Beyond the Weekend

July 1 | Dinner with Jesus

July 1, 2019

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.” Luke 14:12

Read: Luke 14:12-24

Listen: Luke 14

TODAY’S MESSAGE

In Dinner with Jesus, we have seen Jesus eat with all sorts of people. This was no accident. Jesus used meals as a vital part of his mission strategy. The first invitation came from a despised tax collector named Matthew. In accepting this invitation, Jesus shows us that he was willing to rub shoulders with those on the bottom rung of society. The second invitation came from a religious leader who would have been near the top of their society. While at this meal, Jesus showed that the religious elites were lost as well.

In this third meal, a different Pharisee invites Jesus into his home. There, Jesus tells a story about a man who wants to throw a banquet. The man throwing the banquet is notified at the last minute that many of his guests are unwilling to come. In a desperate attempt to fill the seats at his table, he invites anyone he can get off the street—the blind, lame or crippled. Jesus uses this story to challenge his listeners about who they ought to invite into their space. He wants them to consider their typical guest list in a new light.

This week, we will dive into this story as we reflect on what Jesus meant to teach those at this meal and what his words mean for us today. We are invited into Jesus’ mission strategy of eating meals with others. In the end, these meals are not really about the food. They are a way for us to share our space with others and invite them into our lives.

IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY

We have been encouraged over the past few weeks to invite someone to a meal. Who did you invite? Spend your remaining time today planning to get together with this person again. This might mean pulling out your calendar and finding an open night, contacting them to work out details or something else. Whatever it is, take the first step toward inviting them into your space again.


Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.

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