The Proverbs on the Mount

The Proverbs on the Mount

The Bible’s book of Proverbs is often said to represent a collection of “human wisdom” and is frequently regarded as a book of practical rather than spiritual insights expressed in short, catchy sayings.  Yet this viewpoint vastly underestimates the book. 

The value of Proverbs can be seen in the degree to which Jesus and the apostles quote and echo this remarkable book – some thirty-five times.  Jesus not only quoted the book directly, but it appears to have connections to even some of his most profound teaching.

At times Jesus built his teaching directly around Proverbs –  as we find in Luke 14:7–11 where, at the  dinner in the Pharisee’s house, he reminded those present of Proverbs 25:6–7 which shows it is better to take the lower places of honor, and then to be invited to the head of the table. We even find important examples of Jesus’ use of Proverbs in one of the most spiritual of his teachings – the Sermon on the Mount.

The Proverbs on the Mount

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus quotes from or alludes to Proverbs numerous times.  For example, we can see the reflection of the proverb “… those who seek me find me” (Proverbs 8:17) in his words “seek and you will find” and “…the one who seeks finds” (Matthew 7:7–8). But the connections are more than incidental.  When we look at many of the Beatitudes themselves, we find a remarkable inverse similarity to what Proverbs 6 tells us about the seven things God hates:

What God Hates  – Proverbs 6:16-19 The Beatitudes – Matthew 5:3-12
        A proud look       The meek
        A lying tongue       Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
        Hands that shed innocent blood       Those who mourn
        A heart that devises wicked schemes       The pure in heart
        Feet that are quick to rush into evil       The poor in spirit
        A false witness       The merciful
        A person who stirs up conflict       The peacemakers

This comparison does not include the final, eighth, beatitude “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness …” (vs. 10) because only the first seven beatitudes, like the seven evils mentioned in Proverbs 6, are actual characteristics of the person.  And although the Beatitudes cover many of the same ideas found in Proverbs 6:16-19 in a positive manner, we should remember that it was often typical of Jesus’ teaching to recast “negatively” worded concepts in a positive manner (Matthew 22:35–40, etc.).  We should also not forget that Jesus compared himself to Solomon and stressed that his own God-given wisdom was greater than that of the ancient king (Matthew 12:42).

Wisdom certainly figures frequently in Jesus’ mountainside sermon, and he ends it by telling his hearers that: “… everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man …” (Matthew 7:24).  In the minds of Jesus’ listeners, such a “wise man” would have been no different from  the individual held up as an example of right and godly living throughout the book of Proverbs.

This comparison is not to lower the Sermon on the Mount to the level of “human wisdom” or to elevate Proverbs to the level of Jesus’ highest teaching. It simply stresses that Proverbs contains ideas that were clearly part of the scriptural background and thinking of Jesus – ideas that are certainly worthy of our attention and that are often deeper than we may realize.

* For much more information on the book of Proverbs, download our free e-book – Spotlight on the Proverbshere.

Ten Lessons from the Meals in Luke

Ten Lessons from the Meals in Luke

Luke’s Gospel indicates that the evangelist may have particularly appreciated good food – at least it shows clearly that he noticed and commented on food more than any other Gospel writer!  But Luke does not simply mention food and meals – he draws lessons from them.​

As a frame of reference, we should notice that Luke’s account of the life of Jesus really does have a noticeable focus on food. For example, while Matthew uses the word “eat” 18 times, and John only 15 times, Luke uses the word 33 times. Mark also uses this word quite frequently (25 times), but overall Luke uses a number of eating and food-related words twice as many times as Mark and the other Gospels, so his emphasis on this is clear. Within his Gospel, Luke also – uniquely – describes ten meals in which Jesus participated, and we will look at them all briefly.  

Luke’s Gospel indicates that the evangelist may have particularly appreciated good food – at least it shows clearly that he noticed and commented on food more than any other Gospel writer!  But Luke does not simply mention food and meals –  he draws lessons from them.  As a frame of reference, we should notice that Luke’s account of the life of Jesus has a noticeable focus on food. For example, while Matthew uses the word “eat” 18 times, and John only 15 times, Luke uses the word 33 times. Mark also uses this word quite frequently (25 times), but overall Luke uses a number of eating and food-related words twice as many times as Mark and the other Gospels, so his emphasis on this is clear. Within his Gospel, Luke also – uniquely – describes ten meals in which Jesus participated, and we will look at them all briefly.

1) Dining with the Despised.  Luke 5:27-32 tells the story of how Jesus accepted an invitation to “a great banquet” at the home of Levi (Matthew) –  one of the hated tax collectors employed by the Romans.  We are told that “a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them” and that the Pharisees and religious teachers who saw this complained “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”  The first meal Luke describes immediately teaches us that eating with others is an important form of showing true acceptance. It’s a lesson we can all learn from.  Is there someone we could eat with as a way to show our acceptance and love for them?

