Parable of the Great Banquet

The Great Banquet

This a beautiful parable, a wonderful story with huge implications. Its a funny story story yet serious. Its a story of a Supper.

This story of a banquet emphasizes the truth that people are saved by responding to God’s invitation, not by their own effort, whereas if they are lost it is by their own fault. It is tragically possible to refuse the gracious invitation.

Jesus starts off with a small intermission from the beginning of Chapter 14, and talks about the importance of Gospel Hospitality. We are to invite all people, extend brotherly love to all; not just to people who can give back, help us move up the corporate ladder, etc. Not just to the rich, the powerful, the movers and shakers. Not Just to the people who help Fund and support your ministry efforts and missions trips. . . we are to be hospitable to all.

What a charge? What a great commercial break, if you will, from the heavy theological weight of questions about healing on the Sabbath and the wedding feast. Its like Jesus needed to take a break from these questions from the Pharisees trying to trip Him up so they could accuse Him of being a Liar and a Lunatic.

The parable of the Great banquet is beautiful, it has its humor BUT it is a serious indictment on the religious. All who think heaven is there inheritance all because they have perfect attendance in church, gone on mission trips around the world, and give to the needy.

This is the sad reality for so many, they don’t respond favorably to the invitation, and as Jesus says in verse 24. . . “none of them will taste His banquet.

What is this banquet? Is this some flippant call to get people to hang out and do life together? No . . .Although doing life together is great! What is this? What is Jesus talking about?

Let me spoil it for you. . by the way. . I’m the guy that will ruin Movies for you. When it comes to movies; Its not just enough for me to tell you “ hey captain marvel was a great movie.” No, I will tell you why and give you all the hidden clues for what is to come for END GAME: Avengers.

So, let me tell you what the significance of the banquet. This banquet/supper represents the Kingdom of Heaven. The folks who rejected the invitation, will miss out on Heaven. So the challenge to you is to remain in Him, don’t vacillate from the truth. Don’t deny Christ’s invitation. For the trustworthy saying

2 tim2:11

2 Timothy 2:11–12 ESV

The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;

Short word on Humility

Verses 12-14

Luke A Lesson for Hosts (14:12–14)

Being a host carries with it many pleasant and positive connotations, such as friendliness, generosity, graciousness, and concern for the comfort of others, and in many cases these terms are appropriate descriptions. However, Jesus observed an occasion, and certainly not an isolated one, on which hosting was an act by which one person gained power over others and put them in his debt. All of us know the ugly face of generosity which binds and the demonic character of gifts with strings attached. A host who expects a return on his or her behavior will not offer service or food to those who cannot repay, and so guest lists consist of persons who are able to return the favor. However, in the kingdom God is the host, and who can repay God? Jesus is therefore calling for kingdom behavior, that is, inviting to table those with neither property nor place in society. Since God is host of us all, we as hosts are really behaving as guests, making no claims, setting no conditions, expecting no return. Luke’s fourfold list of the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind

This is major: Jesus calls us as the church and gives us a great opportunity to care for the poor and the disabled. . it is not an option. Jesus in this text is saying show hospitality- Hospitality literally means “love a stranger.”

Hebrews 13:1–2 ESV

Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Hospitality, then, is not having each other over on Friday evenings but welcoming those who are in no position to host us in return. Nor does the text speak of sending food to anyone; rather, the host and the guest sit at table together. The clear sign of acceptance, of recognizing others as one’s equals, of cementing fellowship, is breaking bread together.

Hospitality, then, is not having each other over on Friday evenings but welcoming those who are in no position to host us in return. Nor does the text speak of sending food to anyone; rather, the host and the guest sit at table together. The clear sign of acceptance, of recognizing others as one’s equals, of cementing fellowship, is breaking bread together.

when we do this Jesus says emphatically:

14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

this is different from the right now blessing Jesus mentions in

This blessing is a future blessing at the resurrection.

So, here is Jesus speaking Truth to Power and on the heels of this statement our parable opens up.

This is the 4th parable at the house of this rich man, probably a Pharisee. These folks have been pounding Jesus with questions and statements and I am sure Jesus is exhausted. (i realize that is theologically incorrect, but As Soup Campbell would say “just Flow”.

Questions, statements, Jesus knows there motives and yet he entertains these questions.

