devotional post # 2001

Luke 14:12-14

Luk 14:12 He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you host a luncheon or a dinner, don’t invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours so you can be invited by them in return and get compensated.
Luk 14:13 But when you host a banquet, invite the poor ones, the crippled ones, the lame ones, and the blind ones.
Luk 14:14 Then you will enjoy a special advantage, because they cannot repay you, because you will be repaid when the righteous ones will be raised.”

because they cannot repay

Jesus encourages the privileged to stop using their fortunes to gain more fortunes. Instead, he advises investing in those who are less fortunate, and that investment will pay off at the resurrection.

In a sense, this bit of moral instruction is window dressing for what Jesus would go on to teach, about responding to God’s invitation now instead of putting it off. What he says first is that some of his listeners are so busy making a future that they do not take time to love the needy today. The needy are actually a blessing for us, because helping them is an investment that will pay off when it really matters.

LORD, give us the wisdom to be generous toward those who need it, as an act of love reflecting our relationship with you.