Sermon Tone Analysis

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

Short word on Humility

Verses 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.”

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

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

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

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.