Jesus Never Called Shotgun
Luke 14:1-14 Jan 20th, 2008
I have to confess that when I hear someone call “shotgun” it gets my hackles up a bit. When they say shotgun I hear “me; me; me.” It reminds me of when our kids were young I would tell them not to say “I’m the king of the castle and you’re the dirty rascal.” It seemed so unChristlike to me and I would tell them that we are all dirty rascals.
On a website called shotgunrules.com I found the official rules for calling shotgun. Here’s a couple of the highlights.
Section I - General Rules
1) The first person to yell "SHOTGUN" gets to ride in the front seat.
3) The word "shotgun" must be loud enough to be heard by at least one witness. If no witness is to be found, or in case of a tie, the driver has the final word.
4) Early calls are strictly prohibited. All occupants of the vehicle (including the driver) must be outside of the building and directly on the way to the vehicle before shotgun may be called. Under no circumstances may a person call shotgun inside a building. For sake of simplicity, a garage is considered to be outside. Parking structures and detached garages are always considered as being outdoors, even if they are underground.
5) A person may only call shotgun for one way of a trip. Shotgun can never be called while inside a vehicle or still technically on the way to the first location. For example, one can not get out of a vehicle and call Shotgun for the return journey.
6) Being as how everyone is created equal, men have the same right as women to the front seat of the car. i.e. women don’t own the front seat.
7) One is allowed to ride shotgun as many times as he can call it, but for himself only. No one can call shotgun for their slower friend, unless the friend has a speech or mental handicap that prevents them from calling it for themselves.
8) The driver has final say in all ties and disputes. The driver has the right to suspend or remove all shotgun privileges from one or more persons.
Section II - Special Cases
These all seem to be rules about being drunk or sick or obese.
Section III - The Survival Of The Fittest Rules
1) If the driver so wishes, he/she may institute the Survival Of The Fittest Rules on the process of calling Shotgun. In this case all rules, excepting 1.8, are suspended and the passenger seat is occupied by whoever can take it by force.
2) The driver must announce the institution of the Survival Of The Fittest Rules with reasonable warning to all passengers. This clause reduces the amount of blood lost by passengers and the damage done to the vehicle.
Jesus has just 1 rule for calling shotgun: Don’t do it. Just don’t do it - do not seek the seat of honour. Jesus never called shotgun and He instructs us to “take a back seat”.
Luk 14:7-14 Jesus noticed how some of the guests were choosing the best places, so he told this parable to all of them: (8) "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place.
When you are organizing a wedding there is a lot to think about. One of the things you MUST do is have assigned seating. That’s because usually right after the ceremony the wedding “party” has to go to the park for the pictures. While they are there the rest of the guests make their way over to the reception hall to await their arrival. If you don’t have name tags on the table the riff raff of the family will fill up the front of the hall and the wedding party and the immediate family will have to sit at the back. And in some families, even with place names, it is actually a good idea to have a security guard posted because they might come and start rearranging the name tags when no one is looking.
What does it say about human nature that wherever we go – at least when we are excited about being there – we want to sit as close to centre court, first base line, front row, 50 yard line and park next to the entrance, and it doesn’t matter who we inconvenience? It says I’m looking out for numero uno. If a crippled old person comes after me – tough! If a school bus full of blind mute children come to the concert and can’t find a place to sit – that’s their problem.
Jesus was at a wedding and He was watching people. He saw that people were clamoring for the best seats and He says, “wait – everybody – be quiet and listen to me. I don’t like what you are doing.”
(8) "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place. It could happen that someone more important than you has been invited, (9) and your host, who invited both of you, would have to come and say to you, ’Let him have this place.’ Then you would be embarrassed and have to sit in the lowest place. (10) Instead, when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that your host will come to you and say, ’Come on up, my friend, to a better place.’ This will bring you honor in the presence of all the other guests. (11) For those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great."
