Gospel Notes by Michael Whelan SM
On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely. …
When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:1 & 7-14 – NRSV).
Introductory notes
General
In the Hellenistic literature, the meal table is a common setting for dialogue: “From the time of Xenophon and Plato, the Symposium became in effect a literary form; the eating and drinking provided only the context for sometimes serious and sometimes frivolous discussions of life. …. It is part of Luke’s presentation of Jesus as a philosopher as well as a prophet, therefore, to have him so often at table” (Luke Timothy Johnson, The Gospel of Luke, Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1991, 225). Luke describes a very serious, even sombre scene here – he is having the meal with “a leader of the Pharisees” and his fellow guests are “lawyers and Pharisees” (noted in the full text). Luke adds two other important details: “they were watching him closely” and it is the Sabbath. There is electricity in the air! In 11:37 Luke has already told us of another time Jesus sat down to eat with “a Pharisee”. There were lawyers present on that occasion too. It led to conflict and condemnations from Jesus. What will happen here?
Specific
Pharisees. “According to Josephus (Ant. 18.1,2 § 11), the Pharisees were one of the three ‘philosophies’ among the Palestinian Jews of his day; sometimes he calls them ‘sects’ (haireseis, Ant. 13.5,9 § 171; cf. Acts 15:5). Their origin is to be traced to non-priestly interpreters of the Torah in the postexilic period; but they seem to have first emerged as an organized group in the Maccabean period, perhaps shortly before the time of John Hyrcanus (Ant. 13.5,9 § 171). The Greek name Pharisaioi is probably a transcription of Aramaic Pĕrīšāyê, ‘separated ones,’ undoubtedly used of them by others who differed with them. It may have expressed a certain aloofness and avoidance of dealings with other Jews less observant of the Torah; for Luke’s evaluation of them, see Acts 26:5. They advocated a rigorous interpretation of the Mosaic Law, insisting not only on the observance of the written Torah, but also of the oral Torah, i.e. the tradition ascribed to Moses and the elders, which were interpretations of the written Torah propounded since postexilic times. These ‘Sayings of the Fathers’ (cf. Mark 7:3) were intended to be a ‘fence for the Law,’ guarding it against violation (Pirqe ʾAbot 1:1). Influenced by Hellenistic ideas of the value of paideia, these interpreters regarded knowledge of the Torah and its prescriptions and prohibitions as the mark and guarantee of piety. To be a holy nation, sacred and dedicated to Yahweh, was a goal of all Jews; but to achieve this by education and knowledge of the Torah was specifically Pharisaic. Meticulous observance of the Sabbath and feast days, of ritual purity regulations, of tithing, of dietary rules was their practice; their tenets numbered belief in human freedom under the control of providence, bodily resurrection, angels, the coming of a Messiah (see Pss. Sol. 17:23–18:12), and the ingathering of Israel and its tribes at the end of time (Josephus Ant. 13.5,9 § 172). Some of these tenets set them off from other ‘philosophies’ among the Jews, such as Sadducees. See further R. Meier and K. F. Weiss, TDNT 9. 11–48; J. Neusner, From Politics to Piety (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1973)” (Joseph A Fitzmyer, The Gospel according to Luke I–IX: introduction, translation, and notes, New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008, 580-581).
Two ways
In today’s Gospel – Luke 14:1 & 7-14 – Jesus presents two distinct ways of behaving. First, be shrewd; second, follow the way of charity. These are not necessarily contradictory. There are times, for example, when it is appropriate to be shrewd and act in a way that confirms your good standing in the community or at least avoids harming it. The words of Jesus are not about condemning shrewdness or protecting one’s reputation, they are about affirming the way of the kingdom.
The laws and motivations that shape human societies are not the same as those which shape the kingdom. The kingdom Jesus proclaims operates by laws that, at times, might be antithetical to those that often prevail in human societies. In fact, if you choose to live by the laws of the kingdom of God you will sometimes find yourself at odds with at least some of the people with whom you live and work.
Consider Jesus’ declaration: “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return . . .” Are we to refrain from having family and friends over for a meal in case they might invite us in return? To take this declaration in a literal sense would fly in the face of everything Jesus teaches about the kingdom of God. We need to listen with the ear of the heart. What do you think Jesus is actually teaching here? Is it shrewdness or charity?
Jesus seems to be pointing to an underlying disposition, a way of being towards others. Each of us must listen to and hear Jesus’ teaching in our own way. The Christian community, from the very beginning heard Jesus’ words as a call to charity concretely expressed in the care for those who, for what ever reason, are unable to care for themselves. Thus, Luke tells us near the beginning of Acts: “those who welcomed his message were baptized …. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. …. they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need” (2:41-45).
Pope Benedict sees a “fundamental ecclesial principle” arising from this teaching. It lies at the heart of the Church and is expressed in a variety of ways. He writes: “As the years went by and the Church spread further afield, the exercise of charity became established as one of her essential activities, along with the administration of the sacraments and the proclamation of the word: love for widows and orphans, prisoners, and the sick and needy of every kind, is as essential to her as the ministry of the sacraments and preaching of the Gospel. The Church cannot neglect the service of charity any more than she can neglect the Sacraments and the Word” (Deus Caritas Est, #22).