Wednesday, August 5, 2020

The writings of Luke the physician starting with his version of the gospel - Luke 14:7-14 comments: true humility




Luke 14:7 ¶  And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, 8  When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; 9  And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. 10  But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. 11  For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 12  Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. 13  But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: 14  And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

A similar sentiment to verses 7 through 11 is expressed in Proverbs.

Proverbs 25:6 ¶  Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men: 7  For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.

Humility, rather than seeking preeminence, is appreciated by God. Peter wrote;

1Peter 5:5 ¶  Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

James expressed a similar sentiment when talking about exalting a social class as so many working-class conservatives in America do in their worship of the very wealthy.

James 2:1 ¶  My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2  For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3  And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4  Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? 5  Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? 6  But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? 7  Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?

A very important principle is expressed in verse 14. In the ancient Greek and Roman world charity was a political act. You gave to someone who could do you some good. You sponsored something, gave to a temple, had something built in your name, or distributed bread to the poor, but whatever you did you expected a return on your investment; some preference, some prayer, some acknowledgment of your importance, or support politically.

In fact, in Graeco-Roman culture the poor were never singled out as the object of charity. Philanthropy had to do with your own family or to help someone who deserved to be helped. Almsgiving and Greek or Roman moralists never preached that people with money should help people without unless, as I said, there was some benefit involved or some great value in the recipient. An important thing that Jesus will teach later is that your neighbor includes any stranger, even of a different ethnic group or religion than yourself, that you come across in desperate need.

The highest level of Christian giving is to give to someone who cannot possibly benefit you and may not even know you were their benefactor. You will expect acknowledgment in heaven, not here on earth.

Matthew 6:1 ¶  Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2  Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3  But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4  That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

In addition, verses 12 and 13 set up a prophetic passage on a specific feast in the next verses.

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