Two weeks ago we looked at the parable of the sower whose main theme was the impact of the world on our hearing and doing of the Word. Last week’s Good Samaritan parable spoke to the fact that real love is action based on compassion. And now this week the main theme is about us realizing our desperation for God’s grace.
Jesus is eating at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees here in Luke 14 and it says they were watching him carefully. We know why they invited Him and Jesus always accepts, he is not intimidated by their tests and questions. Who’s really doing the testing?
He launches into a parable about a wedding feast where he is essentially saying that in the kingdom of God the humble are exalted and those who seek to exalt themselves are humbled. It’s an upside down Kingdom from what people are used to.
So that’s the setting for his next parable that we’ll cover today. The Great Banquet. Now remember this man he is addressing has just invited all his friends and relatives and prestigious guests to this supper and Jesus starts by saying, don’t invite these people to your banquets. He is flat out first insulting the guests who have chosen places of honour at the table, and now the host for inviting these people. These people represent the Israelites, the first of God’s chosen ones.
Jesus was never opposed to offending the religious folks around him. He doesn’t seem to have much grace with the Pharisees because they were the hardest hearted and the ones who should know better, so his tactic with them was to use shock and to stir the feelings of these people even if it was anger. Their hearts were far from God even though they seemed so religious.
If Jesus was a pastor he would probably give some pretty tough messages to those who were in the church, while he would be a little more gentle and patient with those who he preached to outside of the church. This is not a lack of grace but an attempt to ensure that those who claimed his grace and represented God are not dishonouring His name and teaching falsely.
So he says these are the ones you should invite. The poor, and crippled and blind and lame. Why does he say you should invite these outcasts? Because that is when you will be blessed because they cannot repay you. These guys had a tendency to invite people who would raise their social status and reciprocate so they could be seen at the banquets of these people who had even higher status than them.
But for Jesus it was all about the Kingdom, eternal life, the life to come. And he is constantly exhorting all of us to live this life for that reality as well. To him, any benefit or status you can get in this life on earth is paled in comparison to what you will get later from the Father. He lived every minute with his eyes on that reality. This is something that is very difficult for us to do.
So how do you think the Pharisee host and his distinguished guests are feeling right now? They’re insulted and probably pretty angry. And this is when one of the guests at the table barges in with a very strange comment. After he heard these things, he said “Blessed is everyone who eats bread in the kingdom of God”. What’s this guy doing? Some say it is just a statement of ignorance about how to get into the Kingdom of God, but I think it’s a direct test, because it doesn’t fit with what Jesus just said.
This guy seems to be in essence correcting Jesus, that it is only the godly Jews who will attend this end times banquet. I believe it’s an arrogant statement refuting what Jesus just said. But Jesus now goes into more detail to correct any misguided assumptions and to show that actually those dining with him right now are probably not going to participate in the marriage supper.
So now he goes onto the main part of the parable which is obviously about the marriage supper of the Lamb that is to come after the resurrection of all souls in Revelation 19. In the days Jesus walked the earth there were always two invitations to a banquet. The first would be well in advance to allow people to plan for it and so that the host could get an idea of how many goats he would have to cook up.
This would not be an exact time though, and remember these banquets could go on for a couple days. They were very social events that required a lot of preparation. People would respond to these initial invitations, then when the host was actually ready for the banquet to begin, his servants would go out and give the final invitation to come as the banquet was ready, and there would be adequate time to get there. The Banquet with Jesus is now ready, the second invitation has already been given.
There would be very few things that would be as insulting to the host than to reject the final invitation after you said you’d come, especially if you had a lame excuse. So these people we hear making excuses are likely intentionally snubbing the host. The host here is obviously Jesus, and the people who have originally gotten the invitation into the Kingdom are the Jews who for the most part are clearly rejecting Jesus with very lame excuses.
So let’s look at the excuses. The first one is that a guy bought a field and he has to go see it. Not he has to go work it, or harvest it, but see it. Would he have bought the field without first looking at it, not likely. The next one is similar, he bought five yoke of oxen, and now he is going to examine them. These guys are going to look at stuff they bought instead of coming to the banquet they said they would come to.
The third one just got married so he can’t come. I’m sure she was invited too. What I want you to see about all three of these excuses is that the people Jesus said to invite, the poor, the lame, blind and so on, could not have these things. They would not have the means to buy these items and they would likely not be fortunate enough in that culture to be married to anyone.
These people who reject the invitation are very rich, a parallel for us it might be like buying a big house on acreage and five new tractors. We’re going to stay home and stare at them instead of coming to the banquet. The banquet I said I would come to is just a side thing that doesn’t really matter, the hosts feelings don’t matter, his preparation doesn’t matter, my wife and my stuff is more important.
There’s the point, because in the second verse after this parable Jesus gives his famous words that if you don’t hate your family and everything you have and renounce it, you cannot be my disciple. This banquet should be so much more important than anything else in your life that your love for these other things would be like hatred in comparison. But in this parable the exact opposite is the case, the banquet is treated like nothing.
