Are You Coming?

Turn with me to Luke 14. We are continuing in our series in the gospel of Luke. And today we jump back into the same setting we’ve been in for the last 2 weeks.

This scene is set by Luke 14:1…

Luke 14:1 ESV

1 One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully.

We need to keep this context in our minds to understand our text today.

The title of the sermon today is a question—Are You Coming?

A few minutes ago, Dan read Isaiah 25:6-9 for us. Which is not our sermon text. I asked him to read it because it gives a big picture view for our text. And we’ll circle back around to it at the end of the sermon.

So, follow along with me as I read our text for today…

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.’ ”

Thematic Introduction

How many of you have received an invitation to an event at some point in your life? This could be a formal invitation mailed to you. Or an informal invite given verbally in passing.

It could be a major life event—like a wedding or a baptism. It could be something more frequent—like dinner with friends. Or the birthday party of a classmate at school.

Regardless of the type of invitation we get, we have to make a choice. Will we go…or not?

Some invitations might come to us with joy—like the wedding of a good friend. And other invitations come with dread—like the extended family dinner. Still, we have to choose. Will we go…or not?

We have before us today an invitation from God that demands a response. We all must choose how we will respond to this invitation.

Here’s the main idea of the sermon today...

Only those who accept God’s invitation will receive God’s blessing.

Textual Introduction

In order to understand our text, we need to establish some groundwork. This groundwork comes in the form of 3 cultural clues and 1 parable principle.

There are 3 cultural clues that help us arrive at the main point Jesus is making.

Cultural Clue #1 - Meals In Jesus’ day, meals defined relationships. You didn’t eat with people unless they had the same social status as you. Table fellowship meant you considered that person to be an equal. We’ve already seen this show up in Luke and it’s the setting for our text.

Cultural Clue #2- Meal Invites These were all done in person because mail wasn’t a thing. A big event typically had two invitations.

The first invitation was to determine who was coming. Based on the response, food was prepared and accommodations made. Accepting the first invitation meant you were coming to the event.

The second invitation wasn’t to find out who was still coming. It was to let those who said they were coming know when the meal was ready. Our text today focuses on this second invitation.

Cultural Clue #3 - Meal Guests Only those who were wealthy were hosting big events. Because meals defined relationships, you invited others like you. The wealthy important people invited other wealthy important people. Big meals signaled important relationships.

The idea here is that if you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours, so to speak. The audience for our text today contains wealthy important people.

Those are the 3 cultural clues—meals, meal invites, meal guests.

Now to the 1 parable principle. This will be helpful in your study of the Bible, not just for this text today.

Focus on the main point and don’t try to figure out what all of the details mean.

If we try to figure out what all of the details mean, we will often end up over-allegorizing those details and drawing inaccurate conclusions.

Here’s what I mean… An allegory is a story that has a hidden meaning. Jesus’ parables are often allegories—they have deeper meanings. For example, the story in our text today isn’t just about people refusing to come to a party. It’s about God and his great end-time party.

The host represents God. We know this because of the way the Scriptures speak of this future event.

One place we recently saw this was in Luke 13.

Luke 13:29–30 ESV

29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

The emphasis in our text today is on the identity of the party guests. And how they get to the party.

Attendance at the party isn’t based on religious credentials or lack thereof. It isn’t based on whether the guests were invited first or last. It doesn’t mean that if you say no once, that’s the only chance you get.

To press these details is to miss the point of the parable.

Even worse, if we press the details too far… We have God treating the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame as an after-thought. He only extends the invitation to them because the first ones refused to come. Did God have to settle for them because he needs the seats filled?

You can see how this gets us into the weeds very quickly.

Focus on the main point and don’t try to figure out what all of the details mean.

This parable principle will serve you well in your study of the Bible. And it will serve us in our time together today.

Now that we’ve established some groundwork, here is our main idea again…

Only those who accept God’s invitation will receive God’s blessing.

There are two aspects of God’s invitation that Jesus is emphasizing in this text.

Aspects #1: God’s invitation should take first priority.

Aspects #2: God’s invitation is for those who don’t deserve it.

As we look at our text today… We would do well to consider our own response to God’s invitation.

Before we unpack these two aspects of God’s invitation, let’s look at what prompts Jesus to tell this parable.

Remember that we are still at the Pharisee’s house on the Sabbath. Jesus had healed the man with dropsy, sparking more controversy. He instructed the guests about where they should sit. And the host about who he should have invited.

I can imagine there was some tension at this point in the meal. Maybe people looking around wondering what to say next. Right about this time, someone speaks up.

Look at v.15…

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!”

Almost as if to say… Aren’t we all looking forward to that time when we eat bread in the kingdom? How amazing that will be!

