The Great Banquet

Opening Comments:

Please meet me in your copy of God's word in Luke 14:15-24. If you're using one of our church provided Bibles, you can find your place on page number 821. This is the word of the Lord.

Luke 14:15–24 ESV

15 When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17 And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ 20 And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’ ”

Introduction:

Our passage today continues at the same dinner table where Jesus has been challenging the religious leaders’ assumptions about righteousness, mercy, and the kingdom of God. In v.1-6, we saw how the Pharisees, full of pride and self-righteousness, watched Jesus critically, hoping to trap Him in a Sabbath violation. Instead, Jesus exposed their hypocrisy by healing a man with dropsy, revealing their cold indifference to human suffering.

Then, in v. 7-14, He taught on humility and radical generosity, warning that those who exalt themselves will be humbled, while the humble will be exalted.

These lessons lead directly into today’s passage, where Jesus expands on the nature of God’s kingdom with “The Parable of the Great Banquet —a parable that is more than just about hospitality; it is an eschatological vision of the coming Messianic feast.

For the Jews, the kingdom of God was often pictured as a great banquet, a glorious feast where the righteous—particularly those who followed the law—would dine with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Isaiah 25:6-9).

This expectation is reflected in v.15, where a guest at the Pharisee’s table proclaims

Luke 14:15 ESV

15 When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!”

Jesus immediately challenges this assumption. The Pharisees presumed they were guaranteed seats at this banquet based on their Jewish heritage and law-keeping, while “sinners”, Gentiles, and outsiders would be excluded.

Jesus turns their expectations upside down by demonstrating that those initially invited refuse to come, so the poor, crippled, blind, and lame—are brought in instead. Then the “elite: are permanently excluded.

As we examine this passage, we will look at four key aspects of the parable:

The Invitation. (v. 15-17)

The Excuses. (v. 18-20)

The Inclusion of the Unlikely. (v. 21-23).

The Final Exclusion. (v. 24)

1.) The Invitation. (v.16-17)

The parable begins with a man throwing a large banquet.

Luke 14:16 ESV

16 But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many.

Great & Many- Indicate this was a large scale event likely a wedding feast.

Luke 14:17 ESV

17 And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

The custom in this day when a prominent banquet was to take place is that two invitations would be sent. The first was sent out in order to announce the event but no exact time and place were given because of the complexities of preparing a great feast like this. The invited guests would then RSVP to this invitation indicating that they were coming. When everything was ready, then a servant was sent out with second invitation letting the invited guests, who had promised attendance, know that the banquet was about to begin. To accept the first invitation but decline the second was considered a massive insult.

2.) The Excuses. (18-20)

When the servant is sent out with the second invitation announcing that the food was all ready and the banquet was ready to begin, the excuses began to role in from the guests.

Luke 14:18 (ESV)

18 But they all alike began to make excuses…

This wasn’t just a few people making excuses why they couldn’t come, but every single guest had an excuse as to why they couldn’t come. Now this would have been unheard of and completely outside of expected behavior.

Jesus is painting an outlandish scenario in order to make a point. He gives three examples of the types of excuses that were given.

A.) Excuse #1- The Preoccupation with Possessions

Luke 14:18 (ESV)

…’I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’

This is a pretty lame excuse. The piece of land wasn’t going to disappear and would have still been there after the banquet was over. Furthermore, in this day, no one would have bought a piece of land without first going to examine it.

B.) Excuse #2- The Evasion of Business Commitments

Luke 14:19 ESV

19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’

This is also not an urgent matter and could have waited. A person would have never bought 5 yoke of oxen (10 oxen= App. 20,000 lbs) without already knowing what they were capable of. Add to that for a person to been able to afford such a large purpose of farm equipment would have meant they were extremely wealthy and would have likely had servants to inspect and test the oxen.

C.) Excuse #3- The Justification of Personal Relationships

Luke 14:20 ESV

20 And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’

This was likely the most pious excuse of them all. Why it may have even used Scripture to justify their absence from the feast.

Deuteronomy 24:5 ESV

5 “When a man is newly married, he shall not go out with the army or be liable for any other public duty. He shall be free at home one year to be happy with his wife whom he has taken.

But, if it did, it was used out of context. The law forbid a newlyweds from public duty, specifically military service. But it didn’t get you out of parties.

Furthermore, given how women were viewed in 1st century Jewish society, there was no way a woman would dictate to her husband what he could/could not do.

All three of these excuses are patently ridiculous and would not make for valid excuses.

3.) The Inclusion of the Unlikely. (v.21-23)

Luke 14:21 ESV

21 So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’

When the slave returns from letting the guests know the banquet was prepared and reports back to the master all of the excuses, the master becomes understandably angry.

He had been publically insulted by his guests lack of social etiquette. These excuses were unforgivable!

So he decides that, given all of the effort and cost of putting on this grand banquet instead of canceling it, he would invite people to come who would have never been invited to something like this.

People who were not from high society but were societal outcasts.

A.) The Poor, Crippled, Blind and Lame.

There is a problem however. Last week we spoke of the culture of “reciprocation” that existed around events like this. The poor, crippled, lame and blind would have never been invited because they had no means to repay the honor, and not only would the banquet host have known that but they themselves would have none that as well. It would have taken a lot of convincing to get them to come to such an event because they couldn’t repay the favor.

This is also an outlandish scenario because not only would a wealthy man not do this, even if he did, the outcasts wouldn’t have agreed to come.

Luke 14:22 ESV

22 And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’

B.) The People of the Highways and Hedges.

