A Parable for the Pious
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But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 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.’ 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.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 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.’ And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 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. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’ ”
Luke 14:
I. The Introduction to the Great Banquet
Back when we were still living in Florida, me and a few fellows from work went in together on some hogs we were going to have butchered. There were 4 of us and we each split a hog. The day came that the butcher had our hogs ready so a couple of us met there and split up the meat. One of the guys that went in with us was unable to make it up to Madison to pick up the meat so one of our coworkers took his meat to him.
I called to check in on Jose a couple days later and asked him, have you got to try any of the meat yet? I wanted to make sure that he was happy with the product and felt good about the deal. Jose answered, “try, we ate all of it!” I said you ate half a hog in two days? He said no we ate it all in one day! When Jose got the meat he called his family over and they turned it into a family feast. He said his wife made a bunch of tortilla’s and they cooked up the sausage, the bacon, the pork chops, and the hams and ate it all. I told him now that is a feast. I tell you that because Jose and his family and friends enjoyed a great feast, a great banquet and when the invitation came they all showed up.
This is an idea and tradition we are losing in our current culture. But during the days of Jesus, a feast or banquet would have been the social event of the year and no one would want to miss it.
To properly understand this parable of the Great Banquet we have to go back to the beginning of the chapter. This will help us set the stage for the parable we will be focusing on in verse 16. If we drop in at verse 16 we are left with some questions. Like;
Who is talking, who is he speaking to?
Where are they?
Who is around them?
What is the setting?
So before we begin let’s look back at chapter 14:1
The first thing we see is that the conversation is going down on the Sabbath. Next we see where the event is taking place. Jesus went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees. So Jesus has been invited to have dinner with the religious leaders of the day. This ought to get our attention pretty quick. We know that the Pharisees were not the biggest supporters of Jesus, they rejected Him, refused to believe He was the Messiah, and were always trying to trap Him. And this situation is no different
Notice the next phrase, they were watching him carefully. This is the perfect setting for a parable. We know from the life and ministry of Jesus the Pharisees always had something up their sleeve and this was no different. This time they had Jesus on their turf, he is in their home having a meal with them. Certainly they will be able to trip him up in this situation.
Before we move on do you remember what have we learned about the purpose of parables? Jesus told parables for two primary purposes.
To conceal the truth from those who hated him and wanted to kill Him.
To clarify the truth and strengthen the understanding of those who knew Him.
So, Jesus knows the Pharisees are watching him. He sees an opportunity to continue to accomplish his purpose of concealing and clarifying the truth of his person and work. Before Jesus begins telling his parables, he sees an opportunity to teach them through the life of a real person. Jesus looks around the room and sees a man before Him who had dropsy. Jesus then begins questioning them about healing on the Sabbath, and they remained silent. He questions them a little further asking them if they would snatch their son or their ox out of a ditch on the Sabbath? What did they do? They kept quiet, they could not answer them. All the sudden the tables are turn, the Pharisees no doubt wanted to once again try and trick Jesus, but out of His sovereign wisdom He has rendered them speechless. Jesus is now about to go on the offensive, instead of sitting around for them to bombard Him with questions, He is about to begin preaching to them in parables for the purpose of concealing and correcting.
Jesus then begins to tell two parables directed at three different people or groups of people. Here is something vital for us to properly understand these parables. They are all centered around a great feast, or wedding banquet. This would have been a familiar concept to the Jews of this time. They were serious about their great feasts and banquets.
The Bible is filled with feasts and Great banquets.
In Abraham prepares a feast for Isaac.
In Laban prepares a feast for Jacob.
In Samson prepared a wedding feast.
In Solomon prepared a feast of Thanksgiving.
Solomon prepared a dedication feast.
There are a couple different feast in the book of Esther.
When we think of feasts and banquets in times of the Scriptures they were a big deal. There were not a lot of other forms of entertainment. These feast were for times of celebration, thanksgiving, dedication, and rejoicing in the blessings of God.