And that’s a true statement. It will indeed be awesome.

But Jesus doesn’t affirm this man’s declaration. Instead, he responds with a parable.

Look at v. 16…

Luke 14:16 ESV

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

Here we have a man of great means hosting a meal. He gave a great banquet and he invited many.

Remember that Jesus’ audience for this parable is the Pharisees. The wealthy and important people of that society. And Jesus is trying to communicate something to them.

Our main idea again…

Only those who accept God’s invitation will receive God’s blessing.

Now to the two aspects of God’s invitation that Jesus emphasizes here.

Aspect #1: God’s invitation should take first priority.

Aspect #2: God’s invitation is for those who don’t deserve it.

Let’s look at #1…

Aspect #1: God’s invitation should take first priority.

Look at v.17…

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.’

Here is the second part of the invitation. The servant is making his rounds—it’s time to eat!

But look at their responses in v.18…

Luke 14:18–20 ESV

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.’

It’s time to eat, but no one is coming. v.18 says…“they all alike began to make excuses” for why they couldn’t come Jesus gives 3 examples of these excuses.

The first man bought a field and needed to go see it. So he asks to be excused.

The second man bought 5 yoke of oxen and needed to go examine them. So he asks to be excused.

The third man has married a wife. He doesn’t even ask to be excused. Just says…I cannot come.

As we would expect from the culture of the day, these are people of means. At least the first two.

They’re conducting business. They have money to buy fields and oxen. They’re getting stuff done.

The third one—the married man—don’t miss this…could be any of us.

Among scholars, there are varying opinions about these excuses. Some say these are lame excuses. After all, who buys a field without having seen it already? And whose oxen couldn’t wait until the next day to be examined? And being with your wife is great, but you’ve already committed to the meal.

Others say they were only doing what industrious people do—at least the first two. They were finishing up business for the day and then they would come. There was some precedent for coming late to a banquet.

But the text doesn’t give any indication that those were their intentions. They said they couldn’t come, not that they would come later.

I think the excuses here tell a simpler story. These men aren’t coming to the banquet…BECAUSE THEY DON’T WANT TO.

Remember the statement of the table recliner in v.15? “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!”

But not everyone actually wants to. Oh…you say you want the kingdom, but you actually don’t. Jesus is looking squarely at these wealthy important Pharisees.

Their hearts have been drawn away by all sorts of other things. Notice what Jesus uses as the examples… Land, possessions, relationships.

What has their attention? Everything BUT invitation of the King.

What about us? What has our attention? What has our affection? What would cause us to turn down the invitation of the King.

Is it our houses or our stuff? Or our families or our spouses?

Now, Jesus isn’t saying that these things aren’t important. Or that we shouldn’t love our families. But he is saying we shouldn’t refuse God’s invitation because of those things. We shouldn’t want those things more than God.

God’s invitation should take first priority in our lives. Has it?

Remember Jesus is speaking to the ones who already thought they were in. These are the guys who grew up in church. They knew their Bibles. They assumed, simply because they’d been invited, that they were shoe-ins.

But they failed to accept the invitation. They failed to act on it. Jesus is holding out the kingdom to them…catch this…and they don’t want it.

They don’t want it! It makes the man’s words in v.15 ring hollow.

Jesus voiced this sad reality in his lament in chapter 13…

Luke 13:34 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!

No one will be left out of the kingdom who doesn’t want to be left out.

One commentator writes:

Luke 2. Concern and Help for the Poor

“No one can enter the kingdom without the invitation of God, and no man can remain outside of it but by his own deliberate choice. Man cannot save himself; but he can damn himself.” —T.W. Manson (cited in ZECNT)

Jesus is holding out the kingdom to you. He’s extending the invitation. Do you assume you’ll automatically be included? There is no such thing. You must accept his invitation. And you must act on it.

I’ve had an interesting relationship with exercise over the years. I started weight training when I was in Jr. High. Pretty much lifted weights all through high school. We had a home gym type deal in the basement. It was great.

When I went away to college I got away from it, as many freshmen do. If you’ve ever heard of the freshmen 15, you know what I mean. But then I buckled down and I was lifting twice a day, six days a week. It was a great regimen and I was fairly successful with it.

But then I met Jerelyn my sophomore year. And let’s just say I spent much less time in the gym. Add to that the increasing demands of an upperclassmen, and I wasn’t lifting much at all.

Here we are now almost 20 years later. And I struggle to find time to exercise. I say I want to, but I don’t actually do it. You know what that means—I don’t actually want to, or I would. Because we do what we want to do.

Do you just say that you want God’s kingdom? Or do you actually want it? Your response reveals your priorities.

God’s invitation should take first priority.

