The Souls of the Poor and Needy Should Be More Important than Money and Possessions

Luke 14:1-24

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.

• Jesus heals a maimed man on a Sunday in front of church leaders.
• People are watching us to see how we respond to those in need.
• Are people in need more important than animals?
• Let’s give the most honorable seat at the table to Jesus Christ.
• The humble of this world are exalted into Heaven and the exalted humbled in Hell.
• Let’s be inviting to those who are left behind in this world.
• People use worldly excuses to reject the invitation into the kingdom of God.
• The invitation of the Gospel is sent to the ends of the earth.

Jesus heals a maimed man on a Sunday in front of church leaders. “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.” Luke 14:1 The Pharisees were watching Jesus like hungry wolves watching a sheep, and there was a good reason for their intense interest, as said here, “And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy.” Luke 14:2 Obviously, that maimed man was at the dinner by the knowledge of the Pharisees, and the question is, what would Jesus do? Would He break the law again and heal on the sabbath? “And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” Luke 14:3 If they said yes, it would be a clear signal that they wanted Jesus to heal the man, but it would also make them conspirators to breaking the law. If they said no, it would be clear that they had hostile intent towards Jesus, “But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go.” Luke 14:4 By keeping silent, they left the whole matter into the hands of Jesus, and Jesus healed the man on a Sunday.

People are watching us to see how we respond to those in need. Today, when we are eating with others, or in a group or public setting, the society who governs by the mark of the beast are watching us. They are interested in how we respond to those who are in need of the compassion found in the Gospel of Christ. The people in need are maimed spiritually, have little physical comforts, little social interaction, little money and possessions. They are that way from being rejected by those who have power over physiology and govern by the mark of the beast. Will we go against the broad way of mainstream society and show the compassion of Christ? God wants us to be filled with His love to show compassion in the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

Are people more important than animals? “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?” And they could not answer Him regarding these things.” Luke 14:5-6 God created people to be over all the animals of the earth, we are not equal to them, and we are certainly not below them. Today’s society embraces humanism which determines people to be just another specie of animal, and not Divinely created by God. Humanism is the clothing worn by those living for the mark of the beast. The Pharisees did not give an answer of whether people or animals held priority in their interactions. While people are placed in the same category as animals, those who live by the mark of the beast boast of their superiority over others, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with it?” Revelation 13:4 They are seeking superiority over the animal kingdom and not seeking equality in God’s kingdom through Jesus Christ.

Let’s give the most honorable seat at the table to Jesus Christ. “So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them, 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…” Luke 14:7-8 The society who lives by the mark of the beast puts themselves several notches above everyone else. They are the ones endowed with uncanny knowledge, heightened intuition, remarkable skills, amazing physical abilities, empowered with authority, filled with sensual comforts etc. They succeed in what they do, are integrated into a functional social network, with money and possessions. In regard to social standing, they have been given the best seats at the table. Everyone else are considered subpar to them, without a social network, nothing to contribute, with little money and possessions. Jesus Christ has a different standard in His social network, “…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.” Luke 14:9 Jesus is coming back to judge this world, and He is the one that they refuse to let set in the honorable places. They will be ashamed to see Jesus sitting on the throne in judgment of them.

The humble of this world are exalted into Heaven and the exalted humbled in Hell. Jesus has this to say, “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.” Luke 14:10 When we humble ourselves in the presence of Jesus Christ, He will say, “Friend go up higher,” and we will have a seat with Him in the kingdom of God. That humility is for us to come to God through Jesus Christ for the remission of sin. It is also humility because the thing with power over physiology will reject us from their social network and remove the enhanced abilities from us, including money and possessions. Jesus tells us this, “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 14:11 The humble of this world will be exalted in the eternal kingdom of God, and the exalted in this world will be humbled in eternal Hell.

Let’s be inviting to those who are left behind in this world. “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.” Luke 14:12 I’ve known people who have sent out wedding invitations, birthday party invitations, etc. to people who could afford to give expensive gifts. Others are left off the invite list. Also, those invitations are sent to friends and family who will return the cordial favor when the time comes. Basically, that is just inviting those who live for the mark of the beast and leaves out everyone else. When is the last time you’ve been invited to a wedding or other such party? Jesus has a different type of guest list He wants us to use, “But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” Luke 14:13-14 The kingdom of God isn’t for those who live for money, possessions, social recognition, and physical comforts, the kingdom of God is for those who take up the cross and follow Jesus Christ.

“Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, 
“Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!”
Luke 14:15

People use worldly excuses to reject the invitation into the kingdom of God. “Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’” Luke 14:16-17 God has prepared a great supper in the New Jerusalem and has sent Jesus to invite us all. The invitation is written on our heart and when we open it to reply to His invite, He comes into us so that we can fellowship together. People have many excuses for not opening their heart to him, “But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’” Luke 14:18 They have possessions and wealth that they will not part with. “And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’” Luke 14:19 People have their livelihood, employment, etc. that they cannot part with. “Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’” Luke 14:20 People have their family life that they place as more important than Jesus Christ. All the excuses relate to everything that binds a person to live for the mark of the beast, which are possessions, their livelihood, and family obligations.

The invitation of the Gospel is sent to the ends of the earth. God is angered at those who refuse His invitation to come to Him through Jesus Christ. “So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’” Luke 14:21 Those who live for the wealth of this world have hardened their soul to the Holy Spirit and have discarded the need for Jesus Christ. They have also rejected a lot of people who are not part of the society who lives for the mark of the beast. Jesus came to bring Salvation and eternal life to the down-trodden, rejected, and outcast who have a heart receptive to His Gospel. “And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’” Luke 14:22 Jesus has made His Gospel of John 3:16 available to the ends of the earth, which is, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” He will not stop until all people have received an invitation to the supper in the kingdom of God, “Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” Luke 14:23

“For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’” Luke 14:24 Jesus Christ was invited to a sizable supper in the home of a Pharisee, with other Pharisees. None of them will be sitting with Jesus at the supper table in the kingdom of God. There was one maimed man, whom everyone lorded their superiority over him, he will be sitting with Jesus in the New Jerusalem. Jesus brought His Salvation healing to Him.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11