A Glimpse of the Kingdom

Luke 14:1-14 

How is God at work in the world? It’s a question we often ask amid the chaos of life, watching cable news or scrolling through headlines. But if we really want to know what God is up to, we need to listen to Jesus. We need to hear God speak through the Scriptures.

In Luke 14:1-14, Jesus reveals how God’s kingdom operates—often in ways that turn our expectations upside down. At a Pharisee’s dinner, Jesus heals a man with dropsy on the Sabbath. The religious leaders are silent, caught between their legalism and the undeniable mercy of Jesus. Through this act, Jesus shows that God’s work is about restoration, not rule-keeping. The Sabbath is a gift, not a test.

Jesus then shares a parable about humility, declaring, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). In a world obsessed with self-promotion, Jesus points to God’s grace. The kingdom does not operate on merit or status but on God’s love for the humble and lowly. The greatest example of this? The cross. Jesus humbled Himself to lift us up.

Finally, Jesus calls His host to invite not the rich and powerful but the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind—those who cannot repay. This is God’s way: giving without expecting anything in return. Again, the cross is the ultimate expression of this grace. Jesus didn’t die to gain something from us but so that we might receive His abundant gives of forgiveness, life, and salvation.

If we want to see God at work, we need to look to Jesus. In Him, we glimpse the heart of God’s kingdom—a kingdom of grace, not transaction; of humility, not self-promotion; of love, not legalism. For Jesus desires one thing: that we might join Him around His table at His everlasting feast.