I think also that John makes a direct reference to this in 1 John 2:16, when he talks about not loving the world. He mentions the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions which we see in the first two excuses here, and the desires of the flesh, which I think we see in the third excuse about just getting married.
Now, this first invitation would be representing the initial invitation God made to the Israelites through Moses, which was accepted by the people. And it represents the Law. This second invitation then is given to the same people but is rejected. This second invitation is to Christ who the prophets clearly spoke about as the Messiah. In essence it is the culmination of the promise of grace made to the people of Moses.
Now the first group of people, the friends, relatives and rich neighbors are the ones who are already “in” so to speak. They are full fledged participants in the Jewish culture under the Mosaic covenant. The people in the streets and lanes of the city would be the outcasts, likely the poor, and lame and blind folks, the street people of the culture. And then the third group on the highways and in the hedges would be the Gentiles, all foreigners who aren’t Jews.
So we see how this also roughly represents the Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, ends of the earth idea in the great commission of Acts 1:8. These people on the fringes, especially the ones that accept the invitation from the streets and lanes have no excuses. They have nothing to keep them from accepting the invitation to the banquet.
Verse 22 says these folks have already been brought in and there is still room. In other words, all the Jews have been reached and unfortunately it is not many of the religious ones who have accepted. So Jesus says, Ok we have done what we can with the Jewish people, now let’s go compel some Gentiles to come. So that the house may be filled. In other words, when all the Gentiles have been reached, that will be the end, the banquet will then begin and those who rejected the invitation will be left out.
There will still be room even while all these Gentiles are being invited, but there will be a time when the house is full and those who didn’t accept the invitation after seeing all these other people come in will not get in. There is what we would call a grace period.
The theme again is that the Jews will be invited first, and when that’s done, the Gentiles will be invited and the Jews who do not accept Jesus will be left behind. Being Jewish doesn’t save, believing and trusting in Jesus the Messiah does.
So in verse 21 we hear that the host is angry. How does he respond in His anger? Does he revoke the invitation to those he has already invited? No. Does he cancel the banquet? No. He sends his servants out to quickly go to these other people that weren’t invited originally. Care to guess who the servants are? And he says do it quickly, because there is an urgency now that everything is ready.
So rather than reciprocate angrily against the elite people that snubbed him, he simply expands his guest list, that still includes those who refused, but not forever. And notice he is not concerned with status or eating with the outcasts. But I’ll tell you what, those guests he originally invited would have a hard coming now, knowing who is going to be there. They didn’t like associating with the rif raf.
This reflects the humility of God and it also reflects who is more likely to accept Jesus’ invitation. The more well off and healthier a person is, the less they see the need for a God and a saviour, while the poor and unhealthy, the outcasts, are desperate for salvation and acceptance.
The people with more prestige and worldly things also have more to lose by following Jesus, hence the next words of Jesus starting in verse 25. There he talks about counting the cost and renouncing all that you have to be Jesus’ disciple. Of course it’s easier to accept Jesus’ invitation when you are desperate and have nothing. The more you have to sacrifice, the more difficult it is.
So who should we identify with in this parable aside from the servants? Again that is the point of these parables. Should we see ourselves as the one doing the inviting? Not really. Are we to start inviting poor people and cripples over for supper? Not necessarily. This is about the Kingdom of God, the final feast, not really a command for who we should have over for supper.
Should we identify with the poor and the lame and blind? Maybe some of us at one point were in that situation. But I think it’s safe to say that none of us that attend this church would be considered the social outcasts of our society. We might not have as much money as we would like, and have some physical ailments, but that’s not the point here. It is about not being an accepted part of society because of your status.
We are also not the unbelieving Gentiles. So that leaves us saved believers with identifying with the elite of our society and our tendency to associate with those described in verse 12. Basically others like us. And that includes fellow believers, or at least church goers. Others who have the capacity to reciprocate what we do for them. Middle to upper class folks who most likely have similar habits, and beliefs, and appearances as we do.
When are we blessed according to verse 14? When we extend grace and blessings to the outcasts and those who can’t repay us for what we give them. Again this is the theme of complete denial of self for the sake of our neighbors. But notice that these behaviours may not necessarily give us blessings in this life, but rather at the resurrection of the just.
Oh, how hard it is in our culture to forsake our comforts, privileges and worldly blessings for the sake of the Kingdom. Why would these Pharisees and social elite not invite these outcasts in the first place? Because they’re high maintenance, they would make them uncomfortable, and it would be a one way relationship, where they would always be giving and never getting anything in return. Not to mention the fact that it would not improve their social status. But Christians should be the most gracious and hospitable people on earth.
Now notice also how these other groups of people are not merely invited, they are brought in and compelled to come. Why is that?
The first group of poor and handicapped for one, will hesitate because they know they could not reciprocate. How many non-believers, especially those who have led questionable lives, feel that they are good enough for God to accept them. And what is a major reason for that, because that’s how God’s people treat them for the most part.