That was aspect #1 of God’s invitation. Let’s look at aspect #2…

Aspect #2: God’s invitation is for those who don’t deserve it.

The parable then takes an unexpected turn. At least, it would have been unexpected in that culture and for these listeners.

Look at v.21…

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.’

Rather than cancel the party, the master of the house shifts gears on his invitation. If those who were invited will not come, then he’ll invite whoever will come.

Notice the 4 groups of people—the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. These are the same 4 groups Jesus mentioned to the host in v.13. The same groups of people that Luke has been emphasizing all throughout his gospel. The gospel is good news for them.

These are the exact people that would NOT have been invited to this meal. They would not have been invited to anyone’s meal. There is nothing to be personally gained by inviting these people. They can’t pay you back.

By the standards of the day, they didn’t deserve to be invited.

Look at v.22…

Luke 14:22 ESV

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

Since this is a great banquet, it will require lots of replacement guests. Even after the poor and crippled and blind and lame, there’s still more room.

Notice the master’s response in v.23…

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 highways and hedges were the outskirts of the city. The people who lived there were the beggars and vagabonds. The prostitutes and outcasts. Those who needed the city, but weren’t allowed to live in it.

Not only were these people who would never be invited to a meal, They would be nothing more than an afterthought in the minds of these Pharisees.

So the master instructs the servant to find these people and compel them to come. Compel here means persuade.

Now you might think, why would these people need to be persuaded to come? Surely they would jump at the chance to come to this great banquet.

But remember how these invitations worked. If they were invited and they accepted, something would be expected in return. These were people who had no way of repaying the host. So you can understand they might need some persuasion.

No doubt there were some who didn’t want to risk it. This seems to good to be true. They were fully aware that they did not deserve to be invited to this banquet.

But it is not too good to be true! The invitation has been extended to those who don’t deserve it. What a picture of the gospel!

The grace of God comes to undeserving sinners and offers rescue from our sins. A holy God has no business inviting wretched sinners to his banquet. But he does!

He sent Jesus to die in the place of sinners. Sinners who could never even set foot in the kingdom of God…are now invited in. YOU are invited in.

Not because you deserve it. But because Jesus died to give you a place at the King’s table. And he invites you to come.

The right response is to accept this invitation. To recognize that you do not deserve it because you are a sinner. And to come to the King’s table.

You can’t come to this party on your own terms. You must come on God’s terms of repentance and faith.

Are you coming?

What about those of us who have already accepted this invitation? Those of us who long for the day when we will eat at the King’s table.

There’s application for us here too.

Let’s not assume we know who will accept the invitation. The person you think will refuse may be the very person who will accept. If we don’t extend the invite, then we fail to present them with the most important choice of their lives.

God saves all kinds of people. So we extend his gracious invitation to all kinds of people.

There will be those who refuse the invitation, so we shouldn’t be surprised. But there will be those who accept the invitation, so we should continue to invite. Let’s not be discouraged by those who refuse the invitation. Let’s be encouraged that there are those who will accept.

There is yet still room in God’s kingdom for those who will come. So we should be ready with the question…

Are you coming to God’s party?

This is essentially the question at hand in this parable. And it’s the primary question for these Pharisees to consider.

And then we land on v.24…

Luke 14:24 ESV

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

The word “you” in v.24 is plural. The speaker isn’t addressing the singular servant. We have now moved out of the parable.

I read v.24 as Jesus applying the parable to his plural audience. To the Pharisees.

“None of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.”

Only those who accept God’s invitation will receive God’s blessing.

The Pharisees know that the poor, crippled, blind and lame don’t deserve the kingdom. But the Pharisees can’t see that they ALSO do not deserve the kingdom.

Jesus is not saying the Pharisees can’t come. Jesus is saying they don’t think they need to come. They think they already deserve the kingdom. And that is the greatest rejection.

In order to accept the invitation, you have to admit that you don’t deserve it.

God’s invitation is for those who don’t deserve it.

These are the 2 aspects of God’s invitation that Jesus emphasizes in this text.

Aspect #1: God’s invitation should take first priority.

Aspect #2: God’s invitation is for those who don’t deserve it.

Conclusion

As we conclude, I want to circle back around to Isaiah 25. I wanted this to bracket our time together in God’s Word today.

Listen as I read it.

Isaiah 25:6–9 ESV

6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. 7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. 9 It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

“It will be said on that day” In the future, by those who have accepted God’s invitation to this great end-time banquet. Those who are glad and rejoice in his salvation.

They’ll say…

“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.”

Revelation 19:9 pulls back the curtain…

And this will be our meditation verse for this week.

Revelation 19:9 ESV

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.”

Only those who accept God’s invitation will receive God’s blessing.

Are you coming?