Luke 14:15-24 The Great Invitation

Warm-up: What was the occasion of the best meal you’ve ever had?

The Parable of the Great Banquet

15When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God." 16Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' 18"But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.' 19"Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' 20"Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.' 21"The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.' 22" 'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.' 23"Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. 24I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.' "

I lived in a community with a group of Christians in Jerusalem, Israel, in the late 70’s for 16 months. We were living there with the purpose of revealing Jesus’ love to Jews and Arabs by serving in many different ways, breaking down walls of partition between those of differing faiths. We trusted God for finances and lived a simple lifestyle. We never went without. God always met our needs, but there were times when we did not eat meat, only vegetables. When Passover came around, I, being a young Christian at the time, did not know what to expect at a Passover meal. Because I was hungry, I ate a considerable amount by the second course only to find out that at this particular Passover there were around 7 courses of food. I had never eaten so much in my life! My favorite thing to do is to eat dinner with good friends. That is my idea of fun. There is something special about a dinner with four or five courses and 10 to 12 close friends, lingering and chatting together over dinner. Of course, I wish I had room in my stomach to even eat three courses now, but for me the food is not the big part, it’s about those with whom we share such intimate moments. The passage we are studying today concerns a banquet in the Kingdom of God.

What does the picture of a Great Banquet represent and why?

Eternal Life is pictured by Jesus as a banquet that we are invited to savor along with many others also in attendance.

20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20).

The passage in Revelation 3:20 above speaks of those who open their heart to Christ, inviting Him in to rule and reign over their lives. It compares this eternal relationship to the closeness and intimacy of a meal. It suggests eternal bliss and satisfaction. Parties and banquets are all about fun, laughter and joy. To be around Jesus, to gaze upon His loveliness and laugh with him, seeing His glory and grace, and enjoying heaven with others that also love

1 Him, what joy that will be! How humbling to realize that the God of the Universe wants to enjoy our presence over a meal that He has prepared.

Verse 15 continues from Jesus’ teaching concerning humility and reaching out to the poor and disabled when one sends out invitations to a banquet. A man responds to Jesus by saying "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God."

It seems that the words issue from one of the Pharisees that reclined at the table where Jesus had been invited and was eating. It is difficult to judge the man’s motivation for saying such a thing. Could it have been a desire to change the subject to something a little more palatable for those around the table? Was it a request to find out what makes a person worthy of being invited to share in the Kingdom of God? It’s even possible that he was saying “I can’t wait for us to recline at God’s table together.” The Pharisees considered themselves as righteous; after all, they were meticulous about keeping God’s commandments. They could not conceive that there would be Gentiles or even Jews that did not keep the law, at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-9). Even Peter the apostle needed God to speak through a vision for him to enter into a Gentiles home where the Spirit fell on Gentiles for the first time (Acts 10). So strong was the belief that the Gentiles were the fuel for Hell’s fires. Jesus shared a parable with them that would shake their thinking on just who would be in attendance at the feast in the Kingdom of God.

What is the significance of the fact that there was a free invitation to this Banquet?

There was no fixed price tickets, no expensive tickets to buy that would get one closest to the best seats. It was by free invitation only. If you are a Christian, you have come to Christ at His invitation. Jesus said "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:44). You have been called and invited. The very fact that you are reading this study is proof that the Spirit of God has been drawing you to Christ. Some people are upset by the fact that the entrance to God’s Kingdom is by a free invitation only ticket. People find it hard to receive grace or undeserved favor. Part of the reason is pride. They feel that they must accomplish something in order to earn their entrance fee. Jesus was offensive at times. He would say things that would shake them, hopefully, out of their religious ruts. God will often offend the mind to reveal the heart. One example of this is found in the story of Naaman. When Naaman, the leprous commander of the armies of Aram, was told to go see the great prophet Elisha to be healed of his leprosy, he was sent to the river Jordan and told to dip seven times and his flesh would be restored and cleansed.

9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed." 11 But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage. 13 Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy (2 Kings 5:9-14).

