • But make sure you're not using false modesty. This is still pride.

 

Verses 12-14

  • Do not serve people that you expect will serve you back, as a means of gaining advantage from them. This is not Christ-like serving.

    • Serve others expecting nothing in return. Even make a practice of serving people that you know will not be able to give anything back to you. This will keep you in the right state of mind.

 

Verses 15-24

  • See teaching on Matthew 22 for more details.

  • God has done great things to prepare His kingdom to receive people into it, even to sending His own Son to invite us.

    • The Jews, in particular, were the first to be invited into the kingdom. But they mocked and crucified Jesus. And so, the invitation of the gospel was redirected to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46).

  • Most people today don't treat Christ seriously, and they make excuses for neglecting their relationship with God, saying they're too busy with the cares of this world.

    • Don't be one of those people. Understand how much God has done to prepare His kingdom for you and how much it cost Him in order to make a way for you to be saved! 

    • Quit making excuses. Honor Him and His invitation by living faithfully and obediently!

 

Verses 25-35

  • Verse 25. Great multitudes went with Him until they realized what they would have to give up, in order to truly be His disciple. Christianity is not meant to be popular in this world, because truly following Christ is costly.

  • Verses 26-27,33. Of the costs, a person must love everything and everyone else lessthan they love Jesus. One must be willing to lose anything for the sake of Christ.

  • Verses 28-32. Following Jesus is an eternal commitment—a race that one must finish—so it's important that we know what we're getting into, before we start, so that we run without falling away.

    • If you know someone that seems interested in Christianity, before you try to baptize them or welcome them into the church, be careful to tell them about everythingthat following Jesus requires. This will allow them to make an informed decision.

      • If they don't know what following Christ costs, their faith will be weak, and they will fall.

  • Verses 34-35. Be warned! If you try to follow Jesus without being fully committed, you'll be like tasteless salt, and worthless to Christ's purpose!