Divine Dining March 1, 2026 Devotional

LUKE 7:36 | ³⁶ One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and when he went into the Pharisee’s house he reclined to dine.

In this section of Luke Chapter 7 Jesus accepts an invitation to eat with a Pharisee. He is never recorded as refusing an invitation to be entertained by someone in the gospels. This ordinary virtue of accessibility and responsiveness sets an example for us too. Jesus’ calendar is open and His contact list is not exclusive.

This openness to others does carry some risks, as we will see this week because it is clear that this Pharisee has mixed motives for inviting Jesus to dine. One of those motives is not to honor Jesus as a guest because he forsakes all the regular gestures of welcome and hospitality, like water for the feet, an embrace, and anointing oil for the head. Perhaps he wants to entertain a celebrity without being seen to approve of His ministry. Perhaps he wants to size Jesus up or test Him. Perhaps he wants a good story to share with his Pharisee friends about this “would be” prophet from Galilee.

What motivates your social interactions?

Gracious God,

Purify my motives. Help me see all my relationships from a spiritual perspective and honor everyone as a child of God.

Amen.