It is very helpful in our world today to know people and to have good connections. If you do, then it is much easier to accomplish things and to get what you want. That works almost everywhere, for example -- if you know someone that can get you that prized ticket for your favorite band concert, or you really want to be on that football team, then it is better to know someone from the inside. Even if you are applying for a new job, it would be helpful if you know someone who can say a good word about you to the boss. Or, if there are limited spots for that college you want to go to, and you have been an A+ student, still – it’s good to know somebody who would help you get that spot. That happens even in the structures of our church -- good to have connections. And we want to keep these relationships with good contacts, just in case we may need their help. So, better be nice to him or her, for one day you may need their help. This is how this world operates, but Jesus reminds us today that this is not how a Christian should act. He tells us today: "When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." We, Jesus’ disciples, are called to give, to share, help and also love those who won’t give us anything in exchange. They may not even say thank you or not even love us back.