Jesus calls these people out for their table manners. That’s guts isn’t it. Have any of you ever wanted to do that? We feel free to correct our own family members – but what about guests? Do you have the nerve to tell them to go easy on the carrot cake so everyone can have some? Elbows off the table; chew with your mouth closed? Stop throwing the mashed potatoes at each other.
The Christian and philosopher and educator, Erasmus of Rotterdam, the greatest classical scholar of the northern Humanist of Renaissance, determined that manners were the best instilled at an early age. Here are some samples from the three century best seller, _On Civility in Children_ (c.1530):
• "Turn away when spitting lest your saliva fall on someone. If anything purulent falls on the ground, it should be trodden upon, lest it nauseate someone."
• "To lick greasy fingers or to wipe them on your coat is impolite. It is better to use the table cloth or the serviette."
• "Some people put their hands in the dishes the moment they have sat down. Don’t do that."
• "You should not offer your handkerchief to anyone unless it has been freshly washed. Nor is it seemly, after wiping your nose, to spread out your handkerchief and peer into it as if pearl and rubies might have fallen out of your head."
• "If you cannot swallow a piece of food, turn around discreetly and throw it somewhere."
Obviously table manners are a moving target, but the motivation should always be to care for others and make them feel comfortable. Why do table manners count? Jesus tells us why – it indicates the kind of attitude you have toward others. There should be graciousness in our interactions. A gracious host sees to it that the guests’ needs are taken care of and that they’re comfortable. A gracious guest is mannerly and asks himself “do my actions is any way make people feel uncomfortable, or affect the host or other guests negatively?” Wherever Christians go they should walk graciously and a gracious walk is a life that serves others without thought of being repaid.
The event that is depicted in this scripture is Jesus being invited to the home of a Pharisee. From the text we can deduce that this Pharisee had in mind to discredit Jesus somehow. This is the epitome of bad manners – of ungracious behaviour – to offer a show of hospitality in order to corner Him. Jesus – of course – knew what was going on and would not be tricked.
Jesus is unconventional, in that he did nothing because it was expected. At the start of Luke 14 Jesus says to the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, “Does our law allow healing on the Sabbath?” Why does Jesus ask this question? It is in response to the thoughts of the Pharisees. For Jesus thoughts are words – they didn’t even need to verbalize their words - He knew they were indignant toward Him. They did not answer Him because they were there to trap Him and not be taught by Him. They had attitude and it wasn’t the attitude of hospitality. Jesus is always less concerned with convention than intention, and so He goes on to offend them by healing a man who was painfully swollen with dropsy.
Jesus is unconventional and that got Him into trouble with many people. If we follow Him – we will find that our lives clash badly with acceptable society, our faith stands firmly opposed to pop culture and disrupts the status quo. Jesus is instructing us to walk with grace, but don’t think of someone endowed with social graces – the socialite who coolly breezes into a banquet with an air of self assurance. True graciousness is nothing that the world aspires to – it is not fashionable. Walking graciously is really a very different walk than that.
Jesus was trying to show the Pharisees and us that. We may know something – a little bit – about the grace of God and the wonderful way that it saves and transforms us; but what does it have to do with the way we think and live and treat others? That – is a great question and though they didn’t even think of asking - Jesus answers by what He says and what He does.
2Co 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Although he was rich, for your sakes he became poor, so that you, through his poverty, might become rich.
How did Jesus show us grace? By humbling Himself; by sacrificing Himself – by making Himself an offering - by bending low. He couldn’t contemplate ministering to a world of hurt by sitting on a throne. He couldn’t love the poor and sick from luxury and pageantry. The grace of Jesus is the privilege of sacrificing yourself for others. Walking in grace means giving up your rights and status to take a back seat; a lower rung – to exalt others you have to humble yourself. You have to bend low and get beneath something to lift it up. Jesus became an agent of grace to defend the poor by becoming poor. This is how the grace of the Lord can flow through us; be involved; identify with people who are in need of grace; love like you mean it. Get below them and lift them up.