But most importantly the Jews had an eschatological expectation of a great banquet in the Kingdom of Heaven. We see this in the book of Isaiah.
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.
You see here they were looking forward to a great feast that the LORD would provide. You can see by the language used it would be a feast that was incomparable to anything they had experienced. God would prepare a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, food full of marrow.
In the book of Revelation John writes of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
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 is confirmation that the LORD has invited many to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. This will be a celebration like no other. This will be a time when God’s chosen people will see the consummation of their salvation. They will experience being in the presence of the Son like never before. Those who were invited by the Father through the special revelation of the Spirit and trusted in the finish work of the Son will attend the greatest celebration, feast, and banquet that has ever been thrown.
Do you see now the way the Jews would have understood these parables? Not only has feasting been a part of their history, they were in the middle of a feast in the present, but they ultimately looked forward to a feast in the future, one that would be provided by God the Father in the presence of Jesus Christ the Son.
Let’s consider the first parable, in verses 7-11 Jesus reproves those who were invited to the dinner at the ruler of the Pharisees. Now imagine for a moment those who were eating at this rulers home. They were probably proud, maybe a little arrogant and it is pretty clear in the parable that they must have thought more of themselves than they should have. Luke wrote that Jesus, noticed how they chose the places of honor. They came in and went straight to the front. They wanted to be seen, they wanted to sit up close the ruler, the upper echelon. Jesus went on to deliver the point in this parable that those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
We have all probably seen examples of this or may have even experienced it at a Braves game or another event. When we see some folks ease on down close to front, because some seats were open. Then as they are sitting there living it up those that the seats belong to show up and kick them out. Then you see the people walking back up to the nose bleed section with their head down, because they are embarrassed. Jesus says don’t do that, take the seat in the lowest place and let the host call you up and honor you.
As Jesus told this parable he no doubt embarrassed some people, all those who walked in and strolled up to the front with their chest bowed out and nose stuck in the air. So he starts this string of parables by calling out the guests.
Next, notice he turns to the man who hosted the dinner, the man who had invited him. He now is going to teach him a lesson. He says when you give a dinner do not invite family, friends, and the rich just so you can get repaid. Instead invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the bind, and you will be blessed. Jesus reminds him, don’t be concerned about your reward in this life, but remember you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. Do you see the Kingdom theme in his parable? Don’t live for reward now, but look to and live in light of the reward in Heaven, when God’s Kingdom is consummated. Live as a humble servant now and you will be exalted then. Live as a helper to the helpless now and you will be repaid at the resurrection.
Jesus has rebuked the guest and the host of the dinner he was attending. He has shown now partiality in His parables. Now, we come to his next parable. The parable of the Great Banquet in verses 15-24. This will be the parable of focus this morning, what I would like us to call a Parable for the Pious!
Now that Jesus has rebuked the guest and the host of the dinner he was invited to. He has shown now partiality in His parables.
We have considered the Introduction to the parable. The next lesson we learn from this parable is in our second point.
II. The Invitation to the Great Banquet
Notice first the person Jesus directs this parable to. The one who responded to the other two parables with a pious and presumptuous attitude. In verse 15 Luke explained, this man was reclined at the table when he heard these things. Not only is he kicked back listening he thinks a righteous response would be, Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the Kingdom of God!
Here we have what Pastor David has coined a religious bobble head. Jesus is sending stinging rebukes to the host of the dinner and the guest of the dinner. And here this man sits reclined back nodding his head. Thinking yes, Jesus, right on Jesus, you tell them Jesus. Then he spouts off,
Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the Kingdom of Heaven!
D.A. Carson calls this response,
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke 2. Parable of the Great Banquet (14:15–24)
“a characteristic piece of apocalyptic piety.”
In other words this guy is positive he is going to partake in the great banquet at the Resurrection. He is here dining with the religious elite, he may have climbed the Jewish leadership ladder, so he is certain he is in. He is sure that he has checked every box, crossed every t and dotted every i.
