A Study of the Book of Luke
Sermon # 39
Luke 14:15-24
“. . . A certain man gave a great supper and invited many,
(17) and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, "Come, for
all things are now ready.'
The “certain
man” of this
story represents God. It is interesting that this man representing God is preparing a
great banquet or party. God many times is presented as a tyrant who is stern and
demanding, and that following God means a joyless existence. If you look at many
believers, you would think that the Christian life was a fast, a funeral or a famine. Yet
if you consider how God is constantly presented in the Bible, we come to understand that
this is a false view, a distortion of the truth. In Isaiah 55 God invites his people to
not seek that, which does not satisfy but come to His table and “eat
what is good, And let your soul delight in abundance” (v. 2).
In the New Testament in the story
of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) he is the father who throws a party to celebrate the
return of his son. In the book of Revelation John tells us of the great party that God has
waiting for his people called the “Great Marriage Supper of the Lamb”
(Revelation 19:9-10).
The “great supper” of this parable is a lavish
spectacular image of life in the kingdom of heaven. It is not just a meal it is described
as a “great” literally “mega” banquet. “Jesus called it a ‘great supper’ because it was planned
and executed out of great love, it met a great need and it cost a great price.” [Warren Wiersbe Windows
on the Parables. p. 94]
In New Testament times two invitations were usually
given to a party or a banquet. The first was given well in advance telling the date and
time so that people could make plans to attend and then when everything was ready for the
party to begin the servants were again sent out telling everyone, “come for
all things are now ready” (v. 17). The custom made
perfect sense in the days when there were no telephones or even watches or the
conveniences for preparing a huge meal.
In Israel’s history God’s
first invitation came through Moses and the prophets and the second came through His son
(Hebrews 1:1-2).
Since the invitation is “come” (v.17) it is suggestive of the
responsibility a person has to act on God’s gracious invitation. You might expect
that everyone would enthusiastically respond to the invitation. But that is not the case.
Three of those who had previously accepted opted out of coming to the banquet. Each of
these individuals considers that he has a good excuse. These people do not reject the
invitation because they were involved in bad activities. These people simply thought they
had other more important things to do. Most of the people today who reject God’s
gracious invitation do not do so because they are involved in some kind of gross
immorality. They are just too involved in the everyday affairs of life and too busy to
think seriously about spiritual things.
The excuses are given beginning in verse eighteen, “But they all with one
accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, "I have bought a piece of
ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.' (19) And another said,
"I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me
excused.' (20) Still another said, "I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot
come.”
The text says, “they with one
accord began to make excuses.” That
is, “They were one in the excuse they made,”
which is to say that all three excuses were of the same spirit and essence. All three
excuses were pretexts. With a little effort each of the persons could have made
arrangements that would have enabled him to attend if he so desired. (What does that say
about most of the times church members miss services?)
Let’s take the time to examine each of the excuses, for
that is what they are, excuses.
First, WE MAKE EXCUSES BECAUSE WE ARE PREOCCUPIED WITH THINGS! (v. 18)
"I have bought a piece of ground,
and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.”
If the man had not previously seen this
piece of land, how could he see what is like after dark? Seeing that he was invited to
supper which was the evening meal, it seems unlikely that he could see it now. The man
with the land did not say that he had not already seen it, he just was more concerned
about his investments than his invitation to supper. This man reminds us of the
individuals in our day whose possessions demand all their attention, robbing them of
spiritual wealth. The excuse makers were considered successful people in the eyes of their
friends and associates but God considered them miserable failures.
Secondly,
WE MAKE EXCUSES BECAUSE WE PUT MAKING A LIVING BEFORE GOD! (v. 19) "I have bought five
yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.”
The
land purchase was suggests that the man was wealthy, holding two to five times the amount
of land of an average landowner. [The
NIV Application Commentary. Luke p. 394]. This man
represents all men who are so absorbed in their occupations as to leave leisure and
spiritual pursuits completely out of their lives.
The first two excuses had to do with material possessions and the third has to do
with affections.
Third, WE MAKE EXCUSES BECAUSE WE CHOSE TO PUT OTHERS BEFORE GOD. (v.20) "I have married a wife,
and therefore I cannot come.'
This man
represents for those whose domestic cares and responsibilities control so much of their
time as to rob them of any other pursuits or interests. Family obligations if rightfully
undertaken and scripturally balanced, never keep us from God or fellowship with the
church.