2 Elisha the prophet did not even go out to this man with his great retinue of chariots, servants and pomp. Elisha sent his servant to him with instructions to dip himself in the Jordan River seven times, a very simple thing to do. Naaman’s response was that the rivers of Damascus were a lot cleaner than that of the Jordan. He desired to do some great thing to be healed (v.13). How humbling for Naaman to find out that he had to dip seven times in the muddy looking river Jordan. He was offended, and felt that he wasn’t being treated with respect. There is an element of humility of soul that God wants to bring to those that seek Him before they can receive the things of God. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. The things of God can not be bought or worked for, but are simply and humbly received. Freely you have received, freely give.

Is there a humbling experience that you have gone through on the road to knowing Christ?

Excuses, Excuses.

A commanding officer was furious when nine GIs who had been out on passes failed to show up for morning roll call. Not until 7 p.m. did the first man straggle in. “I’m sorry, sir,” the soldier explained, “but I had a date and lost track of time, and I missed the bus back. Being determined to get in on time, I hired a cab. Halfway here, the cab broke down. I went to a farmhouse and persuaded the farmer to sell me a horse. I was riding to camp when the animal fell over dead. I walked the last ten miles, and just got here.” Though skeptical, the colonel let the young man off with a reprimand. However, after him, seven other stragglers in a row came in with the same story—had a date, missed the bus, hired a cab, bought a horse, etc. By the time the ninth man reported in, the colonel had grown weary of it. “Okay,” he growled, “now what happened to you?” “Sir, I had this date and missed the bus back, so I hired a cab.” “Wait!” the colonel screeched at him. “Don’t tell me the cab broke down.” “No, sir,” replied the soldier. “The cab didn’t break down. It was just that there were so many dead horses in the road, we had trouble getting through” (Source unknown).

What is the worst excuse you have ever heard, or the worst excuse you have ever made?

An excuse has been defined as the skin of a reason stuffed with a lie.1

A banquet invitation was sent out twice in ancient times. The first invitation was sent to find out the level of interest and numbers that the master of the house had to prepare for. For such a large amount of people to come would take some time to prepare, so I assume that a date was given. The messenger would come back on the day of the feast to remind them. We are now in such a day of grace where our Master has sent forth his servant, the Church, to go forth and call people, you and I, to come to His house and enjoy His grace and favor. Those that were invited replied with excuses. The first excuse was from a man involved in an investment. He had just bought some land and wanted to view it. I just cannot believe that a person could buy land without looking at it first, although I am sure it has happened. This man’s heart is revealed as being set on business deals more than on the things of God. I wonder if there was one or two sitting around the table with Jesus who had their hearts set on business deals and land purchases. Jesus has a way of speaking words as an arrow to the heart. When he called Zacchaeus, the rich tax collector, it certainly seems like they had never met, since Zacchaeus climbed up a tree so that he could see what Jesus looked like. Jesus knew him by name and spoke to him in such a way that He immediately won the heart of the taxman. 5When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must

1 1500 illustrations for Biblical Preaching, Edited by Michael Green, Page 131.

3 stay at your house today." 6So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly (Luke 19:5-6). When he spoke to Nathaniel, a man who was sure that nothing good could ever come from a town like Nazareth, where Jesus was born, Jesus met him with a word of knowledge that revealed something that only Nathaniel and God knew about, a conversation with God that he had under a fig tree. Nathaniel’s response was immediate: "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel" (John 1:45-51). He was convinced of Jesus’ divinity by Christ knowing some prayer (we are not told what the prayer was) that Nathaniel had spoken.

I’m sure that the excuses that Jesus mentioned in the parable laid someone’s heart bare that was eating at the table.

12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account (Hebrews 4:12-13).

His words were living and actively working to show each around the table just what God saw in their hearts. The second excuse was also very lame. A man had bought 10 oxen and wanted to try them out. In those days oxen were used for plowing the ground and preparing the soil for planting. It is ridiculous to think that the man would have bought them before seeing what they could do. It seems that this man just wanted to get on with his work and not care about the issues of his heart. His heart was focused on making money and being successful in his work.

God, who knows every heart, can see through our paper thin excuses.

The third excuse was from a man who had just got married, so he couldn’t come. He pretends that he cannot come but what is really at the core of his heart is that he will not come. It really is a about a lack of desire on their part. The first two excuses are about material possessions while the third excuse is about the man’s affections. Their relationship to the host was not important to either of them. They had no desire to get to know the banquet host on a more intimate level. These excuses revealed the hearts of those listening to the parable. I feel sure that there were some individuals around the table with real excuses like that. He was offending their minds to reveal their hearts. Often we get sidetracked in our walk with Christ.