Now Jesus has just rebuked the guests for taking the place of honor warning them to watch out for exalting oneself and exhorting them to be humble. Before that he had reminded the host not to invite those who could repay him, but instead those who were helpless and the response this man has is this pious, self-confident assertion and affirmation that he surely will be their in the kingdom of God! He is going to be eating with the King then because he has been honored by the earthly elite now.
Can you imagine the look on Jesus face when he turns to this man? Our response would have probably been have you not heard a word I said? But not Jesus, he responds with a parable that perfectly addresses this mans apocalyptic piety.
Jesus responded,
But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many.
The key words in this first verse are great and many. The first thing Jesus explains is A man once gave a great banquet. The first thing we need to understand is.
a. The Banquet was great. (16)
This was no ordinary supper, this was not a weekly fellowship meal. This would have been a truly grand banquet. When a Jew during this time heard about a great banquet they knew that there was going to be the best of meats, the most luscious vegetables, and the finest of wines would be served. They would know that this would be the social event of the year, maybe of their lifetime. But, they also knew that this earthly banquet pointed to a greater banquet, and the earthly host pointed to the Heavenly host, God the Father. In other words, while they were partaking of a great feast presently, they were to be longing for the greater feast to come!
Kent Hughes explains, “The “great banquet” is a lavish, sumptuous image of the kingdom of Heaven that will be exceeded by its reality—joyous satisfaction! And, of course, the ultimate convener and host will be Christ himself.”
Kent Hughes explains,
Not only was the banquet great, but many were invited. You want to know how great a banquet is? Look at the venue where the banquet is held. The greater the occasion the bigger and better the place where the banquet is held. Secondly, look at the food that is served, again if you come to a feast at my house we might have lima beans, rice, and some sausage. If you go to a feast put on by the president you may get steak and lobster. So it not only depends on the venue, and the food, it depends a lot on the host. The last thing that signifies the greatness of a banquet is the number of people that attend. The more important the occasion and the host, the greater number of people they will invite.
b. Many were invited to the banquet.
What we see here in Jesus’ parable is that the banquet was great and many were invited. This means there were many people who had recieved a personal invitation by this man who was no doubt well known and was going to throw a great banquet. Hopefully as you hear this you are beginning to remember God’s invitation to the Jews to be a great kingdom. He has chosen them specifically to be his people and he had invited them to receive his grace, his salvation, and be a part of the great feast we saw in Isaiah. The feast that God the Father would host for his people in Honor of his Son.
They would have seen this invitation and been reminded of God’s gracious invitation to them to eat in His kingdom.
There was another difference in banquets during Bible times and our day. They came with two invitations. The first invitation would have been general. Something like, you are invited to a great feast I am hosting next month. They would not have given a time because they would not have known exactly when it was going to be ready. Remember, they had to kill, clean, and cook the meat. The had to wait until the garden was ready, then harvest, wash, and prepare the vegetables. Once all that was done then they would send out a servant to let the guest know the banquet was ready. This is what we see in
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.’
In Jesus’ parable, he begins explaining a man prepared a great banquet, he invited many, and now,
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.
c. The Banquet was ready. (17)
The preparation has been completed. The fatted calves have been butchered, the meat has been cooked to perfection and the wine is ready to be poured. All the work to enjoy this great feast was complete now it was time to go get the guests. The guests would have been sitting on ready. They would have been waiting on their second invitation to affirm the banquet was ready.
The man who prepared the banquet said to his servant. Go get them! Tell them to “Come for everything is ready.” Imagine the relief the host would have felt. All of the work he had put into preparing the feast was now complete, now he could sit down with those he had invited and enjoy the fruits of his labor. It was time to eat and be filled. To eat, drink, and be merry. It was time to enjoy all the blessings he had been given with those whom he loved.
