“But When Thou Makest A Feast…”
Categories: Bible Study LessonsIn Luke 14:12-14, our Lord said to the lawyers and Pharisees, “When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kindsmen, nor thy rich neighbors; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.”
How can we make application of the above verses today?
One way that we can make application of these verses, is by helping those who need help and cannot compensate us for our services. In this regard, Jesus said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40). As a result, we will be richly “recompensed at the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:14). This is the principle of laying up for ourselves “treasures in heaven….” (Matthew 6:20; cf. Matthew 19:21; 1 Timothy 6:18-20).
Our Lord gave us a spiritual application of the above verses (the principle of selfless giving), when He told the self-righteous Pharisees, “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick” (Matthew 9:12). He went on to say that His purpose for coming to the earth was not “to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matthew 9:13). Our Lord provides not only the physical necessities of life (Matthew 6:25-32), but the spiritual necessities of life as well (John 10:10; cf. Psalm 23; Philippians 4:19). Since He is our example (1 John 2:6; 1 Peter 2:21), can we as His followers do any less for those in need (both physically and spiritually) and still be blessed?