21"The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'

How would you feel if you had spent a lot of time and money on a wonderful banquet and those invited gave you lame excuses at the last minute as to why they could not come?

The owner of the house was angry, and he had every right to be. The picture is of the nation of Israel. God had led them, cared for them and kept them since the days of Abraham. He had showered them with many blessings in preparing them for the closeness and intimacy that He now wanted for them but they were refusing to come. The servants were told to go out quickly into the streets and alleys and bring in those who were poor and disabled.

4 Jesus gave places of honor at the feast for those with disabilities. Why did he treat them as special?

The poor and disabled are those who perceive their own need. They respond out of their need. He loves for people to cry out to Him in their need. Those that have no sense of their need are seen as those who are really poor spiritually. One can have a big checking account and large mansion, drive the best BMW but be spiritually poor and bankrupt before the God of Heaven. The letter to the church of Laodicea in the book of Revelation is written to a literal church, then in Asia Minor, now called Turkey. It can also be prophetic or indicative of the time in which we live, especially in the West. “You say I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (Revelation 3:17). The heartfelt response of those with real needs met by the Lord Jesus is appreciation and love. That is what the God of the Universe is looking for, a people who will love him freely in response for all He has done for them. 9 For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him (2 Chronicles 16:9). Over and over again we find that God cares for the widows and orphans, the poor and the disabled, those that are helpless. There is a sense of urgency in this passage which becomes clear by the usage of the word “quickly.” It seems that the time is short and the master of the house wants his house to be full as the banquet is now ready.

Take a moment to think of those described as living in the streets and alleys, what do they look like today? How can we reach them with Christ’s invitation?

Upon hearing that there was still room, the master of the house told them to go to the roads and country lanes and make them come in(verse 23). In the middle ages Augustine, one of the early church fathers used this passage as justification for religious persecution. Many were coerced into becoming Christians or die. There were terrible times of religious persecution for those that were followers of Jesus but not in the established church of the day. Jewish people were also greatly persecuted at this time.

What could Jesus mean by telling us to make them come in? Surely he is not saying that we should force our faith down their throats?

If you had a cure for cancer wouldn’t you be passionate about making sure that everybody with cancer knew how to be healed? In the same way we are to be passionate with the life changing message we have to share.

For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. (2 Corinthians 5:14).

There is the story of two men that were old friends that came across one another at a meeting of many thousand people listening to the great English preacher and evangelist George Whitefield (1714-1770) as he preached in the fields because there were too many people to fit into any building. One that was a Christian asked the other what he was doing there as he knew that he was not a believer. The other replied that he was still not a believer but he came to hear Whitefield because he preached with such fervency and tears that it was difficult to not be convinced by Whitefield’s passion. He was moved by seeing that Whitefield believed what he was preaching so strongly. We must move people out of love and care for them. Christ’s love compels us to do all in our power to see them delivered into the care of Christ. This is the kind of love that was exhibited by our Lord Jesus Christ in paying the full price of substitution for our

5 sin. He was so moved for you and me that He gave Himself on the Cross, as it was the only way to deliver us from satan’s clutches. There are some who do not seem moved to help those that have not yet responded to the invitation. This should be the Christian’s major aim in life, reaching the lost at all costs. We cannot move others if we are not moved ourselves. When Abraham pleaded with God to spare Sodom from judgment he knew that his nephew Lot was living in the city. God mercifully sent two angels into the city to get Lot’s family out before fire fell on the city.

12 The two men said to Lot, "Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, 13 because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it." 14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, "Hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking. 15 With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished." 16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them.

Here is a picture of a passion and faith that moves people. Those we love that are not yet believers will hesitate to flee from the things of this world. We see the angels moving Lot’s family by the force of their concern and passion. We need to share that same passion to grasp the hands of our friends and loved ones and move them toward the Lord Jesus.

Prayer: Father, please make us truly thankful to have been invited into an intimate relationship with you. I pray for those that still make excuses and hesitate to come to you that their sins may be forgiven and cleansed. Please hold their hands and lead them to the Savior. Amen.

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