A tremendous example of Jesus’ humility was when He washed the disciples’ feet in John 13. The disciples are very uncomfortable to have Him take a back seat while they sat up front and they say so. But Jesus says: “don’t you understand what I am doing for you? I am showing you what I want you to do – I am setting an example for you. What I have done – you should do too.” Jesus wasn’t talking about the physical act of washing someone’s feet – He was talking about taking a back seat –serving people with dirt on their feet, blood on their hands and tears on their face – giving grace to people who need it through humble involvement in their lives.
Who is this grace directed to? The ones who need it. Paul tells us who grace is for:
1Ti 1:12-16 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who gives me strength, that he has considered me faithful and has appointed me to his service. (13) In the past I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man. But I received mercy because I acted ignorantly in my unbelief, (14) and the grace of our Lord overflowed toward me, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. (15) This saying is trustworthy and deserves complete acceptance: To this world Christ Jesus came, Sinful people to reclaim. I am the worst of them. (16) But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the worst sinner, Christ Jesus might demonstrate all of his patience as an example for those who would believe in him for eternal life.
The grace of the Lord Jesus is for those who need it. It is for those who are low enough – for those who are already sitting in the back seat so Jesus can approach you and say no; my friend – come – come here with Me now!
A government official in India who was engaged in irrigation work came to the owner of a field and offered to make it fruitful, to which the owner answered, "Don’t bother it is barren and will produce nothing." The official replied, "I can make your field richly fruitful if only it lies low enough." He meant that a lowland is much easier to pump water to than higher ground.
If you and I are willing to humble ourselves - He can fill us with grace that will bring forth fruit. We can be too high for God to use us – but we can never be too low.
One of the most fundamental commands God gives us is to “Love your neighbour”. A man approached Jesus one day and asked Him; “What does this mean? Who is my neighbour?” Jesus clearly answers this question by telling him the parable of the good Samaritan, then He asks him
Luk 10:36-37 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?"
The Priest and the Levite didn’t only refuse to help the beaten, dying man – they avoided him, crossing to the other side of the road. Maybe they were thinking I can’t get dirty – I can’t be made impure by his blood.
Luk 10:33-35 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. (34) He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. (35) And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ’Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
The Samaritan got totally involved. Maybe it was because he didn’t have to lower himself from the heights of Jewish status. Maybe he wasn’t wearing fine garments to protect and wasn’t concerned about needing to ritually purify himself if he came in contact with blood. Maybe he didn’t care what others might think. He had compassion and he was willing to give up what he had in this world to gain it manifold in another.
So the man answers Jesus’ question about who it is who shows us how to be a neighbour:
(37) He said, "The one who showed him mercy." And Jesus said to him, "You go, and do likewise."
What does it mean for you to “go and do likewise”? Only you know. Who do you pass who is bleeding in the ditch? I think Jesus is saying if you really want to help you have to get off your donkey and get down in the ditch with them.
Christianity isn’t boring. It isn’t about dressing up in ugly clothes and sitting around singing and praying. It is the abundant life. It is as though you are a great trapeze artist. Watching a trapeze show is breathtaking. We wonder at the dexterity and timing. We gasp at near-misses. If they fall there is a net to catch them. In Christ, we live on the trapeze. He shows us a move and then says “what I have done you go and do likewise.” We aren’t supposed to sit in the net and watch Jesus perform and then study His moves and discuss His technique. We mustn’t sit in the net and watch others perform and then tell them what they are doing wrong. We’re supposed to be up there swinging and flipping and just barely holding on by our toenails. What happens when we slip? The net is surely there. The blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ, has provided forgiveness for ALL our trespasses. Both the net and the ability to stay on the trapeze are works of God’s grace.
The whole world should be able to watch and say, "Look how they live, how they love one another. Look at them care for the poor, the widows, the orphans. Look how well the husbands treat their wives and when we go somewhere together they never call shotgun!
