LUKE 14:1 – 35: KINGDOM VALUES

© Rosemary Bardsley 2025

In Luke 14 Jesus teaches us that what is valued in God’s kingdom is different from what is valued by humans, and in particular by religious humans.

A. VALUING HUMANS ABOVE HUMAN RELIGIOUS LAWS – Luke 14:1 – 6

God’s law about the Sabbath was: ‘Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy’ – Exodus 20:8. It forbid anyone doing ‘work’ – whether the family, the servants, the animals or foreigners staying with you (verses 9 – 11). Its purpose was twofold:

Because God’s work of creating the entire universe was completed in six days, he, resting from all of that work, blessed the seventh day and made it holy (Genesis 1:31 – 2:3; Exodus 20:11).

To remind the Israelites that they existed as a nation, as God’s set-apart nation, as a result of God’s work, not theirs. They had been slaves in Egypt, but God brought them out with a mighty hand and outstretched arm (Deuteronomy 5:12 – 15), and because of that, to remember that, they were to keep the Sabbath. It was God who made them ‘holy’, not them (Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:12).

But the Pharisees and teachers of the Law had completely overturned the Sabbath. For them, instead of being a reminder of God’s grace, Sabbath-keeping was understood as a means of earning/meriting God’s favour, standing in judgement over anyone whom they perceived to be breaking the Sabbath. The experts in the law had expanded the simple ‘do no work’ instructions given in Exodus 20 and repeated in Deuteronomy 5 into thirty-nine categories of ‘work’ defining what ‘work’ was, each with multiple listings of what that ‘work’ was, and prohibiting all of those actions on the Sabbath.

We have already seen this imposition of man-made definitions of ‘work’ in Luke:

6:1, 2 – The Pharisees questioned the disciples when they picked grain to eat on the Sabbath.
6:6 – 11 – The Pharisees and teachers of the law were offended when Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath.
13:10 – 17 – A synagogue ruler was indignant because Jesus healed a woman on the Sabbath.

But what Christ values is the human, particularly the human in need, not human interpretations of and additions to God’s law about the Sabbath. In the case of the disciples in Luke 6:1 – 4, their need was hunger. In the case of the man in 6:6 – 11, the woman in 13:10 – 17 and the man in 14:1 – 6, their need was healing.

God prioritizes human need above ritual law. For this reason, ritual law itself, the way God intended it, all points ahead to Jesus Christ who came because of our desperate need for salvation, for ‘rest’ for our souls. At a profound level, Jesus Christ is the real meaning of the Sabbath; he is our Sabbath rest (Colossians 2:16, 17).

For further on the Sabbath see this study, (it is quite a long and deep study) and this this simpler study. 

B. THE DANGER OF SELF-PROMOTION AND SELF-FOCUS – Luke 14:7 – 14

It seems in this chapter that Jesus was deliberately provocative. It was he, not the Pharisees, who initiated the discussion about the Sabbath, and then uses what he observed in the setting to further challenge their values.

B.1 The danger of self-exaltation – 14:7 – 11
Jesus observed that the guests coming into the house were choosing ‘the places of honour’ at the table.

Read verses 7 – 11. Answer these questions about this parable:
What is dangerous about choosing the best seat for yourself?

What did Jesus say was the best thing to do?

Why?

What is the main point of the parable?

Suggest what Jesus wanted the Pharisees to understand?

How does that apply to you?

The Pharisees and teachers of the law, confident of their own righteousness, confident of their access to the kingdom of God, confident of God’s acceptance, exalted themselves above the ordinary people. They expected to be honoured in God’s kingdom. Jesus’ parable here cuts right across their self-exalting mindset. It is not their place to exalt themselves.

How does Jesus’ teaching here express similar truths to:
Luke 4:24 -27:

Luke 6:24 – 26:

Luke 9:46 – 48:

Luke 11:37 – 54:

Luke 13:24 – 30:

Jesus repeatedly tried to get the Pharisees and teachers of the law to see the precariousness of their position: that all their external adherence to the law, all their perceived ‘righteousness’, availed for nothing if that was the basis of their relationship with God. Though they believed they would be ‘first’, they were actually ‘last’, because membership in the kingdom of God was a gift, not a reward.

B.2 The danger of self-focus – 14:12 – 14
Jesus again used the setting – a meal with invited guests – to teach that the values of the kingdom are other-focused, not self-focused.

Read the verses. Answer these questions:
How does Jesus’ teaching here apply to you?

How difficult is it to live with an other-focused mindset?

