He said also to the one who had invited him, When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they invite you in return, and you would be repaid. — Luke 14:12.
I wouldn’t expect Dear Abby or Miss Manners to give the same advice as Jesus does above. It goes against convention and frankly the way a lot of us were raised. But Jesus has a habit of going against convention. What is the underlying message here?
I certainly don’t have a definitive answer but here’s my lame attempt:
If you invite a Buddhist over for dinner tradition teaches him/her not to thank you “because that would be the end of your reward.”
Jesus is talking about motive and attitude — what is behind our generosity?
Are we like those who shout from the rooftops how difficult their Lenten fast is, or make a big public display out of their tithe? Those receive a reward — being noticed, but do they really seek a fuller life with God that only gifts from the heart can bring.
Christ’s message is touchy for we certainly want people to make contributions to the church, charity, and education, and if the price of generosity is a little attention — a plaque on the wall or the naming of a building — who are we to judge.
During Thanksgiving especially we want to invite our family, friends, and relatives. Human nature tells us if we are invited to someone’s house, we reciprocate.
But Jesus, as he is prone to do, prods us to remember a greater wisdom, where our true reward lies in serving God and our neighbors, not ourselves.
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