The Parable Of The Great Banquet

Luke 14:15-24

Key Verse 14:23

"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.’”    

In this passage Jesus shares with his audience God’s earnest desire to invite all people on earth to His kingdom. He also teaches his flock how everyone must have himself or herself ready for the invitation, and at the same time diligently work to carry out God’s will to see his house getting full. 

Part I. A certain man was preparing a great banquet

Jesus gave the parable while he was still in the house of a prominent Pharisee. While he was there teaching the spiritual leaders God’s love, humility, and the way of giving, the opportunity to share God’s kingdom presented itself. Look at verses 15-16. “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." Once upon a time Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810) said, “Better to be a fool who believes everything than a skeptic who believes nothing – not even the truth.” The man in the passage heard Jesus’ words. As he listened to Jesus’ words, faith arose in him. As he put trust in Jesus, all of a sudden the vision of God’s kingdom hit him. 

To carnal minds, God’s kingdom may seem most impractical; to them it may look like a vague concept. But to a man with God’s spirit, it is the reality of realities. A believer with God’s spirit understands it. Jesus’ words which are God-breathed opened the man’s spiritual eyes to have a glimpse of the blessed kingdom. Seeing the flames of fire sparkling in the eyes of the man, Jesus began to share the blessed parable of blessed kingdom. 

Before we proceed further, let us stop for a moment and think about the dimensions of God’s blessed kingdom. In what respect is life in God’s kingdom so blessed? For example are there going to be nice facilities such as a gym, a swimming pool, a tennis court, or even a golf course? Are there going to be fun stuff like computer games, 3D movies, or HDTV’s? A quick answer to these questions is that God’s kingdom comes with all that are zillion times better than all the good things we have, for essentially it is a kingdom where all that needs to be upgraded will have been fully upgraded, leaving no room for any kind of further upgrade.  And of all that needs to be upgraded to perfection, it will be people. Why? It is because the “feast” (or festival if you will) is going to be a feast (or simply a party) that will take place at the “resurrection of the righteous.” The word “resurrection” talks about the “hardware” (or vessel, i.e., your body and spirit), so that the body we are going to wear will have been perfected both physically and spiritually. [Regarding the “bodily” resurrection, read Luke 24:37-45 and 1Jo 3:2.] “The righteous” indicates that the software (or internal characteristics) of each person (the way they think, see, and behave) will have been fully upgraded. They will all be made completely lovely, completely humble, and all giving. 

Imagine the life with people whose bodies and spirits have all been made infinitely perfect. How wonderful would it be? Most importantly this life is the life in the presence of the Perfect Father who has made all things new. And at the center of the fellowship is Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who has made all these possible. The Apostle Paul saw its beauty and said, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” 

Quite interestingly in the Parable of Great Banquet Jesus who knows it best adds two interesting details about the life in God’s kingdom: that is, God’s kingdom is roomy and tasty. In this world everything is limited. The one who lives in a studio apartment wants to move up to a one bedroom apt., then to a two bedroom, then a three bedroom, then a house, then a mansion. And the higher you go up, the more expensive it gets. And to average Americans, it is getting increasingly difficult to pay the rent for even a one or two bedroom apartment. But in God’s kingdom we do not have any “space” (or room) problem. Why? Jesus says that in His Father’s house are many “rooms” (or “mansions” in the KJV). The word “many” has the meaning of “limitedness”, but it is because Jesus’ speaking modestly. In God’s kingdom, there is no limit to space. First of all we are made to operate beyond space and time. Jesus’ resurrected body went through the solid wall. Does this mean that Jesus’ body was not a “physical” body but a “ghostly” body? No. It is still a physical body. Yet, why was he able to go through a solid wall? It is because it was totally upgraded. Just as my lap top with an Ethernet card was made to go wireless, so also the resurrected body can operate without being hindered by any physical limitations. And it is all thanks to God’s divine engineering. 

Let us think about the taste of the life in God’s kingdom. We often times wonder: “Will there be delicious food like New York Steaks, California rolls, chicken ptarmigan, smoked salmon, or ice-cream sundaes? I think there are tons of good kinds of food. Of course the Apostle Paul says, “The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17 But he did not say that there is no good food. He also says, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"--but God will destroy them both.” But what he meant was that the body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.  1Co 6:13. And he says that the body that is sown is perishable, but it is reaped imperishable. 1Co 15:42 Yet, when Jesus used the word “taste” in Luke 14:24 Jesus meant not just the taste of food but the general characteristics of the life in God’s kingdom particularly its highly pleasing nature, coming with wonderful flavor.  

“Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast of the kingdom of God.” King David who lived about 3000 years ago tasted the joy of the life in the blessed kingdom and said, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” Psalm 84:10 Certainly the life in the kingdom of God is truly great. And Jesus calls it a “great banquet.” God who is the ultimate architect and builder has prepared it. Jesus went to the Father’s side to make it a reality. And Jesus came to invite us to His kingdom.   

