The Great Banquet: Luke 14:15-24

I realize this is really long for some of you, but feel free to print it out and use it as a Bible Study sometime.

The Old Testament background for this parable is found in Isaiah 25:6-9:

6"And the Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; a banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, and refined, aged wine.
7And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, even the veil which is stretched over all nations.
8He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken.
9And it will be said in that day, "Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation."

"A ritual banquet is one that marks some personal or interpersonal transition or transformation, held to give honor to those undergoing the important social change. As a ritual feature of hospitality, banquets indicate the transformation of a stranger into a guest (Gen. 19:3-14; Luke 5:29) or of an enemy into a covenant partner (Gen. 26:26-31; 2 Sam. 3:20). Banquets mark important transitional points in a person’s life, e.g., Isaac’s weaning day (Gen. 21:8); the weddings of Jacob (Gen. 29:22), Samson (Judg. 14:10), the Lamb (Rev. 19:9), and in the parable of Matt. 22:2-10; the birthdays of Pharaoh (Gen. 40:20), of Herod (Mark 6:21); or the victory banquet hosted by God in Rev. 19:17. At the Last Supper Jesus changes the ceremonial banquet of the Jewish Passover into a ritual banquet effectively symbolizing the meaning of his impending death (Mark 14:12-25 and parallels)."1

Setting: Jesus was at the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath. Jesus noticed that some of the invited guests at the house were seeking the more honored places to sit. Jesus spoke about being humble and seeking the lower position. He then spoke about inviting the poor and the crippled to dinner, even though they could not repay the host, because the host would be repaid in the resurrection. Then we have the following...

15. And when one of those who were reclining at the table with Him heard this, he said to Him, "Blessed is everyone who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"


"To eat bread" is another way of saying, "To eat a meal."

The phrase "kingdom of God" occurs 66 times and it is found only in the New Testament.

Matthew’s Gospel frequently uses the term ‘Kingdom of Heaven,’ while Mark and Luke always use ‘Kingdom of God.’ ‘Heaven’ in these instances is a circumlocution—a way of referring to God without using his name.2

There is both both a present and a future aspect to the kingdom of God. In the present aspect deals with the presence of Christ who is a king. Matt. 12:28-29 says, "“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 “Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house." The presence of Christ is the king means that the gospel is being preached as a result of the victorious sacrifice of Christ upon the cross.

The future aspect of the kingdom of God deals with the return of Christ and the "age to come," the full redemption of the saved in a resurrected form, the remaking of the heavens and the earth, and all that is promised by God in the future.

The one who said "Blessed is everyone who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God" is a Jew who expects that he himself will enjoy the blessings of the coming kingdom. Jesus takes the opportunity to teach that one enters the kingdom of God, salvation, not by birthright or by works, but by grace.16. But He said to him, "A certain man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many;

It was the custom when giving a dinner, to invite a certain number of people. Those who accepted the invitation were then counted. The meal was prepared according to the number who accepted the invitation. The more people coming, the more food had to be prepared. For example, a chicken would be for 2-4 guests, a duck for 5-8, a lamb for 10-15, a sheep for 15-35, and a calf for 35-75. In other words, the amount and type of meat depends on the number of people who accept the invitation. Once an animal has been killed it must be eaten soon or else it will spoil. Therefore, to back out at the last minute would be rude. The invited guest is duty bound to attend the banquet.

Also, it was considered very rude to attend a banquet if you were not invited; after all, the meal had not been prepared with you in mind.17. and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, 'Come' for everything is ready now.'

The second invitation is a notification to the guests that the meal is ready.

The Greek word "come" means literally, continue coming. This is consistent with the custom of a double invitation.18. but they all alike began to make excuses. the first one said to him, 'I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.'

The meal has been prepared, the table set, and people notified. To back out now is an insult.

In the middle East, no one buys a field without first examining it thoroughly. The springs, wells, stone walls, trees, paths, and anticipated rainfall are all well-known long before a discussion of the purchase is even begun. The excuse is a lie, an obvious one, and the guest is stating in no uncertain terms that the field is more important than his relationship with the host. In a community where interpersonal relationships are very important, this strikes even harder as an offence.19. And another one said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.'