2)  The Horrible Host.  Luke 7:36-50 records how Jesus went to eat at the home of a certain Simon, one of the Pharisees who invited him but did not provide him with any of the normal forms of welcome and comfort.  Dinners such as this were often eaten partially outdoors in the cool of the day, which meant that the woman who came to anoint Jesus with costly perfume would have been able to see and go to him. But the woman crossed an invisible social barrier in doing this and in her subsequent actions, and when the self-righteous Pharisee became indignant Jesus gently corrected him while showing support for the woman.  Sadly, in many families, more arguments occur during meals than at any other time and Jesus’ actions teach a valuable lesson in the effective de-escalation of interpersonal tensions at such times.  We can learn a lesson from this regarding keeping our meals and interactions positive.

3) Catering for a Crowd.  Luke 9:10-17 tells how a large crowd of people followed Jesus to hear his teaching, and the disciples then urged him to send them away so that they could find food and lodging. Jesus felt empathy for the tired and hungry crowds, however, and performed the miracle of  feeding the crowd of five thousand with only two fish and five loaves of bread.  The story contains a symbolic lesson in that the twelve baskets of “crumbs” the disciples gathered up after the meal (vs. 17) doubtless represented the twelve tribes of Israel for which Jesus was providing spiritual food. But at the practical level, the story teaches us the need for an observant and thoughtful attitude that looks for and sees the needs of others, and that we should never hesitate to help those in real need because we do not have much ourselves.

4)  The Hassled Hostess.  Luke 10:38-42 describes a dinner Jesus attended at the home of his friends Mary and Martha. When Mary sat and listened to Jesus, Martha complained that she could not complete all the preparations by herself.  Jesus, of course, gently rebuked Martha by telling her that sometimes listening is more important than  eating, and  pointed out that she was “worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed” (vss. 41-42).  Meals can be an important part of our relationships with others, but they shouldn’t become an end in themselves. Less food may be better if it means more time together.

5)  Consider Cleanliness.  Luke 11:37-53  is a somewhat different meal story. When a Pharisee invited Jesus to eat with him, we are told “the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal” (vs. 38).  We do not know exactly what the Pharisee said, but Jesus’ response was withering: “you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness” (vs. 39). Jesus then continued by detailing some of the Pharisees’ problems and showing them their hypocrisy. The dinner seems to have ended at this point, but Jesus doubtless knew this meal was doomed from the start (vs. 53). Of course, the lesson from this meal can be applied in our own lives if we are more concerned with details of physical cleanliness than with cleanliness of thought, speech, and attitude.

6) Principles with our Provisions.   Luke 14:1-24 tells how “One Sabbath …Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee.” Jesus used this dinner as a teaching opportunity and told three parables, each with its own lesson –  the lawfulness of healing on the Sabbath day, the principle of humility in not taking the place of honor at banquets, and the principle of inviting “the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind” to our feasts (vs. 13). The second two principles are certainly ones that we can apply in our own lives when we are invited to a meal or offer one to others. And if we think about them, of course, these principles can be applied in many other areas of life as well as meals.

7) A Salvation Stopover.  Luke 19:1-10 gives the story of Zacchaeus, a tax collector at Jericho who wanted to see Jesus and hear his words. While Jesus had doubtless been offered dinner at a number of “respectable” homes, he had evidently declined as he was only planning to pass through Jericho (vs. 1). But seeing Zacchaeus’s receptiveness, Jesus invited himself to the man’s home (vs. 5), ate there, and brought the word of salvation to him (vs. 9).  Sometimes we need to be willing to stop doing even the most important work or be willing to change our plans in order to fit in a meal or other activity that can make a difference in someone’s life –  as Jesus certainly did with Zacchaeus (vs. 8).

8)  Making the Meal Matter.  Luke 22:14-38 is the account of the most memorable meal in the Gospels – that of the Last Supper Jesus shared with his disciples. Although the meal symbolized and was spiritually all about Jesus and his coming sacrifice, Jesus explained this, but  focused nonetheless on guiding and serving his friends (compare John13:3; etc.).  Today, most of our big celebrations – birthday, anniversary, graduation, and other dinners –  are about us, and it is natural to tend to focus on ourselves at such times. The Last Supper teaches the opposite of this and has many lessons we can learn in this regard.

9)  A Supper Surprise.  Luke 24:28-35 describes a post-resurrection event when the risen Jesus –  unknown to them – joined two of his followers as they walked to the village of Emmaus outside of Jerusalem.  Jesus talked with the followers and explained the Scriptures to them, but they still did not realize who he was until they stopped to eat supper together. As soon as Jesus gave thanks for the food and  broke the bread, as he had done at the Last Supper, the two disciples’ eyes were opened, and they recognized him (vs. 31).  The lesson here is simple but important –  the story prompts us to ask ourselves if people would recognize us as Christians if we were to eat with them, and if so, how?

10) Proof in the Presence. Luke 24:36-43 is the final meal Luke records in his Gospel, occurring when Jesus appeared to  the main group of his disciples after his resurrection. It was at this meeting that he allowed them to see and touch his wounds to prove that it was indeed him. But, in a fascinating turn of the story, as though it was unplanned, we read “And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, ‘Do you have anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence” (vss. 41-42).  In taking a physical meal with his disciples, Jesus showed it was he – the one who had eaten so many meals with them in friendship and mutual acceptance.  When we do meals right, we follow his example.

*This post is abstracted from our free E-Book, Lessons From Luke: Understanding More of the Message of the Third Gospel By R. Herbert. Download a free copy here.