We are now heading around the corner into the homestretch in this series on kingdom. There are 85 discrete references to kingdom in the Synoptics and we have examined 73 of them. We are now at #74 and I anticipate 6 more posts on kingdom — which will go on simultaneously with our “Preparing for Pentecost” series. Ah, I say to myself, a little more Bible won’t hurt us! Here’s our text today: Luke 14:15 and I include the necessary context.
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.?
The Parable of the Great Banquet
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.? 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 yoke 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.? ?
1. Here’s something those who were with Jesus must have learned: Don’t ask Jesus a question! or Watch what you say to Jesus! An innocent person — and the “one of those at table” most likely indicates someone who did not become a follower — says to Jesus after hearing him say that the kingdom will include many unlikely people, “Blessed is the person who will eat at the feast in the kingdom God.”
2. It is possible the person is saying this: “Not only are those who invite the unlikely blessed, but blessed is anyone who gets to eat in the kingdom.” Jesus’ response then is to drill home the point that inclusion is the name of his kingdom game.
3. Which means exclusiveness needs to be seen for what it is at times: haughtiness or a sense of entitlement.
4. Those who think they are invited may discover, at the End of the Day, that they are not invited.
5. So, how does one know? Does not the next section in Luke give an insight for answering that question? The answer is this: those who will eat with Jesus in the kingdom are his followers.
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 ?If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters?yes, even his own life?he cannot be my disciple. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 ?Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, ?This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.?
31 ?Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
34 ?Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
?He who has ears to hear, let him hear.?