Teams of oxen are sold in the Middle East in two ways. They are taken to the market place and a nearby field and there they plow the field. Anyone wishing to buy may then drive the oxen himself and examine the animals thoroughly to see if they work well as a team.

That is like calling your wife at home and saying you'll be late for the big dinner that's been planned for weeks because you need to go out an look at five cars you just bought without looking at them.

The other way to buy the oxen is to announce that the team is for sale and say what day the team will be working in the field. Prospective buyers can then come to the field, watch, examine, and test them for themselves. Only after the team is examined thoroughly is a price discussed.

This excuse, like the other one, is also an insult.20. And another one said, 'I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.'

In the tightly knit community of the Middle East a wedding calls for a celebration. At a celebration is food, and lots of it. The community would have been aware of the wedding and many people would have been invited. Meals would have been prepared before hand. Therefore, the banquet would not have been scheduled for the same day as a wedding.

Also, if the man simply wants to be with his wife then why did he accept the invitation in the first place.

This one doesn't even say, "Please."21. And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, 'Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.'

Anger would be a natural expectation of the head of the household. He has been insulted three times.

The invited guests refuse to respond to the good news that the feast is ready. What then is the host to do? He cannot have a feast without guests. He then invites the unworthy, the poor, crippled, blind, and lame. He brings in the undesirables. So, he gives the command to bring in the poor, who aren't normally invited to banquets; the crippled, who cannot test oxen in the field; and the blind and lame who don't normally marry.

They have no way of repaying the host and he knows it. Therefore, he is being gracious, very gracious in light of the insults received.

Matt. 9:36, "And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He *said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”22. And the slave said, 'Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.'

Some have already been saved. But there is room for more.23. And the master said to the slave, 'Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house my be filled.'

The previous guests were all part of the immediate community. But here, the highways and hedges are sought out for more to join the banquet. Isaiah 25:6-9 is important for a proper understanding of this parable. In Isaiah the Gentiles are included in the banquet with the Lord.

Notice also, that the command is not carried out in this parable. It is given but no account of its fulfillment is mentioned. This is because those being compelled to enter in have not yet been all invited. Redemption is still going on.24. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.


With what would the original audience have identified in the parable?

The Banquet = the messianic banquet that ushers in the age to come.

Matt. 12:32, blasphemy of the H.S. will not be forgiven in this age or the age to come. Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30, we receive much in this age and in the age to come we will receive eternal life. Eph. 1:21, "(the power of God) is far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come."

In this age We will receive 100 times as much, Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30; People are given in marriage, Luke 20:34; The wisdom of this world is the wisdom of this age, 1 Cor. 1:20; The rulers of this age are coming to nothing, 1 Cor. 2:6; Satan is the god of this age, 2 Cor. 4:4; Jesus rescued us from the present evil age, Gal. 1:4; In the age to come we will receive eternal life, Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30; 1 Tim. 6:9; we do not marry, Luke 20:35

The Original Guests = the leaders of Israel who are rightfully the first to be invited.

Acts 3:25-26, “It is you who are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ 26 “For you first, God raised up His Servant, and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”

The Lame and Poor of the City = the outcasts within the house of Israel.

Matt. 10:5-8, "These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; 6 but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons; freely you received, freely give."

The Guests from the Highways and the Hedges = the gentiles.

Acts 13:46, "And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles."
This parable teaches that no one may enter the kingdom of God without an invitation from God. An invitation by grace.

It also is a warning to heed the invitation when it is heard. Because the invitation does not last forever.

In between two great banquet parables, each declaring pure grace (the Great Banquet and the Prodigal Son), is set a collection of sayings that speaks of the high cost of discipleship in clear and demanding terms (Luke 14:25-35).

The Banquet is free, the invitation by grace, but acceptance carries with it responsibility. Discipleship is our responsibility.

Luke 14:25-35:

"Now great multitudes were going along with Him; and he turned and said to them, "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 carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.; Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and take counsel whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand/ Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks terms of peace. So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned?"

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1. Achtemeier, Paul J., Th.D., Harper’s Bible Dictionary, (San Francisco: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc.) 1985.
2. ibid.

