Sermon Tone Analysis

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.

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.

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.