The slave does exactly what his master commanded him to do. He went out into the city and invited every poor, crippled, lame and blind person he could and many showed up, but many didn't. There was still plenty of room at the party. So the master commands:

Luke 14:23 ESV

23 And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.

The people who lived out among the highways and hedges were even further down the societal and economic ladder. They were the outcasts from the outcasts.

Highways- These are where the brothels, bars and seedy inns would have been located. These are the kind of establishments where the outlaws, addicts, and prostitutes, hung out.

Hedges- This is where the homeless would have lived and the drunks would have slept it off. It also is where many of the prostitutes would have applied their trade.

If the Poor, crippled, lame, and blind needed convincing these people would have needed even more convincing that they were welcome at such a grand event.

That’s why the servant is told to “compel” them to come.

Compel- Does not mean to force with violence but to use persuasive insistence. To not take “no” for an answer.

4.) The Final Exclusion. (v.24)

Luke 14:24 ESV

24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’ ”

The master wanted his house to be full of outcasts, which would have served as his way of thumbing his nose at all those who couldn’t be bothered to respond to his invitation.

The originally invited guests would get no second chance at attending the banquet.

It is at this point, that Jesus drives home the point of his parable about a great banquet.

“I tell You”- Is a phrase used often by Luke to convey Jesus making a direct application to his audience.

Conclusion:

Jesus’ Parable of the Great Banquet is not just a lesson in hospitality—it is a sobering warning about the consequences of rejecting God’s invitation to salvation.

The banquet represents the fullness of God’s kingdom, the joy of eternal life, and the blessings of fellowship with Christ.

The master of the banquet is God Himself, who graciously invites people into His kingdom.

The first group of invited guests represents Israel, particularly the religious leaders (Pharisees) who had long been recipients God’s covenant promises but ultimately rejected His Son.

Their excuses—preoccupation with possessions, business affairs, and relationships—mirror the petty justifications people still use today to dismiss the call of Christ. These excuses are not harmless; they reveal a heart that loves the world more than God, and that rejection provokes His righteous wrath.

Though the gospel was proclaimed to the Jews first, they refused to come to the feast; they rejected Jesus, the Christ of God, all while clinging to their self-righteousness and religious traditions.

As a result, they faced both spiritual and physical judgment. Jesus Himself wept over Jerusalem, warning that because they rejected their Messiah, their house would be left desolate (Luke 13:34-35)

Luke 13:34–35 ESV

34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

In A.D. 70, His prophecy was fulfilled—Jerusalem was destroyed, the temple burned, and hundreds of thousands were slaughtered by the Romans.

This was not just a tragic historical event; it was a foretaste of the eternal judgment that awaits all those who refuse God’s invitation.

Yet, God’s great banquet was not canceled.

The invitation went out beyond Israel—to the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame—those who recognized their need.

It extended even further to the highways and hedges, bringing in the most unexpected people—sinners, Gentiles, and outcasts.

This is the mercy of God: He welcomes those who know they are unworthy, those who will humbly come on His terms. But for those who reject Him, the warning is severe: “None of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet” (Luke 14:24).

The invitation will not remain open forever.

This parable points forward to the ultimate banquet—the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

Revelation 19:6–9 ESV

6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

This glorious feast is where Christ, the Bridegroom, is united with His redeemed people. On that day, all who have accepted God's invitation will rejoice in His presence forever.

But for those who refuse Him, there will be no place at His table. Matthew 8:11-12 describes the fate of those who reject Jesus.

Matthew 8:11–12 ESV

11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Don’t be among those who make excuses.

Don’t assume you have time.

Don’t treat God's invitation lightly, thinking you can respond when it is more convenient.

The day will come when the invitation is withdrawn, and the banquet doors are shut.

For those of us who have already responded to God’s invitation, this parable still speaks powerfully.

We were the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame—undeserving, yet invited by grace.

We were the ones in the highways and hedges, strangers and outcasts, now brought into the banquet.

This should fill us with gratitude, humility, and a deep desire to live in joyful obedience to Jesus.

The parable also carries a challenge for us.

First, we must not grow complacent. It is easy to accept God’s invitation and then become distracted by the very things that kept others from coming—possessions, ambitions, relationships, and worldly comforts. Though we are saved by grace, we are called to live as those who belong to the Jesus. Are we clinging to the world, or are we fully surrendered to Christ?

Second, we are now servants of the Master, sent out to invite others to the feast. The urgency of the gospel is clear—there is still room at the table, but the time is running short. Just as the servant was commanded to “compel” people to come, we are called to passionately and persistently share the good news.

We should not be content knowing that we have a seat at the table while others remain outside. We must go to the highways and hedges—to the broken, the lost, the unlikely, and even the hostile—and invite them in.

Lastly, we look forward with hope. The banquet we enjoy now—our fellowship with Christ and His people—is just a foretaste of what is still to come. One day, our faith will become sight, and we will feast with our Lord in glory.

Invitation:

Would you stand to your feet with every head bowed and every eye closed. In just a moment, I’m going to pray and then the piano will play. We’re going to have a moment of invitation and meditation regarding what we have just heard.

Prayer

As the piano plays let me ask you a question:

Will you be joyfully seated at the banquet, feasting in the presence of Christ, or will you be cast out, forever excluded from His kingdom?

John 3:36 ESV

36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

The wrath of God abides on all who reject the Son. But today, the invitation still stands. Repent, believe in Christ, and come to the feast—before it is too late.

Believer, how are you living in response to the invitation?

Are you treasuring Christ above all else?

Are you faithfully inviting others to the feast?

Are you eagerly awaiting the day when you will dine with Him in His kingdom?