Parables

Over the next few days I think I'm going to do a series on parables. I've found a neat resource that really puts the parables in the context of their history. Here's the introduction.The parables of Jesus are treasure houses of wisdom masterfully woven in story form. They are deep, theological, practical, sometimes confusing, but always worth the effort needed to unlock their mysteries.
Basically, a parable is a short story with a moral lesson. Jesus’ parables teach a series of moral concepts using the culture of the times. Though the parables have much to offer to us in the present day via a casual reading, they have even more to offer when we understand the culture of the time and examine them in that light. For instance, in the story of the Prodigal son, when the son asked for his father’s inheritance, that was equivalent to saying he didn’t care if his father lived or died. He just wanted his money. Why? Because a son never ever asked for an inheritance until after the death of his parent. To do so prematurely was to imply he wished his parent’s death!
There are many such cultural gems waiting for us to discover. When laid in the rich framework of the parables, we can see the majestic beauty and power of Jesus’ living words reflected in the light of His truth...and we are not left unaffected.
In the presentation of these parables, I have gleaned heavily from the book Poet & Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes, by Kenneth E. Bailey. This book forced open my eyes when reading the parables caused me to see things in them I had never thought of before.
It is important to know that the nobleman of ancient Israel did not run, but walked at a dignified pace. Then what does this mean when the Prodigal’s father runs to his son?
Isolation from impure food and people was especially crucial for the Pharisees when they sat down to eat. How do we consider this when the Pharisee asked Jesus to eat with him and provided no means for Jesus to wash?
A person’s ethnic background could be seen through his speech and his clothes. How does this bear upon the Good Samaritan parable where the man is left unconscious and naked?
A woman could be divorced for letting her hair down in public. What does this mean when the woman wet Jesus’ feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair?

The parables used familiar symbols so the listener could relate and, if need be, be shocked. Whatever the outcome in the hearer, the parables required a response. Either the hearer was to change a behavior, or a thought, or a belief, or something else. But change is the reason for the parables.
They were not simply stories. They were living words from the mouth of God.

Jesus Paid It ALL

Here's another great message from Bill Bright.

No one can ever boast in the presence of God (1 Corinthians 1:29, NLT).

Dear friends:

It is an insult to God to try to add anything to Christ's finished work.

Imagine a boy swimming in a lake one day, and suddenly he yelled for help. Another young man on shore ran to the water and swam out to rescue the first fellow. In the process of saving the life of the boy who was drowning, the second young man lost his life. The two families, who had been observing all of this, were overwhelmed by the unexpected turn of events. The father of the youth who had been saved approached the father of the dead young man to offer his sympathy. "I really can't express how much I appreciate what your boy did, and how sorry I am that he lost his life. But I just happen to have $1.83 on me, and want to offer this to you as an indication of my feelings.

Was the salvation of this man's son paid for by the other boy's life, or by the measly $1.83?

Also, imagine a man before a judge who has been given the choice of paying $100 or serving 90 days in jail. The man doesn't have any money, but he does have an invalid wife and five hungry children at home who are depending on him and him alone. He tells such a heartrending story that the courtroom spectators are moved with pity. They take up a collection to help pay the man's fine. Although it is unlike him, even the judge chips in. Altogether they raise $99.95. Even though they are only five cents short, the judge declares that the entire $100 must be paid, and orders the bailiff to take the man to jail. He dejectedly walks out of the courtroom, thrusting his hands deep into his pockets -- where he finds a nickel! Elated, he rushes back into the courtroom and slaps it on the bar before the judge, declaring, "I'm free, I'm free!"

In his mind, what had saved him?? The $99.95, or the measly five cents?

Any works that we might add to our salvation do not even add up to $1.83, or $.05. In fact, each amounts to zero, and 0 + 0 = 0.

If we did anything to merit our salvation, we would be forever boasting about it in heaven, which can never happen.

"No one can ever boast in the presence of God" (1 Corinthians 1:29, NLT).