Many
in our world today are invited to the gospel feast, but respond in much the same way as
those described by Jesus over two thousand years ago. In each case it was self-interest
that prevented men from coming to Christ. Our society is perhaps more permeated by
self-interest than any other people who have ever lived. People today make the same
mistake that these people in the parable did; they delay in responding to the invitation
because they settled for second best.
The point that Jesus is making is not that God will not accept lame excuses for
rejecting His offer of celebration and abundant life. The point is that God will not
accept any excuses, whether they are legitimate or not.
GOD’S INVITATION CAN BE REFUSED BUT
No doubt each of those who declined thought only to delay the response and
anticipated that there would be ample time for them to enjoy the benefits of the banquet
at a latter time. These three guests expected to get another invitation in the future, but
invitation was never to come. The parable continues by answering just such a thought in verse
twenty-one and following. “So that servant came and reported these things to his
master. Then the master of the house, being angry. . .”
The master of the house, which represented God, became angry. The truth is that we
do not think often about the anger of God. This parable tells how God feels about our
excuses for rejecting his wonderful and costly offer of life. (Hebrews 2:3)
How did the host show his anger? He sent his servants to invite other guests. He
did not plead with the guests who had insulted him; he simply found others to take their
place. In the
last part of verse twenty-one the host tells his servants, "… Go out quickly
into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring
in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.”
Those
first invited (in v. 17) who refused to come, represented the general rejection of gospel
by the nation of Israel. It is a reminder to his audience that those are striving for
first place in the kingdom better be certain that they are even going to make it at all.
The good
news of verses 21-23 is that we are on the guest list. No matter what you may have done,
where you have done it or how many times you may have failed. It is an explanation that
the blessing offered to the Jews can be experienced by the Gentiles and how the majority
of the Jews can fail to grasp what God is doing and accept it.
“Tony Campolo tells the story of a trip which he took to Hawaii.
Jet lag kept him awake late into night and he went for a walk on the streets of Honolulu.
At 2 in the morning, he found himself in a doughnut shop. Sitting at the counter, he
overheard several prostitutes who were sharing a booth. One of the girls whose name was
Agnes mentioned that it was her birthday.
After she had left, Tony turned to the cook and the other prostitutes and said, “Let’s throw a party for Agnes.” The other girls agreed to bring decorations and the cook said that he would bake a cake.
The next night, they all gathered at the shop and when Agnes walked in, they brought out the cake and began to sing, “Happy Birthday.” Tears streamed down Agnes’s face and, when it came time to cut the cake, she just stood there. Finally, she said, “Could I buy another cake and we eat that one? I want to take this one home and show it to my mother.”
With that, she took the cake and left. In the sudden silence that filled the shop after she left, Tony bowed his head and began to pray. “Lord, we thank you for Agnes and for your love for her. You loved her enough to send Your Son to die for her on the cross. We thank you for the best present of all - the present of your own Son. Amen.” When he raised his head, he saw that all of the prostitutes had their heads bowed and had been praying with him.
The cook looked at him and said, “You’re a
preacher!” When Tony admitted that he was, the cook asked, “What kind of church
do you have?” In a sudden flash of insight, Tony replied, “The kind that throws
parties for prostitutes and gives invitations to sinners.” [Tony Campolo. The Kingdom
Of God Is A Party. (Dallas: Word) pp. 3-7.]
In the
parable the less desirable element is invited and still there is room, verse twenty-two,
“And the servant said, "Master, it is done
as you commanded, and still there is room.' (23) Then the master said to the servant,
"Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel
them to come in, that my house may be filled.” It is interesting to note that the first invitation in verse
17 was “come,” when
these refused Jesus sent his servants out with the admonition in verse 21 to “bring in” the poor and the blind and the halt.
Not just the rejected lower classes of Israel were invited, for when there is still was
room in verse 23, the servants are told to “go out into the
highways and hedges and compel them to come in”.
Jesus’ closing words in verse twenty-four, “For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper" most certainly must have settled a dark cloud of gloom over the guests. This was a extremely personal confront-ation. Those present were those who were portrayed in the parable as those originally invited to the banquet and the implication is that unless they repented they would not make into the kingdom. It is sobering to consider that at that moment the only saved person in the room was Jesus. They had received their two invitations, the first through the law and the prophets and the second in the person and message of Jesus and they would not accept it. The message must be that we must not let anything stand in the way of responding to the invitation of Jesus. We must be careful not to presume that we will be given another opportunity. There are many excuses given for not responding to the gospel but the bottom-line is that they are just that, excuses.
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