Luke 14:17-18a - The Parable of the Great Banquet.
Luke 14:17-18a - The Parable of the Great Banquet.
Luke 14:17-18a (NLT) When the banquet was ready, he sent his
servant to tell the guests, 'Come, the banquet is ready.' But they all
began making excuses.
INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
In this parable, as in that of the great supper, are illustrated
the gospel invitation, its rejection by the Jewish people, and the
call of mercy to the Gentiles. {COL 307.2}
The parable expresses the open, compelling invitation to come to
Christ for salvation. [Ryrie SB]
Through his teaching and miracles, Jesus announced that God's
messianic banquet was about to be served. All may come and feast at the
table of salvation in God's Kingdom.
Jesus described his ministry as a wedding feast, with himself
as the groom (5:33-35) and the Kingdom of God as a great banquet.
All were invited, but some refused to come (14:15-21)...
The OT background to this feasting imagery is Isa 25:6, where
God's final salvation is described as a great feast for all people:..
Jesus' public ministry marked the invitation to the banquet
and its inauguration. Through his death and resurrection, he
achieved salvation. All people can now come to God's banquet table and
receive the spiritual blessings of the Kingdom. At the same time, this
banquet awaits its final consummation in the future Kingdom, when Jesus'
disciples will "eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom" and "will sit on
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (22:30). [NLT SB]
By the great supper, Christ represents the blessings offered
through the gospel. The provision is nothing less than Christ Himself.
He is the bread that comes down from heaven; and from Him the
streams of salvation flow... He had provided, God offered to them the
greatest gift that Heaven can bestow--a gift that is beyond computation.
The love of God had furnished the costly banquet, and had provided
inexhaustible resources. "If any man eat of this bread," Christ said, "he
shall live for ever." John 6:51. {COL 222.3}
But in order to accept the invitation to the gospel feast,
they must make their worldly interests subordinate to the one purpose
of receiving Christ and His righteousness. God gave all for man,
and He asks him to place His service above every earthly and selfish
consideration. He cannot accept a divided heart. The heart that is absorbed in
earthly affections cannot be given up to God. {COL 223.1}
APPLICATION COMMENTARY - "THEY ALL BEGAN MAKING EXCUSES"
The excuses urged for refusing the invitation to the feast cover
the whole ground of excuses for refusing the gospel invitation. {COL
224.1}
All the excuses betray a preoccupied mind. To these intended
guests other interests had become all-absorbing. {COL 222.2}
All the excuses boiled down to "I have something better to do."
[Ryrie SB]
All such excuses would have been a great affront to the host,
who had made a great investment in this important social event.
These guests had previously accepted the invitation, and all of their
excuses were weak. Clearly, they just didn't want to attend the banquet.
[NLT SB]
The real reason in each case was, of course, that the invited
guest found himself more interested in something else, something he
would have to lay aside temporarily if he were to attend the feast.
The excuses implied, also, a lack of appreciation for the
hospitality and friendship of the man who gave the feast. Those who declined
the invitation to the gospel feast placed more value on temporal
interests than on eternal things (see Matt. 6:33). [SDA Bible Commentary]
The Bible declares that in the last days men will be absorbed
in worldly pursuits, in pleasure and money-getting. They will be
blind to eternal realities. Christ says, "As the days of Noah were, so
shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that
were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and
knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also
the coming of the Son of man be." Matthew 24:37-39. {COL 228.1}
So it is today. Men are rushing on in the chase for gain and
selfish indulgence as if there were no God, no heaven, and no hereafter.
In Noah's day the warning of the flood was sent to startle men in
their wickedness and call them to repentance. So the message of
Christ's soon coming is designed to arouse men from their absorption in
worldly things. It is intended to awaken them to a sense of eternal
realities, that they may give heed to the invitation to the Lord's table.
{COL 228.2}
In Jesus' story, many people turned down the invitation to the
banquet because the timing was inconvenient. We, too, may resist or
delay responding to God's invitation, and our excuses may sound
reasonable--work duties, family responsibilities, financial needs, or other
reasons. Nevertheless, God's invitation is the most important event in
your life, no matter how inconveniently it may be timed. Are you
making excuses to avoid responding to God's call? [Life Application
SB]
If the love of God is not appreciated and does not become an
abiding principle to soften and subdue the soul, we are utterly lost.
The Lord can give no greater manifestation of His love than He has
given. If the love of Jesus does not subdue the heart, there are no
means by which we can be reached. {COL 236.2}
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Evangelist Billy Sunday defined an excuse as "the skin of a
reason stuffed with a lie."
Benjamin Franklin said, "I never knew a man who was good at
making excuses who was good at anything else."
Adam made the first excuse for sin (Gen. 3:12), and many have
followed his bad example. Excuses only make matters worse. [Warren
Wiersbe]
The Banquet Time Approaches
The time is approaching,
We must not lie sleeping,
It's time to go quickly,
It's time to go seeking.
Search highways and byways,
In hills and in hedgerows,
Leave no stone unturned,
Search high and search low.
Seek men for the Master,
Men for His table,
And women and children.
Let all who are able
Seek out ones to bring,
Ere the dinner bell ring. (A sonnet based on Luke 14:23 -
submitted by Wanangwga)
Excellent Spiritual Resource Site:
http://www.christianlifemediacenter.com/
Excellent Sermon Resource Site:
http://www.pmchurch.tv/
Another Excellent Sermon Resource Site:
http://www.lluc.org/podcastlist.php
More Spiritual Resources:
http://www.aBible.com