The fact is that we can do nothing to earn our salvation. Jesus paid it all. Yours for helping to fulfill the Great Commission each year until our Lord returns,

Bill Bright

Brain Teaser

If you were to construct a 7 x 7 checkered square (i.e., a 7 x 7 chess board), how many squares would there be in total?
This is not just asking for the total number of little squares which would be 49, but the board itself is also a square which would add one...and there are also squares made up of 2 checkered squares x 2 checkered squares etc...

If that doesn't make sense let me know and I'll try and clarify it.

There is a pole in a lake. One-half of the pole is in the ground, another one-third of it is covered by water, and 11 ft is out of the water. What is the total length of the pole in ft?

Ann purchased a house for $ 183787. She wants to sell it for a profit of exactly 13%. However, she does not want to sell it herself. She wants a Real Estate Agent to sell it for her. The Agent must make a commission of exactly 5.6% (in addition to Ann's 13% profit). How much must the Agent sell the house for? Give your answer to the nearest dollar.

The answers are now in the comments. I decided to do it that way, rather than post them, on the off chance that someone who likes these things still wants to try. :) I know it's a long shot. :)

Prayer Quotes

I thought I'd kinda tie the last two posts together here by posting quotes about prayer. There is a mighty difference between saying prayers and praying. - John G. Lake

I have so much to do that I spend several hours in prayer before I am able to do it. - John Wesley

Of all the duties enjoined to a Christian, none is more essential and yet more neglected than prayer. - Francois Fenelon

Pray and let God worry. - Martin LutherIf God will do whatever He wishes, regardless of whether we pray or not, then we do not need to pray at all, and the Lord's instructions on praying for the Kingdom and the Will are superfluous. But the truth is that God waits for a Remnant to rise up and to pray in agreement with His Purpose before He does anything - He will do nothing apart from the Church. Apart from HIM we CAN do nothing; apart from US He WILL do nothing. - Chip Brogden

Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work. - Oswald Chambers"Do we realize there is nothing the devil dreads so much as prayer? His greatest concern is to keep us from praying. He loves to see us "up to our eyes" in work - provided we do not pray. He does not fear because we are eager and earnest Bible students - provided we are little in prayer. Someone has wisely said, 'Satan laughs at our toiling, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.' All this is so familiar to us, but do we really pray? Let us never forget that the greatest thing we can do for God or for man is to pray. For we can accomplish far more by our prayers than by our works. Prayer is omnipotent; it can do anything God can do! When we pray, God works! All fruitfulness in service is the outcome of prayer - of the worker's prayers, or of those who are holding up holy hands on his behalf. We all know how to pray, but perhaps many of us need to cry as the disciples did of old, 'Lord, teach us to pray.'" (Quote taken from The Kneeling Christian)

Quotes and the Quoters

As the light changed from red to green to yellow and back to red again, I sat there thinking about life. Was it nothing more than a bunch of honking and yelling? Sometimes it seemed that way. - Jack Handy

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity. - Albert Einstein

A friend is one before whom I may think aloud. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is hard enough to remember my opinions, without also remembering my reasons for them! - Friedrich Nietzsche

Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love. - Charles M. Schulz

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong. - Voltaire

You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you. - Dale Carnegie

Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain - and most fools do. - Dale Carnegie

Prayer and the Invisible Children

I was in Bluffton IN for the weekend. It was a blessing. Saturday night I saw a documentary on the war in Uganda, and how the rebels are abducting children at a young age and brainwashing them to fight by exposing them to extreme violence. The situation needs lots of prayer.

For more on what you can do go to Invisible Children.

On Sunday afternoon we had a bible study on prayer. It was very convicting for me. The challenge that the speaker started out with was this: "If you can't spend 1 to 2 hours praying without repetition, falling asleep, or getting bored, then you don't properly understand the role prayer has in a Christian's life." Then he expounded on Scriptures that show the power and necessity of prayer in a believers life.

During the Bible Study it became apparent that there was a lot about prayer that I didn't have the proper perspective on. I praise God for His continued sanctification!

Worth your time

This post moved me to tears, as so many of her posts do. I highly recommend putting her on your list of blogs to check regularly. You'll have to do some scrolling through her archives to learn her whole story, but it's an amazing story of God, courage, love, and family.