CHECKING THE GUEST LIST
Luke 14: 1, 7-14
September 2, 2001
A teenage girl was overheard talking on the phone with a friend about an upcoming party Friday evening. "Are you going to the party?" "Well, if you’re not going, then I’m not going, but if you go then I’m going." "Is she going to be there? She’s a jerk and I don’t know if I want to be around her, but if he is going to be there then I want to go; he is so hot. What are you going to wear?" And the conversation went on from there for another half an hour.
Maybe adults aren’t so blunt about it and that may be because we have learned the sophisticated art of being subtle and discrete. Going to a dinner or party is always more fun and enjoyable if we know friends are going to be there. And there is the underlying comments, "They put on a good party." "If you want to get known in the community, then you have to go to that party. It will be a good place to meet the people you need to know if you want to succeed." "Well, we probably ought to go and make an appearance even if it is not our kind of people."
Well, it was no different in Jesus’ day. From verse 7 of our text in Luke we get the hint that there was much social importance involved in where one sat at a dinner. The closer you could get to the host or the guest of honor, the more important; the farther away one sat, the less important you were. Either there was a scramble to claim the choice seats or else there was some kind of pecking order. Luke comments that Jesus noted "how the guests chose the places of honor."
We cannot overemphasize the importance of "table fellowship" in the culture of Jesus’ time. In the various cultures and subcultures of that day, "table customs were identifying marks of a group, whether philosophical, literary, or religious." A Near Eastern proverb states, "I saw them eating and I knew who they were." In the Jewish culture, table fellowship and table customs helped define who they were. There were the dietary laws, what one could eat and not eat. Other groups may eat shrimp or ham, but not a Jew. It was also ingrained in the culture that you did not sit down at the same table to eat with anyone that you would not consider a friend. To eat with someone meant full acceptance of one another. What one ate and with whom one ate were serious questions; they defined who you were. In the powerful story in Acts of Simon Peter preaching to the gentiles, the question asked of Peter when he returned to Jerusalem was, "Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?" In that act Peter radically redefined the identity of the church.
In observing the social custom of grabbing the more important seats at the banquet, Jesus told two teachings, not really parables. The teachings were not just about etiquette and how one ought to behave; rather, the teachings of Jesus are really about how to live in the Kingdom of God. This is Kingdom behavior; this is how one thinks and acts in God’s realm. The first is commentary to the guests at the party. Knowing human egos and our desire for attention and recognition, we can see how Jesus’ comments could become a comedy. Everyone would rush to sit at the places of lowest honor so that they could await the voice of the host to invite them to the places of honor. That misses the point entirely. Social status and recognition is not what defines us as a person; rather, a person who is at peace with themselves and with God does not need to scramble for recognition. Humility has to do with being at peace with our self, knowing one’s strengths and weaknesses and having a wholesome love of self that is not dependent on the approval of others. Our worth and identity is not determined by our position on the social ladder or the amount of money we make each year.
The second teaching is directed towards the hosts of the party or dinner. It occurred in Jesus’ time and it is still around today. "Hosting was an act by which one person gained power over others and put them in his/her debt." Those persons invited were in debt to repay the kindness offered to them. "A host who expects a return on his or her behavior will not offer service or food to those who cannot repay; guests lists consisted of those who were able to return the favor." That was the game being played that Jesus was observing.
Once again, Jesus’ comments have to do with being citizens of the Reign of God. Our social customs should reflect our citizenship in God’s reign, God’s Kingdom. In God’s reign, God is the host. Jesus Christ calls us to the table to share in God’s overflowing banquet. And there is no assigned seating with any place being of more importance, and people will be there that you would not normally expect.
Instead of getting hung up in the social game of status keeping, invite those who cannot repay you in any way. Luke’s list of four groups is not by accident; it is a theme throughout his Gospel. The poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind were people who were shunned; they were excluded, avoided. They were not wanted in the Essene community because they were unclean. They were not welcome in the temple because they were not whole. Yet, both the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Scriptures consistently announce that God calls God’s people to care for the poor and disabled. The people who are most frequently shunned in the culture are the ones for whom God has a special place; and God’s people are called to be a welcoming place. The Reign of God proclaims a radical sense of inclusion, and we are called to live that inclusion here and now as a sign of that reign.
The word hospitality literally means, "love of a stranger." When we invite friends over for dinner or a night of playing games, we are among those who can return the favor. We are not among strangers. To truly live out hospitality means to treat the stranger with actions of love. Our Hebrew 13 scripture reminds us, "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it." Hospitality is welcoming those who are in no position to return the favor. It means sitting at table with them and getting to know them.
It is wonderful to send money to Habitat for Humanity so they can build housing for families who need it. But instead of just sending money, what would happen if we invited that family to our home to get to know them? Some of our members know those families and are touched by them. It is wonderful that we have Food Bank Sunday the 4th Sunday of each month. We help supply food to families in need in our community, yet we can do that but still keep ourselves at a distance. We don’t really have to get involved; we don’t have to face them and hear their stories and get to know them. Those of our members who work at the food bank get to know their stories. Their lives are real. We send money to Yakima Interfaith Coalition to help meet emergency needs and provide education and childcare. We can do that and not get involved. Some of our members do volunteer there, and one becomes touched when the people share their story and you listen to them. It is one thing to help another person, but it is something else to get involved and come to know them, to sit at table with them. Helping someone from a distance is not the same as sitting at the same table and getting to know them.
For several years we have put together a wonderful selection of food and gifts for families at Christmas. I’m sure they enjoy it. But ask those who have delivered the gifts and you hear a touching story. Instead of just sending gifts, what if we invited them to our table, either here at Englewood or our own homes? As Dr. Craddock commented, "In the Christian community, no one is a ‘project’."
So, who is on our guest list? Is the table really open? Or are there still barriers? Are we playing games? Are we excluding anyone? When we sit down together at a table, we recognize that we are one. Welcome to the banquet table of God’s reign.