Daily New Testament - Quarter 2Sample

The chapter today centers on banquets. For Jews, the Sabbath was a day when no work was to be done. The Pharisees are unhappy that Jesus heals someone on a day of rest. It’s kind of funny that healing on the Sabbath was a bad thing, but throwing a party and making all your servants prepare a meal was good. In Jesus’ day, heaven was thought of as a great banquet. Jesus is again teaching that his banquet will have people at it whom you would not expect. It is people’s acceptance of Jesus that matters, not their status.

Everyone gets their priorities backwards sometimes, just like the Pharisees. We get offended by someone appearing to break a minor rule and overlook our own breaking of bigger ones. Before we start reacting to someone else’s failure, it’s good to ask ourselves, “What would be the loving response in this situation?”