It’s very common for an unbeliever who knows a little about church and God to say something sarcastic like, “God wouldn’t let me into church”. In other words I am not good enough to come. Of course that’s the whole point, that an invitation to this banquet is actually designed to make you acceptable to God, not that you have to be acceptable in order to come. So they need to be brought and shown that they are acceptable to God, and some of them may not even have the means or physical ability to come to church. And how are we going to show them that they are acceptable, by bringing them.
For the other group (basically the foreigners) a reason might be that those out on the highways and hedges don’t know anything about Jesus and need to be educated. The Good News has to be shared with them before they can accept any invitation. They need to be compelled to come otherwise they have no reason to leave where they are. They are not necessarily poor and desperate, it’s just that they’re on the outside.
So really I think the three groups of people here are firstly those who have heard the gospel and choose not to accept it mainly because they don’t think they need it and have too much materially to be desperate for it.
The second group is those who don’t believe they deserve God’s grace so they have to be brought in to see that God accepts anyone. They won’t, or can’t come by themselves because they feel unworthy and uncomfortable with us “perfect” folks. Once they understand who God is and what Jesus has done, they often accept the invitation quite easily. These include the alcoholics, the mentally ill, and any other people in our day who our society would consider kind of damaged goods. We need to bring them in.
The third group then is those near and far away who are simply ignorant about the whole thing and haven’t got a clue about Jesus or their need for a saviour. They need to be compelled to come. They need to see that Christ is better than what they have, and that they are in need of a saviour even if they never knew it.
These are the people we mingle with everyday who have just never been exposed to the real gospel. They’ve seen church, but not the gospel. They’re doing Ok, they are just out of the loop. These could also be unreached people groups around the world who all need to see that this Jesus story is a compelling one.
Now finally what do his words in verse 24 tell us? These are the consequences of not accepting the invitation. “None of those who were initially invited shall taste my banquet”. Is this a statement of judgment? Not really, so much as it is a challenge. Are you willing to put aside your biases and traditions to come to this banquet that is completely different from what you are used to?
Of course many will say no. Jesus is noting that many will not come especially if “those people” are now invited. And that is the state of many Jews today. Their pride says, no it is just us who are welcome in the Kingdom of God. That’s the original promise, we can’t accept this Jesus who loves sinners. Or will their hearts be changed and will they come and accept salvation with those who they don’t think deserve a place at the banquet. Sadly as Jesus states elsewhere, many will not come.
So it’s not so much statement of judgment as simply a statement of fact. None of those people that refused the invitation and continue to refuse it as others start coming, will taste my banquet. Nowhere did he cancel their invitation and say they can’t come, but obviously if they continue to refuse, eventually the place will fill up and there will be no room and no food for them.
If a person has been plainly told the real gospel, including the stuff about sin and repentance, and what kind of response is necessary to accept the salvation that is freely offered, then their going to eternal judgment is not any longer on God’s hands but their own. It’s the destination they choose.
Our culture, including some denominations that carry the Christian banner even in our town, don’t believe this. They think a loving God would never exclude anyone from the banquet. But you can’t come to that conclusion if you believe Jesus words here and elsewhere.
Have you accepted the invitation? Then go and bring others and compel others to come while there’s still room. What excuses might we be making? Is God calling us but its kind of inconvenient? Maybe I’ll respond when work slows down, when I don’t have so many family responsibilities, or financial pressures. When I know the Bible better (and that’s why I don’t read it too often).
Don’t tell me we don’t do that. We neglect spiritual things like prayer and Bible Study, we pile into our lives more responsibilities, get ourselves into worse financial situations, give ourselves more to do, maybe not consciously but certainly subconsciously so that we can continue our excuses.
Now speaking of that, I have another special opportunity for you to invite people to church. On September 9 we will be having “Back to Church Sunday” I will be presenting a special message with an invitation once again, there will be an outdoor picnic potluck weather permitting, and the following Sunday September 16th we will be having a baptism service.
So once again I want you to already start praying for people to invite, I would suggest returning to those you invited at Easter and giving them another opportunity to come as you continue to build a relationship with them. But this time I also encourage you to go out on the streets and lanes, highways and hedges and perhaps invite a complete stranger. The worse that can happen is they say no, but if we enlist the Holy Spirit you never know, have faith.
I have made up some invite cards again (we have plenty). And we also have some cool little booklets coming called “rediscover church”, and these cover ten popular reasons people leave church and why they come back. This is perfect for people who have had some church experience in their lives at some point but have never continued or returned.
I’m making this easy for you, you don’t have to share the gospel, you bring them in, compel them to come and I’ll take care of the rest. Is this gimmicky? That depends on the heart. I want to see people get saved, get baptized because that’s what our Father wants. There’s nothing wrong with that and there is no one right way to do that. I find that if we can get people to come, sometimes they stay, and I’ll take any fruit we can get to make the heavens rejoice.
