Bring in the Poor

“He said also to the man who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just."” (Luke 14:12-14 ESV). The command before us today is to bring in the poor.

I believe the implication of this command goes beyond the context of our verses of who to invite to dinner or a banquet, but to who we become involved with and for what reason. An interesting thought that just came to mind is, “Don't do for others what they can do for you, but do for others what that they can’t do for you.” This brings to mind an event that occurs each year that is a very difficult time for me; that event is Christmas. The practice of giving gifts to each other is the same idea as inviting to dinner those who will invite you back. That is not truly giving but an exchange. As I watch people do it and see their reactions I have to force myself to remain during this time of celebration because my heart is breaking for those who are suffering because of evil and have such great needs. This exchange of gifts will become extreme when the two witnesses die and the world rejoices (Revelation 11:7 – 10).

The emphasis of this command is to reach out to those in need who cannot repay you; to establish a relationship with them for the purpose of encouraging an interest in spiritual things. Because of our sinful nature we tend to look out for our own interest and fail to give adequate attention to the interest of others (Philippians 2:4).

Prayer

Father, as I wrote about this command I was reminded of the tendency we have of wanting to identify with or associate with those who are equal or better off than we are for the purpose of how we might benefit from them. This command is a reminder that life is not about ourselves but about Jesus Christ and others. As believers we have been given the assignment of searching for lost sheep and making disciples out of them.

See "The Commands of Jesus" Index to view other commands.