The Great Banquet and Discipleship
Book of Luke Chapter 14
The chief Pharisee of the Jews invited the Lord Jesus to a meal at his home on a Sabbath Day.
The word Sabbath signifies a Day of Rest, a Sabbath of the soul.
The Sabbath is the sign of the covenant between the LORD and His earthly people, the Israelites.
Exo 31:13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.
Exo_31:14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
In reality, the Sabbath represents the soul resting in Jesus Christ: Heb 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God, the Church.
Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
The Pharisees had no clue about the truth of the Sabbath, but they intended to somehow get the Lord Jesus to stumble on the day of this feast.
What is the truth of the Sabbath? Jesus said: Mar 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
Mar 2:28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
The priests of the Temple had much work to do on the Sabbath days, yet they were not considered to be breaking the Law of the Sabbath.
Mat 12:5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
Every Jew would take care of their animals on the Sabbath, just as they would on any other day, and it was not considered work.
The point being that the Lord Jesus Christ is far greater than any priest, and the Lord Jesus also had work to do.
*****Luk 14:15 And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.
To eat bread in the Kingdom of God means to be among those who are present in the joys of the Messianic Kingdom.
Here we see a self-righteous man is smugly sure that he will be among the righteous who will be in Heaven.
The main importance of this passage is to get a clear picture of the invitation of the Lord to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, which cannot happen until we have accepted that the Lord Jesus is the Messiah sent from God.
1Jn 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
1Jn 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
We know that we cannot get to Heaven without the Lord Jesus Christ.
To these self-righteous Pharisees, they could think only of the Messianic Feast.
This was a supposed feast given to God's people, the Jews only, when He sets up His Millennial Kingdom.
The Lord Jesus will use another parable to explain to this Pharisee the error in his thought process.
It was customary for guests who were invited to these feasts of the Pharisees to attend.
Israel had actually been invited to the Messianic Feast by God's messengers, the Prophets, but they had all made excuses about attending in an insulting manner.
If any people thought that God owed them a place in the Messianic Kingdom, it was these Pharisees.
They felt they would have the highest seats in God's Kingdom.
The Lord Jesus begins to teach a parable that they found easy to understand.
*****Luk 14:16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:
Luk 14:17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
This parable sends out a strong message to all the people of this earth for whom the Lord Jesus Christ died.
No one can be saved or attend this feast unless they have received an invitation and have responded to it!'
This feast is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Those who make excuses will remain lost!
All things are ready for today is the Day of Salvation.
2Co_6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
The invitation is sent to all who have heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ, seen the Gospel, or read the Gospel.
What has Israel done with the Lord's invitation, along with many others?
*****Luk 14:18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
Luk 14:19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
Luk 14:20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
We must keep in mind that God wants to share His riches with all people, but God also has determined the process of accepting His invitation.
All these people mentioned had received God's invitation, and now it was time to decide on attending.
God sent His servant to remind them that they had received an invitation.
We should notice that God's invitations had first been sent to the super religious men of Israel, the Pharisees.
Joh 7:47 Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived?
Joh 7:48 Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?
The modern Pharisees are all those who believe they will get into God's Heaven because of their good works.
What had the Lord Jesus said? Mat_19:17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
There is no work we can do to get into God's Heaven; we reach Heaven only if we have "faith" in the work of Lord Jesus Christ to bring forgiveness to us.
They all agreed to make excuses for rejecting God's invitation to the Feast of God.
The first excuse came from a businessman.
His excuse was that he had bought a piece of land and he needed to look after it.
If God is the center of our life, then any business, any profession, or any affair would not be allowed to consume our life, and God would be first in our lives.
,Next, we see a man who was wrapped up in a new purchase.
An oxen team would be like buying a new tractor to plow with today, and he wanted to go play on it.
It could be a new house, a new car, a new motorcycle, or even a new television, all material things, but material things should never keep us away from God.
Third, we see a man who was wrapped up in his family.
He had made a new marriage, and even if this marriage was ordained of God, we are never to put our wives before God. This is what Adam did, and sin entered the world, and we are still suffering with sin today.
Salvation is just too important for us to give it up for material things, or family and friends, or any other reason.
When we show contempt for the Word of God, we should not wonder that God gets angry.
We know that some in Israel have accepted God's invitation, but there is still much room for many more.
*****Luk 14:21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
Luk 14:22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
Luk 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
Now the Lord sends His invitation to the Gentiles.
We should understand that nothing will make God stop His plan of salvation.
No power on this earth can cause God to cease His invitation to receive the free gift of salvation.
To compel does not mean to coerce people to come to God; it means to assure them that it was God who sent them an invitation.
We must all clearly understand that just getting an invitation to the Marriage Feast of the Lamb does not mean we will be accepted.
There will still be a Marriage Feast in Heaven, whether we have been invited or not!
The Lord Jesus is going to fill His banquet hall, but time is running out to accept His invitation.
The Lord Jesus invites those who need some help to get to the banquet.
All sinners need the Lord’s help to get to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb!
The self-righteous need no help; they will be rejected.
If you are a sinner, you will need the Lord's help to be accepted to the Feast.
If you are too poor, the Lord will provide the right clothing.
2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Mat 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
If you are lame or crippled, the Lord will provide the means to get to His Feast.
If you are blind, the Lord will guide or direct you to His Feast.
As long as the Lord has room at His table, He will continue to accept us at His Feast through His “Mercy” and “Grace”.
But those who were first invited and had nothing but excuses for not coming, they will not be accepted to the Marriage Feast of the Lamb of God.
God said His House shall be filled! Therefore came "Grace".
Grace makes a way because the Law has failed!
*****Luk 14:24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
These are the very words of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Those who would be rejected were the ones the Lord Jesus was eating with at that time.
These are the ones the Lord Jesus used this parable on.
Though a few of the Israelites have accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior, the majority of them have rejected Him.
The Apostle Paul wrote: Act 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
Act 13:47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
The Lord Jesus is not through with them, but they will go through the seven years of Tribulation.
Rom 11:11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
Rom 11:15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
God had shown His "Grace" to the Israelites many times throughout the Old Testament, but they could not comprehend the power of God’s Grace at that time. Israel will join the Church that is planted by the Lord Jesus Christ.
For the Jews, there were two stages: the present age and the age to come, which was the Messiah's reign on this earth.
The prophets had written much about these things.
Because they reject the New Testament, they have missed New Heaven and New Jerusalem.
The redeemed believers of all ages will live in New Jerusalem.
Joh 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
The New Jerusalem is also the New Heaven, the Kingdom of God.
This is the place of all God's banquets.
Mat 8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
This is not the place of unbelievers.
Mat 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Heaven is a real place!
Heb 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
There is still time to get an invitation to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, but time is running out.
God has made a way for the Israelites after and during the Tribulation period, but He has not made a way for Gentiles.
Amen
