The Parable of the Great Supper

Intro:

This morning I would like you to open your bibles to the book of Luke 14:15-24. Today in our series we are going to be looking at the parable of the Great Supper. This parable like a few others is a historical and prophetic parable. It speaks not only of future events, but also historically about God’s interaction with His people.

Let’s read it together. Text: Luke 14:15-24.

Luke 14:15-24 “Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!” Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’ And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room. Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.”

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Submit:

To understand this parable we need to look at the characters of the parable and the historical context of the nation of Israel.

The Characters and Elements of the Parable:

A Certain Man: This man is referred to as the master of the house, and the Lord. Referring either to the God the Father or the Son Jesus Christ.

A Great Supper: This great banquet points to the Gospel feast which the Father and Son have provided for all who are interested and respond accordingly.

Many who were invited: The initial invitation in the parable is to the Jews as a nation.

The Sent Servant: Could speak of the Son of God, the Holy Spirit, or those who carry the message of the gospel to the world.

Supper Time: This meal being evening time speaks of the end of the day. Or the day waning. Time drawing to a close.

All Things Are Ready: The invitation went out. To the Jew first and then to the Gentiles.

Excuses and The Lords Response. Those invited made excuses for why they could not come. The righteous anger of the Lord being aroused causes the invitation to spread to any willing to come in.

Historical Reference:

As we look at this parable we need to recognize the history of the nation of Israel. Beginning with God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis a covenant emerges. That through Him all nations of the earth would be blessed, and God would make of Him a great nation. That His descendants would be as numerous as the stars of heaven. This covenant is passed to his son Isaac, and then to Jacob. Before his death God changes Jacobs name to Israel which means God prevails.

Jacob has 12 sons. These twelve sons become the 12 tribes of Israel. Through a period of time being slaves in Egypt the 12 sons and their families multiply. As they near the end of their slavery God raises up Moses as a deliverer. Through Moses the law and priestly ministry is given, and Israel as a nation enters into covenant with God. To walk according to His statutes, and to be a people holy and set apart to God.

The historical books of the Old Testament record both the faithfulness and unfaithfulness of the nation to God. While certain generations were faithful many more were found worshipping other god’s and bowing down to false idols. Throughout their history God would send judges to deliver and lead His people. God sent prophets to speak to the people on His behalf. To call them from wickedness to righteousness.

It came to a time when the people of Israel would request to have a king over them like all the other nations. This act was a rejection of God ruling over them as king. This decision would result in a perpetual cycle of kings who rejected God and his rule. The wicked actions of the kings brought judgement on the nation. God through the prophets spoke of the destruction of the nation and the Holy City of Jerusalem.

Throughout their history they were conquered by various nations because of disobedience. At the time of Jesus they were being ruled by the Romans. During Jesus earthly ministry the word of the prophet Isaiah was fulfilled that He would be rejected by his own.

God chose the Jewish people and prepared the kingdom for them. Numbers 6:27 says, “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.””

John reveals that when God John 1:11 “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”

As Jesus revealed and invited all into the kingdom of God many continued to reject him.

Luke 19:43-44 “For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.””

Matthew 24:2 “And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.””

Ultimately resulting in the destruction of the physical temple in AD 70 by the Romans.

This historical context gives light to the parable Jesus tells. He is the master that has prepared a great supper. He invites guest to the supper and they do not come. They give poor excuses for why they won’t make it. The excuses for skipping the banquet are laughably bad. No one buys land without seeing it first, and the same can be said for buying oxen. And what, exactly, would keep a newly married couple from attending a social event? All three excuses in the parable reveal insincerity on the part of those invited.

Their rejection of the invitation causes God to send his servant to call in any who would attend. The lame, poor, broken, maimed, and blind.

If you know the covenant of God with the people of Israel you know that these things were all considered unclean and rejected. This statement in the parable is Jesus revealing the future of the Church. All who were previously rejected as unclean are now invited to the great supper. God is filling his table with all who will come.

Replacement Theology:

Something I want to clarify concerning false doctrine. There is a doctrine of replacement theology where some believe that the Christian church has superseded and replaced the nation of Israel as God’s covenant people. This notion is false.

The Christian Church does not replace Israel as God’s covenant people. God is a covenant God who keeps His word. Ezekiel 11:17 “Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.” No nation in history after its fall has ever become a nation again with its original language except Israel.

They may have missed the initial hour of their visitation from God, but they are not disqualified.

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Apply:

Their failure was simply that they took the covenant lightly as seen in the excuses of the parable. God was calling them to His banquet and they chose menial things instead. Material possessions (land), occupation (testing the Oxen to see what could be produced), human emotion and affection (new wife).

God has purpose to gather his people to himself. He wants no seat left empty. He is not satisfied with a partially full banquet hall; he wants every place at the table to be filled.

The Excuses of Luke’s parable show the potential of being drawn away by earthly carnal things. In the context of eternity they are meaningless. Distracting away from what matters most. James 4:14 remind us, “whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”

This is why we are instructed to set our minds on things above. Colossians 3:2-10.

Colossians 3:2-10 “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,”

Those who ignored the invitation to the banquet chose their own punishment—they missed out. The master respects their choice by making it permanent: they would not “taste of my banquet.” So it will be with God’s judgment on those who choose to reject Christ: they will have their choice confirmed, and they will never taste the joys of heaven.

We are to learn from the historical context of the Israel. Romans 15:4

“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”

If we also miss the hour of our visitation and choose to reject Christ we will have the same outcome. We must not take lightly the grace and mercy of God.

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Closing:

As I close this message turn with me to the Book of Romans 11:11-23.

As I mentioned earlier about replacement theology I want to say this:

Concerning Israel and the Jewish people. We are indebted to them for the Gospel. The message of Salvation was to the Jew first, and then to the Gentile. As we seek to work out our salvation with fear and trembling we also need to pray that the Holy Spirit would open their eyes to Jesus their Messiah, as many of them are still waiting for Messiah to come. Romans 11:11-23.

Paul writes in the book of Romans to the gentile believers concerning their relationship to the Jews. He says,

Romans 11: 11-16 “I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.”

Romans 11:17-23 “And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.”

Let’s pray that God will restore the natural branches that were removed so that the table at the banquet will be full!

Prayer:

Salvation call to as many as would come to the Lord.

Help us to not take salvation lightly.