Up to this point the people hearing Jesus’ parable would have been nodding their head, saying amen. We are with you Jesus. We are sitting here enjoying a great meal with the people of God, and we look forward to the great feast of the kingdom of God. We know we have been invited and we are just waiting for the Messiah to come tell us the Marriage Supper is ready. The problem is they refused to accept the fact the Messiah was right in front of them. The refused to let go of their idea that their own piety, their own righteousness was going to get them a seat at the table. However, Jesus is about to blow their mind. He is about to reveal the truth about the hearts of those who thought they would be partakers of the great feast in the kingdom of God.
This brings us to our third point. Jesus is about to reveal their.
III. Infatuation with the world (18-20)
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.’
Luke 14:
This would have been unimaginable to the religious leaders. There is no way that anyone would turn down an invitation to a great banquet. But notice, that it was not just a few rogues who turned downed the invitation to the feast, “they all alike began to make excuses.” This was an unanimous rejection. All of this work the man had put into the feast would be wasted. All of the expense and sacrifice the man put into preparing this luxurious dinner for the people was for naught. Most of all the man’s gracious invitation was ungratefully refused. Can you imagine, how insulting this would have been, how hurtful this was, most of all how ignorant it was on the part of those who snubbed the invitation.
Why would they do this, why would they turn down this opportunity to attend this great banquet. Jesus gives three of the unbelievable excuses those who were invited gave. The first shows his....
a. Infatuation with a field. (18)
This man says, “I have bought a field, and I must go and check it out and see it. Please have me excused.” How silly is that...
First of all who buys a field and has not already seen it? Nobody is going to buy land, and not know what they are purchasing. Even in a long shot if he had, is it going to change over night in the next couple of days? No. It is dirt, bushes, and maybe a few trees. It aint going anywhere. So either this guy is just making something up to avoid going to the banquet or he was truly so infatuated with his own land that he had no desire to fellowship with those he loved. Either way this was a weak excuse and would have no doubt been laughable.
This is how you end up buying ocean front property in Arizona! You purchase a piece of land without seeing it!
The second excuse is in verse 19 reveals,
b. The infatuation with farm animals. (19)
This man says, I have bought a yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Now who would buy a yoke of oxen sight unseen. Again this is another excuse that reveals a mans lack of interest in attending the great feast and his desire to do something else. If a man had truly bought a yoke of oxen he would have tested them before he paid for them. There is no way he is paying for oxen without making sure they could pull the plow. He may have already purchased the oxen and wanted to put them to work, but again it just shows his misplaced priorities, his mis-ordered loves. He would have been more interested in working his own farm, than feasting and fellowshipping with the saints.
Here is the point.
Regardless, of the true motive behind these excuses, they are examples of men desiring material possessions more than eating meat in the kingdom.
Jesus is giving a warning here, those that are sure they will be eating in the kingdom of God need to examine their own lives and make sure they are not more interested in building their own kingdom and miss making it to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
These first two men are not very creative in making excuses, they are not really even thinking them through, but this third man is different, his excuse reveals,
c. The infatuation with family. (20)
Now this man was so bold in his excuse he didn’t even ask “may I please be excused.” This man may have even thought Scripture justified his excuse. He said, “I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.” He may have went on and quoted....
“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.
Deuteronomy 24
What is the problem with that thought process? This freed a newlywed from duty not dinner! This verse was for the purpose of allowing a newly married man to stay home and not go to battle or serve in any public duty. I don’t think any of us would say that a wife would not want to go out to a fancy banquet, our wives would never turn down that kind of night out.
So again the third excuse is as silly as the first two. But Paul even warns the Corinthians,
But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife,
So instead of longing to partake of the great feast, those of us who are married must be careful not to be so concerned about pleasing our wife, husband, children, or grandchildren that we forget our priority to please the One who gave them to us.
Here is the main thing to remember, your marriage is no excuse to miss the Master’s meal!
Truth be known, these men who made these excuses had greater problem than materialism or marriage. These men basically had no desire to attend the great feast. They were not interested in the lavish meal that the master of the house had prepared. They would rather do their own thing than enjoy greater things.