How does being other-focused express the humility and submission taught by Jesus and the apostles?

C. THE PARABLE OF THE GREAT BANQUET – 14:15 – 24

Also reflecting the meal setting, and responding to Jesus’ teaching about invitations to meals, is a statement made by another guest: ‘Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.’ Jesus has just said that the person who invites various poor people to a meal ‘will be blessed’, and it is easy to wonder ‘Was the man contradicting Jesus about who would be blessed?’ Or was he simply making a comment? Whatever was his motive, Jesus took the opportunity to teach again, by way of parable, that the first will be last and the last will be first: that the leaders of the Jews, who fully expected to be in the kingdom, would miss out. The ‘uninvited’ will fill the master’s house and enjoy his great banquet, not the ‘invited’.

It is common to interpret this parable to be about people who refuse to respond to the gospel for various secular reasons that parallel the excuses given in verses 18 to 20. And it is certainly true that people who refuse to follow Jesus Christ for similar secular reasons will not be in the Kingdom of God. All of these excuses have one thing in common: that each of these excuses values personal agenda and priorities above the invitation to the banquet; each values self above the one who invited them.

In a secular sense, removed from Jesus’ parable, this does not seem like a terrible thing: often there are things that are more important than going to a party. But when we look at the spiritual significance of this parable, both the ‘invitation’ and our response to the ‘invitation’ become far more significant. [In Matthew’s record (Matthew 22:2 – 14) the man who sends out the invitation is ‘the king’, and the reason for banquet is the marriage of his son.]

Read the parable, then looking for the spiritual meaning, answer these questions:
Who is the ‘certain man’ who sends out the invitations?

How does Matthew’s version of the parable help to identify him?

What is the invitation?

Who is the ‘son’ spoken of in Matthew’s version?

Who are we insulting and rejecting if we refuse to go to the ‘banquet’?

Suggest who were the original invited guests.

Suggest who are represented by all those who ended up at the banquet.

In what way is the ‘invitation’ from the King also a command?

Where do you fit in this parable?

Read Revelation 19:6 – 8. How does this fit in with Matthew’s version?

Who is the ‘bride’ of the Lamb?

Jesus, in this parable of the great banquet, again confronted his hearers with the critical significance of their response to his words, their response to his command to repent and believe. By his words he invites them into his kingdom. By their refusal to obey his invitation/command they are cutting themselves off from the blessedness mentioned by the man in verse 15 – the blessedness of being in the kingdom of God, and enjoying the riches of God’s grace there lavished upon us.

D. THE NECESSITY OF COUNTING THE COST – Luke 14:25 – 35

Right through this chapter Luke has reported Jesus’ strong teaching. We could perhaps summarize what he has said so far as ‘following Jesus is not about you, it’s about him’. If we think that we are at the centre, if we think that we deserve recognition, if we try to do only those things that benefit us and fit our agenda, then we haven’t understood Jesus’ teaching, and our following him is not really following him at all. And Jesus does not want that kind of disciple.

In Luke 14:25 – 35 Jesus told the huge crowds that following him involves a cost. Following Jesus is a long-term commitment that has the potential to disrupt our lives. Following Jesus means that there will be difficulties that would not have been in our lives if we did not follow him. Jesus has already taught this in the parable of the sower. Here, in Luke 14, Jesus makes it clear that he is not looking for temporary followers. He is not looking for disciples who will be for him today but turn away from him tomorrow.

He is looking for followers who are there for the long haul, no matter how difficult that is, no matter what it costs. He is looking for people who really do believe in him – people who understand that he is who he is, the eternal Son of God, the Lord of creation, the King of God’s kingdom, and knowing and believing in him, know with certainty that there is no one else worthy of following, and know with great certainty that deserting him in a final way is not an option.

How does Jesus explain this deliberate, long-term commitment of true disciples, in these verses?
14:26:

14:27

14:28 – 30:

14:31 – 32:

14:33:

14:34:

Here Jesus tells us:

There is no one in your life who is more important than him.

Even our own life is not more important than faithfulness to him.

That following him, being his disciple, is a lifelong commitment.

That we should consider everything involved before committing to follow him.

That being his disciple means that everything else in our lives must no longer rule our lives.

That our commitment is to him alone, uncorrupted by other influences.

Questions:
In what ways does Jesus’ teaching in these verses trouble you?

How do Jesus’ words, which seem to be aimed at preventing spontaneous response to him, differ from some of the evangelistic messages you have heard?