They are at this guys house, we can assume there are no poor people there hence the statement above. Jesus knew they custom, no one is going to invite folks who can’t invite me back.

Verse 15

15. Jesus’ reference to resurrection sparked off a pious celebration from one of the guests: Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God! Clearly he had no doubt that he would be there, whatever the fate of others.

See this as him doing a Dilly Dilly chant. Cheers. “We are in the kingdom”. Like a celebration of a game winning shot during March Madness.

Jesus jumps right into a parable. He waste no time. He does not hold back, rather jumps right in.

Different views

The New American Commentary: Luke Context

There are several different views on the main point of the parable. Should the title of the parable be (1) the parable of the replacement guests (the main point being the giving of God’s kingdom to the outcasts); (2) the parable of the disobedient guests (the main point being the rejection of God’s kingdom by official Judaism); (3) the parable of the irate master (the main point being God’s rejection of Israel); or (4) the parable of the great banquet (the main point being the arrival of God’s kingdom and its consequences)?

Two Invitations

verses 16-17

The New American Commentary: Luke Comments

14:16 A certain man. This was Luke’s customary way to begin a parable. See comments on 16:19.

A great banquet. This is a clear allusion to the Jewish hope for the time when the Messiah would come and share a great feast with Israel’s devout.

Invited many guests. It was customary to extend two invitations. The first (as here) was to “make reservations” and the second to announce that the banquet was beginning

Luke: An Introduction and Commentary 3. Excuses (14:15–24)

Jesus’ story is about a man who invited many to a great banquet. It seems that they accepted the invitation; at any rate none of them is said to have declined. When the banquet was ready a slave was sent to announce the fact. In an age when people had no watches and time was fairly elastic, and when a banquet took a long time to prepare, the precaution must have been helpful to all

Three Rejections

verses 18-20

Verse 18 -Worldly Possesions

18. But the prospective guests began to excuse themselves (the Greek may mean either all alike or ‘at once’). Jesus gives a sample of the kind of thing they said and begins with a man who said he had bought a field and must see it. The excuse was transparently false. No-one would buy a field without careful prior inspection. And if by any chance a man did this, there was no hurry. The field would be there tomorrow. It is plain that the man did not want to come.

Verse 19- world possession and power

19. So with the second man. He had bought five yoke (i.e. five pairs) of oxen. His I go means ‘I am going’, ‘I am on my way’, and his verb examine (dokimasai) should probably be understood as ‘to test them’ or ‘to prove them’. No-one would buy oxen without first satisfying himself that they would do the job. And if he did, there was no hurry for his testing. The oxen would keep.

Vs. 19. Five yoke of oxen.—To this invited guest, as to the first, earthly possession stands in the way of becoming a participant of the saving benefits of the kingdom of Heaven. We regard it as somewhat forced to view in this invited guest the love of dominion as intimated, typified in the swinging of the whip over his team of oxen. No, the first and second are so far in line with one another as this, that with both, earthly possession, as with the third sensual pleasure, becomes the stone of stumbling. But if there yet exists a distinction between the first and second, it is probably this, that the man with the field is yet seeking to acquire the earthly good, while the man with the oxen is thinking of still increasing that which is already gained. The first is the man of business, whose only concern is to bring what he has just bought into good order; the other is the independent man, who will see himself hindered by nobody; who says to one, “Go, and he goeth,” and to the other, “Come, and he cometh,”

A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Luke Exegetical and Critical

Vs. 19. Five yoke of oxen.—To this invited guest, as to the first, earthly possession stands in the way of becoming a participant of the saving benefits of the kingdom of Heaven. We regard it as somewhat forced to view in this invited guest the love of dominion as intimated, typified in the swinging of the whip over his team of oxen. No, the first and second are so far in line with one another as this, that with both, earthly possession, as with the third sensual pleasure, becomes the stone of stumbling. But if there yet exists a distinction between the first and second, it is probably this, that the man with the field is yet seeking to acquire the earthly good, while the man with the oxen is thinking of still increasing that which is already gained. The first is the man of business, whose only concern is to bring what he has just bought into good order; the other is the independent man, who will see himself hindered by nobody; who says to one, “Go, and he goeth,” and to the other, “Come, and he cometh,”

Verse 20- Family

20. The third man’s excuse is certainly original. He could back it up with an appeal to Scripture, for the Old Testament envisages that a man will be at home during the first year of married life (). But that is a regulation aimed at freeing him from military service, not at isolating him from social contacts. This excuse is as transparent as the others. Marriage certainly involves new obligations, but it does not cancel out other obligations, especially things of which due notice has been given.