Here is a great time for a spiritual lesson. Kent Hughes reminds us,
“Jesus offers the kingdom, a perpetual feast of peace, a feast of help, guidance, friendship, rest, victory over self, control of passions, supremacy over circumstances—a feast of joy, tranquility, deathlessness, Heaven opened, immeasurable hope—salvation. Yet people turn their backs on this feast, preferring a visit with their possessions and affections.”
In short, people turn down the invitation to salvation and the heavenly blessings that come with it because they don’t want to be there. They would rather settle for their selfish, worldly desires. They would rather worship idols instead of accepting the Master’s invitation to dine with Him in glory. They are not only not interested in attending the Master’s banquet they are incapable of accepting his invitation apart from his effectual calling, which we believe is irresistible!
So far we have seen the Invitation to the banquet, The excuses centered around the Infatuation with the world, now in verse 21 Jesus explains,
IV The Indignation of the master. (21)
The servant had returned, then he ran down the list of ridiculous excuses. And Jesus said the master of the house became angry.
I don’t think we can just gloss over this statement of the master’s anger or irritation with the pitiful excuses offered by those whom he had invited to the feast. These were supposed to be his closest friends, his family, the ones whom should love him and desire to fellowship with him. Instead they turn their backs on him, snub his invitation and refuse to come to the lavish banquet he had prepared. That in itself is enough to stir up anger. The master had already invited them once, then sent his servant to get them when the time was right and the meal was ready and what did they do? They rejected Him!
Consider all the master of the house had done.
He had planned this great event.
He had sacrificed at great cost to feed those who would attend.
He had sacrificed at great cost to feed those who would attend.
He had worked to prepare the food for the guests.
He had sent his servant to call them to come.
And they all alike made excuses not to come. Now his planning seemed to be for nothing, He has slaughtered livestock that would be wasted. He had pulled up his vegetables that would now go uneaten. He had spent hours in sweat equity to entertain his friends. Then they show a complete lack of care for the master.
Does he not have the right to show righteous anger? Has he not been wronged? If it was us what would we do? We would swell up and through the meat in the trash and pout. We would get mad and never invite anyone to a banquet again.
Remember, this parable of the banquet has spiritual, eternal meaning. There will be a heavenly banquet one day, he have already looked to to see that the Angel had told John of the marriage supper of the lamb, and how Blessed those who are invited are. But if we keep reading in we also see the righteous wrath of God poured out on those who reject the invitation.
From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.”
Revelation 19:15-
The righteous anger and fury of God is nothing to be trifled with. Just as God’s gracious invitation is extended to all men. His wrath will be poured out on all who reject it. All those who make excuses to reject the Messiah will not enjoy the heavenly meal but instead be made into a meal for the birds.
We need to be very careful that are we are not like the Jews. Assuming because we have checked the box for salvation, walked an isle, signed a card that we have accepted God’s invitation to salvation. If when we here the Gospel preached we have more of a desire to waste time on earthly things than worship Him through His means of grace we may be self deceived and in danger of facing God’s righteous indignation.
However, here is the great thing about our God. He is a gracious God, He is a merciful God, and He is slow to anger. He refuses to let unfaithful people stop his plan and waste his Sacrifice he has made to provide a great feast. So what will he do? What will God do after,
He has offered the invitation.
His invitation was rejected due to infatuation with the world.
His righteous indignation has been revealed.
Praise God, that Jesus doesn’t end the parable here,
In verses 21-24 we com to our final point, we see,
V. The Inclusion of those that can’t help. (21 -25)
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.’
Luke 14:21)
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.’
Luke
When those who originally were invited refused to come, the master,
a. Sent the servant to the helpless.
He said go to the city, the streets, the lanes, the slums and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and lame. In other words, go get the down and out. Those who will understand my grace. Those who are not pious and proud, but those who are poor and pitiful. Those who don’t hope in their own works, but those who have no hope at all. Go bring them in!
