[Propertalk] Sermon tidbits for Luke 14 for Aug. 29 - VI

[Joe Parrish]

...the recommendations to the host about who to invite to dinner, is in a way another parable about what to do in relation to the coming of the Kingdom of God that is turned into a parable by the final observation, "You will be blessed because they cannot repay you. It will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

http://www.gotell.org/pdf/commentary/Luke/Lk14_01_07-14_commentary.pdf

Thomas E. Boomershine
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...an article by William Easum entitled, "On Not Being Nice for the Sake of the Gospel." 
...One of the basic lessons I'm learning as a consultant: Before renewal begins in a church or denomination, normally someone has to leave or be denied. Almost every time a dying church attempts to thrive once again, someone tries to bully the leaders out of the attempt. And almost every time a turn-around takes place, such persons are lost along the way because they are no longer allowed to get their way. When they can't get their way, they leave. Not even Jesus got through the journey with all of the Disciples. Why should we expect to?
Of course, we should not set out to intimidate the bully or to kick people out of the church. But a strong response means that we care enough about the future of our church not to allow anyone to stifle its ability to liberate people from bondage or victimization. It also means that we care enough about the bully that we will not allow him or her to intimidate the church, because we know the spiritual vitality of both the bully and the church is at stake.

http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/luke14x1.htm

Brian Stoffregen
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In Luke however the self interest continues unabated in 14:12-14. It is best to put people in your debt who cannot repay you, because then you will be repaid by God. What a nuisance if people square the ledger here! We help the poor and needy so that we can build up capital for our own future. These are disastrous developments. Where they are applied the needy are used and abused. It is spiritual capitalism at its worst. 

http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/LkPentecost14.htm

William Loader
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It is very hard for human beings to move out of our comfort zones of people we know and trust.  A group of psychologists conducted an experiment with 150 people on a weekend retreat.  They told everyone to move into 8 breakout rooms with no more than 20 people in each group.  Those were the only directions given.  Even though there was clearly enough room for everyone to be in a group, everyone reacted with great anxiety to the directions.  In each room people quickly moved to a room, elected or appointed a leader, counted out 20 people and then shut the door to close anyone else out.  They did this even though no one told them to elect leaders or shut the doors.  As much as we think we are free individuals, we come pre-programmed to have a herd mentality where we are quick to define who is part of our group and who is not welcome.  Human being will act with great compassion to those who are defined as "in the group" and yet we will often be irrationally spiteful and destructive to people we define as "outsiders." 

http://bloomingcactus.typepad.com/bloomingcactus/2010/08/luke-141-714-great-banquets-are-never-easy.html

Todd Weir, 2010
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The punch line (v. 11) is good manners, but Jesus is drawing a conclusion about the kingdom: attendance depends on God's invitation. God will not be fooled by self-promotion! Jewish and Greco-Roman societies both spurned the "poor" (v. 13) and the disabled. A Qumran document says that these people will be excluded from the banquet, but Jesus says: share with them! (v. 13) 

http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/archive/cpr22m.shtml

Chris Haslam 
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Verse 14: "the resurrection of the righteous": Belief varied as to whether the ungodly would be raised as well as the godly:
Acts 24:15 shows Paul as believing in the resurrection of both. This belief is found in Daniel 12:2 and some parts of 1 Enoch. The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs also envisages all being resurrected at the end of time, though perhaps not all at the same time. 

Luke presents a view that has more in common with: 
a.. 
  a.. Psalms of Solomon, which sees only the resurrection of the godly, and 
  b.. 2 Maccabees, where resurrection is the reward of the martyrs. (For example, 2 Maccabees 7:9: 
"the King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life, because we have died for his laws".) 

http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/archive/cpr22l.shtml

Chris Haslam 
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