Welcome to Wednesday’s podcast. I hope you are enjoying the warmer weather and the signs that Spring is on its way.

REFLECTION:

I love Spring. I love watching the effect that Spring has on our garden. From the cold, damp earth the first snowdrops breakthrough, followed by daffodils, tulips and bluebells, bringing new life and colour after a drab winter. Spring is a season of transformation.

On Monday we looked at the fact that we are called to work with God to create transformation in the world around us. Yesterday, we saw that the good news of Jesus is all about the radical transformation of social structures. Today, as we read Luke Chapter 14 verses 15-35, we’ll see Jesus move on to talk about personal transformation in the lives of those who follow him.

Our focus is verse 33: “In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”

The story of the great banquet is the story of a man who was prepared to give up everything in order to be a disciple, and to live out the radical, transformed life that Jesus calls each of his followers to.

The first thing we learn is that to follow Jesus means a transformation in our thought life.

In verse 21 the master is angry that people have given excuses for their non-attendance. It seems a natural, and indeed justifiable, response to their rudeness, and the potential waste of money and food. However, he does not plot revenge or seek reprisals. Neither does he harbour bitterness. Instead he seeks to turn around his initial anger and transform it into something completely different – and so he extends hospitality, generosity and welcome to others.

In Romans 12 v 2, Paul writes, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

When faced with frustrating or challenging situations, how do we react?

Do we conform to the pattern of this world; justifying our anger as ‘natural’ or ‘reasonable’?

Or do we ask the Holy Spirit to transform our thoughts and emotions?

Are there areas of unforgiveness or resentment that we need to give up, in order that we can follow Jesus on the journey of discipleship?

Secondly, the parable of the great banquet shows us that being a disciple of Jesus means a transformation in our relationship with the world; in particular the earthly enticements of money, sex, and power. The guests that were invited to the feast missed out on the celebration because they were caught up or distracted by worldly possessions, their wealth and status as landowners, and the fact that they had just married!

In this way, the Bible is as relevant to today’s culture as it was when it was first written.

Are there aspects of our relationship with, or attitude to, money, sex and power that need to be transformed, or that we need to give up, in order to follow Jesus more closely?

Money, sex and power are huge driving forces in our world. If we are able to live differently in these areas, then we will indeed be the ‘salty’ salt that Jesus speaks of in verse 34, and make a difference in the places where God has planted us.

Finally, we return to the table talk and table practices from Tuesday’s podcast.

As we saw yesterday, throwing a banquet and inviting guests was intrinsically linked to social status and acceptance from the in-crowd. To have your invitation rejected or spurned, as happened to the man in today’s parable, basically meant he was socially snubbed, publicly shamed, and the approval of his peers was removed in an instant. However, rather than letting rejection shape his actions, the man instead goes about cultivating a new community. Rather than conforming to the old ideas of social hierarchy, he models a new way to live, and invites those who would normally be excluded. And the feast continues!

We see similar themes in verse 26, when Jesus talks about disciples needing to hate their par...