Part II.  Come, for everything is now ready

Look at verses 16-17 again. “Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'” 

Before we proceed further, let us focus on two words, “now ready.” What does it mean to say, “everything is ‘now ready’”? We know the answer. From a Biblical point of view, this expression means that God’s kingdom is ready to go for anyone who accepts it. It is like the host of a banquet having all things ready to go for the joyful party. When Jesus died on a tree about 2000 years ago, he expressed the same idea by saying, “It is finished.” God’s kingdom is a finished product. Didn’t Isaiah say that God makes the end known from the beginning?  To make the finished product practically available, as of Jesus rising from the dead and being seated at the Father’s side, Jesus has the Holy Spirit ready to come upon all who repent and believe in Jesus. The Apostle John also saw the City of God in its finished form and described it in the book of Revelation (Chapters 4, 20-22 in particular). Abraham saw the city and looked forward to being there, as Hebrews 11:10 says, “For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” As Hebrews 11:16 says that while on earth, Abraham’s descendants were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” Say, “God has prepared a city.”  Practically then what should we do for this kingdom? Jesus says, “Come, for everything is now ready.” In view of God having the kingdom ready, what should be our response? Two exhortations are in order:

First, we must put our hope in this kingdom and earnestly look forward to it. In the parable, Jesus shared his concern for those who were supposed to be looking forward to it, but were instead indulging themselves in what is mundane. In order to have people ready for the kingdom the Lord God extended the invitation in advance, and yet a lot of people did not pay attention to it. Lately, within the past two months, I received two invitations to two weddings from two friends of mine. Because they are my good friends, I did not want to miss the time and date of their weddings. So I asked Rebekah to mark the dates on the calendar. And I did not miss the weddings. But figuratively speaking those who made excuses are like a man who takes a look at the invitation to the wedding, reads it for a few seconds, and then throws it in the trash can. We should not do this. Practically then we must put absolute hope in the kingdom of God. We must think about it, wait for the occasion, and get ourselves ready for it. You know in order for one to attend a wedding, one cannot go there casually. One must take a shower, get a perm, wear nice clothes, and then go there prayerfully. 

Second, putting our hope in God’s kingdom and striving for it, in our day to day life, we must practically ward off all kinds of attractive distractions. And we should NEVER underestimate the power of temptations that come from mundane sources. With this in mind, let us all read with a trembling heart, Luke 14:17-20, “At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' "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.' "Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'  "Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'” This passage reminds us of the law of physics called “inertia.” Inertia is the tendency of a body to resist acceleration, the tendency of a body at rest to remain at rest or of a body in straight line motion to stay in motion in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force. So inertia applies both to bodies at rest and bodies in motion. Before Newton, none of the philosophers had thought that the same concept could describe stationary and moving bodies. 

The same principle works in the spiritual realm. Speaking of this truth, Proverbs 5:22 says, “The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast.” Here, the word “evil” means not just the quality of morally being wrong or bad, but that which causes harm, misfortune, or destruction. Proverbs 14:12 talks about the same idea when it says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” What I mean is that in and of itself, nothing is good or evil in you buying or selling real estate properties or getting involved in business such as running a Seven Eleven. And marriage is even the first institution God established for men. But these things can become right or wrong, good or evil depending on the purpose: why are you doing this or that? Why do you get married? Why do you run a business? Why do you buy a laptop or a house? And day to day experience also shows us that it is the purpose that determines whether what you do is good or bad. For example when you do not know where you are going, and still you want to get onto the 5 Freeway, any on ramps or off ramps will be right or wrong. But the minute you decide where you want to go, all of a sudden you can have a precise idea about which exit is the right one and which one is not. Suppose you want to visit Sea World. Then, using Map Quest, you would type in your departing point and the destination. Then, the computer will show you the exact route. 

So here is what we want to do. In general terms, we must be wary of the [spiritual] law of inertia, so that we would live as Abraham lived, not as Lot and his wife lived in the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. Speaking of the law of inertia Jesus even said, “Remember Lot’s wife!” (Luke 17:32) And Genesis 19:17 speaks of the tragic consequence of the life that indulges in the things of this world for it says, “As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away.” 

Exhorting us not to indulge ourselves the things of this world, the Apostle Paul says in 1 Cor. 7:29-31, “What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.” And Jesus has the best wisdom against the law of inertia, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…” Matthew 6:33 May the Lord bless us to fully give our hearts to serving God’s purpose for us, that is, praying for America to be kingdom of priests and a holy nation. 

Part III. Make them come in

There is one more important thing we need to do in view of God’s kingdom being ready. And that is to diligently invite people to His kingdom. Let us read two verses, that is, 21 and 23. “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.'” (21)  "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.” (21) 

Two commands stand out: “Go out quickly!”; and “Make them come in.” Practically however it is not easy for us to go out quickly and invite people. It is even more difficult to “make” them come in. We see the same tendency in the book of the Acts for there we see how the gospel came to spread from Jerusalem to the Gentile world. Jesus commanded the disciples to make disciples of all nations. But the Jewish believers did not want to obey. Thus it took waves of persecution before the believers began to go out of Jerusalem, into the Gentile world such as Antioch, then to Macedonia, then to Rome and beyond. At first a man like the Apostle Paul even worked to destroy the newly emerging Christianity. But later Jesus broke him, and sent him to go to Rome. 

So we must admit our rebellious character, and struggle to invite people. And we must make them to come in. In our ministry, when we think about each person, each of us came to be included in Jesus’ sheep pen only because someone invited him or her, not just once but twice or even three times. For example a friend of mine used to study at the CSULB, majoring in mechanical engineering. While on campus he desired to know the truth. Then one person approached him and said, “Are you interested in a Bible study?” He wanted to say ‘Yes.’ But being a shy person, he said, “No.” He felt bad about saying “no.” Then a few days later another person came to him and asked the same question. Still he said “No. “ This time he really felt so bad. He did not know why he said what he did not want to say. So he secretly prayed to God saying, “Lord, if you send another person I will say “yes.” Lo and behold A few days later a third person approached and asked the same question. Immediately he said “Yes.” 

As we know the world is filled with people who are yet to be invited to God’s kingdom. Even many of those who go to church are yet to develop the taste of the Kingdom of God. May all of us then ask God for special help that we would be encouraged to invite many to His kingdom. 

One word: make them come in

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