Luke 14, Part Two

The Great Feast (vs. 15-24)--That the previous section on humility is tied with the beginning of the chapter on Sabbath healing is further indicated by verse 15--Jesus is still at the dinner He had been invited to. Before getting further into the current section, let's ponder a moment as to why Jesus would have been invited to that dinner in the first place. He was dealing with suspicious Pharisees (v. 1) who didn't agree with what He said, so part of the reason for the invitation has to be the desire to entrap Him. But also, these Pharisees loved the praises and adoration of men; that was the foundation of verses 7-14. By being seen with Jesus, perhaps some of His popularity would rub off on them. There was no pure motive in the invitation. Jesus was being used by these religious leaders; of course, He turned the situation around and used them for some great teaching.

The attitude of the Jewish people in general was implied in the statement in verse 15 of one of the people at the dinner: "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!" There is almost no doubt that the fellow meant only Jews. They had an earthly concept of the kingdom in which they, and their Messiah, would rule over the world. Thus, they would be the chosen in that kingdom. Jesus will, once again, in the parable He speaks, disabuse them of that notion. The man who gave the "great supper" (v. 16) represents God. It is overwhelming to think that Holy God is making a feast for Sinful Man. We ought to be serving Him, not visa-versa, and the fact that we have been invited, by Him, to enjoy the superlative blessings He can offer ought to humble us with a gratitude beyond human words to explain. But that isn't what happens with most people, of course. In the parable, the feast was prepared--the gospel age with its offering of forgiveness and salvation was "spread" before man, "for the Jew first and also for the Greek [Gentile]" (Romans 1:16). The man sent out his servants--probably representing the apostles--to bid those who had invited to "Come, for all things are now ready" (v. 17). But "they all with one accord began to make excuses" (v. 18). One went to inspect a piece of property he had bought (v. 18). A second wanted to tend to a yoke of oxen he had (v. 19). These first two fellows at least had the decency to ask to be excused. The third, in verse 20, simply said "I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come," as if the supper were of absolutely no importance to him. Notice that none of these things, in their place, are wrong. They were not sinful, they were simply worldly things that got in the way of serving God. And Jesus said they were "excuses," not valid reasons. Once again, we are dealing with priorities. The master of the house--he who had prepared the feast--was understandably "angry"; how else would God react to man's rejection of the incredible, undeserved blessings He offers? We deserve hell; He freely offers us heaven. How disgusting and vile we are when we reject His offer, and how worthy we thus become of what we truly deserve. The master then bid his servants to go and invite others--"the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind" (v. 21). Harken back to verse 13 where Jesus counseled the religious leaders to do that very thing at the dinners they offered. God is concerned with the lowly; we must be, too. After the servants had done as bidden, "there is still room" (v. 22). So, they were to "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled" (v. 23). This is almost surely a reference to the Gentiles, because Jesus sums up the parable by having the master say, "For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper" (v. 24). Whether those at the dinner Jesus was attending got the point is not revealed, but they probably understood and weren't very happy about it. But, the Jews could not--and cannot--say that Jesus didn't warn them. He certainly did. And their rejection of Him is totally their own fault.

Priorities once again emphasized (vs. 25-33)--We find in the rest of chapter 14 some of the severest, strictest teaching Jesus ever delivered, and these words were spoken to "great multitudes." Everyone must understand the cost of Christianity. Yes, salvation is freely offered to man; it costs men nothing. But the great paradox of the religion is...it costs men everything. When Jesus says in verse 26, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple,” He is not speaking literally, of course. He is simply saying we can have no higher allegiance than Him. Follow Him—regardless of the cost. Count the cost (vs. 28-32), and if you cannot pay the price, don’t even start. “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple” (v. 33). We must be willing to give up anything that interferes with our total commitment to the Lord. If our family gets in the way…well, we must not allow them to do so, nor even our own lives. Jesus demands first place; nothing else will do.

But He’s God. He’s got every right to make that demand.

Not fit for the dunghill (vs. 34-35)—And if somebody does begin, but falls short, they are useless to the Lord. What good is savorless salt? (v. 34). It’s not even good enough to cast upon a dunghill (v. 35). Such is what the Lord thinks of a 99% committed Christian—not fit for a dunghill. It’s everything—or it might as well as well be nothing. It isn’t terribly surprising that most people find Christianity much too stringent and insistent for their tastes. But again, total, complete service is what we owe God and nothing less.