Vs. 20. I have married a wife.—The third excuse appears to be the most legitimate, on which account, therefore, it is delivered in the tone of self-confidence which does not even account an excuse as necessary. According to the Mosaic Law, , the newly-married man was free for a year from military service, and it therefore appeared that it could not be demanded from this man that he should leave his young wife.

This is so important for us to understand. Worldly possessions and family are excuses some people have from entering the kingdom. This is why Jesus says later :

Luke 14:26–27 ESV

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

luke 14:26-

I always thought Jesus was being mean; however the truth of the matter is many of us can’t divorce ourselves from the things in this life. Our attention is arrested by the things in this world.

Jesus says no! Don’t love those things

1 John 2:15–17 ESV

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Fill my House

verses 21-23

21. The master was angry at his slave’s report. He was clearly determined to hold his banquet at the set time and not allow the makers of excuses to disrupt his plans. So he sent his slave to the poorer quarters of the city to bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame (the very classes named in v. 13).

22–23. But the search through the city did not yield enough guests: the slave did as he was told and reported that there was still room. So his master sent him out to the highways and hedges, i.e. the major roads outside the city and the hedges alongside them in which derelicts might find shelter of a sort. It would not be as easy to find people there, since they would be spread over a greater area. The extension of the search to such unpromising fields is a way of showing that the master meant business. So does the use of the word compel (anagkason). This does not countenance the use of force: only one slave is in question and he could not bring force to bear. The use of this verse to justify persecution is illegitimate. The point is that wanderers in such places would take a lot of convincing that they were really wanted at a banquet in the city. The slave was not to take ‘no’ for an answer; the house must be filled. There is little doubt that we should see a reference to the mission of the church. God’s invitation had gone out to the people through the prophets. Now in Jesus the second invitation was given. When the religious élite refused it, the church was to bring in both those within the city (the Jews) and those outside (the Gentiles). The slave is not said to have fulfilled the commission to those outside. Bringing in the Gentiles was still future when Jesus spoke, and for that matter for the most part when Luke wrote.

Make them come in. In the past the command to make them had been used to justify forced conversions to Christianity. This picture part of the parable portrays a persuasive insistence for the outcasts to enter. It was done in order to overcome their shyness and feelings of unworthiness. God’s fervent desire to share salvation with humanity is the reality that corresponds to this part of the picture—not a specific evangelistic technique.

So that my house will be full. Luke emphasized the divine necessity of evangelism in order to fill up the kingdom as well as the assurance that such efforts would succeed. As Fitzmyer observes, “God’s will is not foiled by the rejection of human beings; the places at the kingdom banquet will be filled.

Up to this point everything is in 3rd person, Now Jesus moves to 1st person.

The Indictment

Luke: An Introduction and Commentary 3. Excuses (14:15–24)

24. The parable concludes with a sombre verdict on those who were first invited and who made their excuses. There would be no second chance for them. They had squandered their opportunity and would get no other. Once again we see Jesus pressing the urgency of the situation. God is gracious and will receive all who come to him, but people may not dilly-dally. Those first invited might not take up the invitation, but others would, both Jew and Gentile. God’s purpose may be resisted, but it cannot be overthrown.

The New American Commentary: Luke Context

The picture (and reality) parts of the parable flow as follows: a great banquet was given (the messianic banquet/God’s kingdom had now come); the invited guests refused to come (the Pharisees and religious elite of Israel rejected the Messiah and his teachings); the outcasts of society were brought in as guests to the banquet (the least in Israel entered God’s kingdom instead of the religious elite); and even more distant outcasts were brought in as guests (the Gentiles entered God’s kingdom instead of Israel).

Luke The Parable of the Banquet (14:15–24; Matthew 22:1–14)

The parable can be heard historically: prophets gave the first invitation; Jesus calls those invited; they refuse; the unacceptable in Israel and Gentiles are invited. The

The prophets of the the Old testament through John the baptist sent the first invitation. Jesus came with the second invitation.

Galatians 4:4 ESV

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,

REV

Revelation 19:6–9 ESV

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. 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; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 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.”