Doesn’t this sound like the same command Jesus gave the host of the banquet in verse 14. It is exactly like it. For us not only do we rejoice because God invited us when we were helpless and hopeless, God sends his servants after those with no hope! Those who cannot help. The poor, the cripple, the blind, and the lame. As the servants of God we should be out telling the less fortunate about His gracious invitation to His great feast.
These Jews hearing this were no doubt starting to get the picture now. Here they were, the privileged of God being told that the great feast was being offered to the poor and underprivileged. Those that they would have viewed as outsiders. Those they would have wanted nothing to do with. These are the ones that God was sending his servant to get.
As Jesus continues the news keeps getting better for the poor, but more and more shocking to the privileged.
Look at verse 22 and 23 and see,
b. The servant sent to the highways and hedges. (22, 23)
And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 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.
Luke
The servant said master we have done this, but there are still seats at the table. There is still plenty of food. So the master sent him further. Leave the city and go to the country and compel them to come in. Go out there off the interstate onto the back roads and call those who otherwise would not have recieved the invitation.
The master did not want him to take no for an answer. This phrase compel basically means to “force them to enter.” There is room at the table and the master is going to fill it. Think about that the LORD has a specified number of seats at his table and he is going to fill everyone, not one person he planned to attend will not come. Just as our calling and justification is predestined, so is our seat at the table. If you have accepted the Master’s invitation you have a guaranteed reservation to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
This is not just a random idea in one of Jesus’ parables. This is illustrated Paul’s missionary endeavors in the book of Acts.
Acts 16
And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.
And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
Jesus gives his final prophetic pronouncement in
Jesus gives his final prophetic pronouncement in
For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’ ”
In this final verse of the parable we see,
Acts 18:46
c. The pious and preoccupied will be excluded from the feast.
Can you imagine the silence in the room? At this point after Jesus had rebuked the host, the guests, and the one who decided to announce his certainty of feasting in the kingdom. He basically says none of those who were invited shall taste my banquet.
You probably could have heard a pin drop. This was would have been like slapping a Jew in the face. Telling them that the great banquet would be enjoyed by the Gentiles not the Jews, would have been unbelievable to them.
Here is the deal, the Jews had recieved their original invitation to come to the banquet by the law. They had tried their best, but it wasn’t working. As righteous and pious as they thought they were, they were nothing but whitewashed tombs; a brood of vipers.
Now Jesus is before them offering a second invitation. An invitation to come to the feast through faith and repentance. Just like in the parable many would reject it, because they were more interested in their way, their lands, their animals, and their families. However, Jesus parables would accomplish both purposes. Some would fail to see the truth he was trying to share, while others would receive it.
How do we know this? Let’s look at one more passage in Acts.
When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:
“ ‘Go to this people, and say,
“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed;
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”
Acts
Praise God, this salvation has been sent to the Gentiles. Will you listen, have you heard his invitation to faith and repentance? If so, we ought to be looking forward and living for the day when we will join our God at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
When we consider Jesus’ parable of the great banquet here are a few truths to remember.
God is constantly inviting men and women from all over the world to come to Him through His Son Jesus Christ. He is inviting the Jew, the Gentile, the Black and the White, the Rich the Poor, the Weak and the Strong to be saved, to have their name written in the Lamb’s book of life, and to be partakers of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
There are those who presume that because of their piety they will be partakers of this feast in the Kingdom of God. However, they cannot see that their preoccupation of the world will keep them from entering the Kingdom of God.
We need to ask ourselves have we accepted God’s invitation of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ? Has God sent us His servants to share the good news of the Gospel with us and have we recieved Him, Repented of our sin, and placed our faith in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ for Salvation from our sins.
Here is the final question, when we examine our lives are we infatuated with our possessions and our affections or have we come to a point where we have accepted Christ invitation to the Heavenly feast? Are we ready to lay down our lives, deny ourselves and follow Him!