THE GREAT BANQUET
Luke 14:1-24
THE SETUP
V:1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2 There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. 3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?" 4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away.
Some people will set you up to mess you up. Not everyone who invites you
to be with them is for you. When people don't like you and invite you to
be with them, chances are they seeking reasons to condemn you.
Those who hated Jesus knew He would heal anyone who came into His presence.
They scheduled a dinner on a Sabbath and invited Jesus and a man with dropsy.
The issue for condemnation was work on the Sabbath. If Jesus healed the man
it would break their law (Leviticus 23:3).
The Pharisees invited witnesses to confirm Jesus breaking the law. The setup was complete with Jesus, the temptation to heal, and witnesses to condemn,
Jesus beat them to punch. He ask the question if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath.
He got no response from the legal experts, so He heal the man. Jesus did what the
Pharisees expected but with compassion, love, and the will of the Father.
The work in Leviticus 23 means labor, occupation, or employment. The haters of
Jesus broke their law and tradition by having dinner on the Sabbath. Some
one had to labor to set the table and clean up after the meal.
People live by double standards. They judge you by a standard they don’t live
by. It's wrong for you, but ok for them. The Pharisees and the expert of the law
were not concerned about the man who was healed, but proof for their
condemnation of Jesus.
We cannot let our religious zeal overrule the mercy necessary to help those in
need.
Any encounter with Jesus is an opportunity to learn. Jesus used the setup of the
Pharisees teach the value of the Gospel.
PRACTICAL EXPLANATION OF SCRIPTURE
V:5 Then he asked them, "If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?" 6 And they had nothing to say.
When you don’t understand scripture you need the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit.
What good is scripture if you don’t have the understanding to apply it
to your life? If you don’t first understand a passage of scripture, study and
meditate on it. It is through your study that Holy Spirit works.
Jesus gave a practical example that everyone could understand. If your son fell into
a hole on the Holy Day, would you leave him there until the next day? It requires
work to get him out of the hole.
Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man, not
man for the Sabbath. The issue was not work but lack of holiness. The Pharisees
and the expert of the law condemned themselves.
PRIDE, HOW YOU SEE YOURSELF
V:7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
In Jewish custom, the Family meal was a time of intimacy. Family members and
the community came together to eat, fellowship, and share ideas, hopes, fears, and joys.
The seats close to the host were an indication of the standing in the community.
People took pride in their position at the table.
Everyone from time to time wants to look good before others. We can get caught up
with looking good that we can forget to be good. For formal occasions, you
dress to be seen. It is normal to want the best seat. It would be better to sit in an
undesirable seat and be asked to move up than to set in the front and be asked to
move back.
People are always watching what you do. A pure heart humbles himself before
God and man. God lifts the humble but brings down the proud.
Proverbs 3:34
He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble.
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TREAT THE POOR WITH GENEROSITY
V:12 Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
Hospitality is not always an act of love and grace, but the evidence of pride and
selfishness. It is alright to invite friends, but don't forget to invite those who have
no means to invite you. God blesses us so we can bless others in need.
Those in need may never get invited. You never know how your generosity
will lift the spirit of another person. Jesus set the example by feeding everyone
who came to him when He fed the five thousand men not counting
women and children. Jesus is no respecter of a person.
What is your motive for having a party? It is to gain the praise of men or
to share with others the praise of God. If our motive is the praise of men,
then that's all you get. When we invite the poor we store up treasures in
heaven.
THE BLESSING OF THE KINGDOM
V:15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God."
The Word of God convicts, enlighten, and encourages the listeners. Having heard
the Word one of the disciples shared His excitement. Those who hear the word
should share it with others. This disciple expressed His belief in the celebration
that would take place in heaven. His focus was not on the current time but on his
eternity with the Father. Unlike the Pharisee and his companions who gave the
dinner to condemn Jesus, this man came to be blessed by the Word.
THE GREAT BANQUET, SALVATION OF MAN
V:16 Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'
18 "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'
19 "Another said, 'I have just bought five yokes of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'
20 "Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'
21 "The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.'
22 "'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'
23 "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.'"
The master is God the Father
The banquet takes place in Heaven.
The banquet is for the salvation of the saints.
The meal is the Gospel of Jesus Christ
The invitation is the free grace of salvation
The guest is the world, with the Jews being first.
The Servant is Jesus and His disciples
The invitation was given first to the Jews, then to the Gentiles
The Jewish nation rejected Jesus, and the invitation was gladly
accepted by the Gentiles.
There are three excuses men give for not accepting Christ as Lord and Savior
WEALTH
The first guest had a field he purchased that needed his attention
He refused the invitation because of his wealth and possessions
was put above God.
WORK
The second invited guest had purchased oxen that needed his attention.
He refused the invitation because he put his work above God
FAMILY
The third invited guest had his marriage that needed his attention.
He refused the invitation because he put family above God
What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?
Nothing or no one is more important than God. By no other name
can a man be saved.
Those who reject Jesus don’t get a second chance after the banquet start.
After the invitation was rejected by the Jewish nation, The Gentiles; the poor the cripple, the blind, and the lame were invited lame.
The house was not full, so the servant was sent back out to search the entire world
for people to be brought to the banquet.
The invitation to the Gospel continues today until the second coming of the
Lord when the doors to the banquet will be closed.
Once Christ comes back, all who rejected the invitation will be locked out of
heaven forever.
My advice is to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior today. Tomorrow is
not promised. The door to the banquet is now closing. Accept the
invitation while you still have time.
Rev. M. Mitchell
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