Some of us have no doubt have watched those programs on TV that revolve around Victorian manners in wealthy, English households. When the family sat down to a meal, they all recognized certain manners, customs, and protocols; and woe to those who violated these traditions. Custom and tradition ruled what a person could and could not do at the table. Custom dictated who could and who could not be a guest at the table.

Custom, protocol, and tradition at the dinner table began long before the Victorian era in England. In the passage we’re looking at today, we find Jesus sharing a meal with a group of Pharisees and lawyers. They too had specific customs and traditions that they recognized, but Jesus overturns their customs and points to a better way to live.

Jesus calls for profound changes in our lives. If we follow him, we cannot continue to operate in the customary ways of the world. Following Jesus will have a profound impact on our priorities and on our relationships with others

We find three significant sections in this passage: first, Jesus heals a diseased man, second, he talks about where you should sit at a banquet, and third, he gives advice regarding whom we should invite to our next dinner party. And in each of these situations, we find an underlying principle, a very practical principle that we should follow.

Notice three practical suggestions that could profoundly change our lives.