The coming holidays will bring together millions of hosts and guests to dine and celebrate the season. Many years ago, a group of prominent religious leaders decided to host a dinner. They put their heads together and agreed on a date and time, the guest list and the seating arrangement. The dinner was to be held on their Sabbath. One of the invited guests was a man who had a severe case of oedema, a painful condition caused by excessive fluid beneath the skin. He was the unwitting "shill." He was invited to trip up another guest. That guest's name was Jesus. The story is found in Luke 14.
The One who is the God-man, omniscience that dwelled among men, arrived at the party and his hosts "watched him." Everything seemed to be going according to their plan. Jesus turned His attention to the man who was ill. For a moment, the religious leaders held their collective breath - they thought they had him. And then the Lord of the Sabbath asked, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"
Keep in mind that by this time the laws concerning one's movements on a Sabbath had been dissected, objected to and debated until the only ones elated were the ones selling the ink to keep it all straight. While the "camel swallowing experts" were mulling over legalities, Jesus healed the man and "let him go." At times we may feel we are out of the loop at one of life's "parties." We may sense there are issues raging around us that are beyond our control or understanding. In those instances, we can rest in the truth that our Savior has healed us and "let us go." Like the guest at this dinner, our part is done. God sees fit to handle some situations His way without our assistance.
Such was the case after Jesus healed the man under the silent watchful eyes of his hosts. Needless to say, there was probably a lull in the conversation. It was then that Jesus called attention to the behavior of the guests. It seemed they all wanted to sit at the "head table." 21st Century brides' magazines would be appalled at the advice Jesus gave that the head table should be shunned at all costs. In a sense, every Christian has been invited to sit down and have a meal with the Savior (Revelation 3:20). But only God knows who is on His guest list. We need to avoid the trap of wondering where we will sit at His table. God has the place cards all worked out.
After Jesus gave a Divine perspective on the behavior of guests, He turned to the art of hosting. As He looked around that day, He would have noticed the laughter and good-natured jostling of people who lived the accepted ethics of social interaction that are still alive today. "Scratch my back, I scratch yours - it's a win-win situation." So what was our Savior's final bombshell of etiquette? The hosts had the guest list all wrong! He told them that people invited to share in what is offered should be those who are unable to repay the favor. Jesus calls us to live by a not-so-popular "win-lose" situation. In essence it is this: I scratch your back after I have given you the shirt off mine.
Inviting Jesus to a dinner party may have seemed like a good idea at the time. The religious leaders truly believed they had a temporary rabble rouser on their hands. A deep-rooted sense of self-importance and pride refused to make room for the possibility they had it all wrong. This holiday season, whether a host or a guest, we have the advantage of learning from their mistakes.
I'm just wondering if Jesus had to let himself out after the party was over.