Luke 14:12-24[1]
As preached at Rolling Hills Church on Sunday, September 4th, 2011
What courage does it take to reprove one who has invited you to dinner! Jesus, our Lord, has that courage, of course. He had been shown less than average respect at the meal in the Pharisee's house where we join Him. They had sat a sick man opposite of our Lord as bait used to trap Him! After dealing with that harsh, unloving attempt to trip Him up, Jesus turned to teach the host something about hospitality, and about heaven. Let's join Him in Luke 14:12-24.
12 He said also to the man who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid.
13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just."
15 When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, "Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!"
16 But he said to him, "A man once gave a great banquet and invited many.
17 And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'
18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.'
19 And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.'
20 And another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'
21 So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, 'Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.'
22 And the servant said, 'Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.'
23 And the master said to the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.
24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.'"
So here is the message I see from this text as we worship Christ today: Hospitality and Heaven. Our hospitality needs a motive makeover, and our hope of heaven need be in response to God's invitation to 'come' through Christ.
On Hospitality… Verses 12-14 are a rebuke to the host that his hospitality needs a motive makeover. This is a very specific, direct reproof to the host who had in fact invited Jesus – was this rude? I believe speaking good wisdom isn't rude; but especially in light of the reason Jesus was invited, and the failed trap they'd set for Him.
Hospitality isn't just for business building or political positioning. Not wrong to host business meals; it's just wrong to be false or double in your motives. If it is a business meal, say so, and do it well. Warren Wiersbe says that the general trend in the time of Jesus was to invite influential people so they would owe you favors, at least a return invitation. Thus the culture of 'your turn' was in place.
Hospitality is to be shown to those who are in need, and who can't pay it back. Clear enough, isn't it?
Hospitality isn't just for present, temporal blessing; it is for future, eternal blessing. This is a strong principle all through the kingdom of God; we are faithful now and rewarded later.
On Heaven… Verses 15-24 are a rebuke to the Jews who reject God's invitation to come through Christ.
The exclamation: "Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!" This man's statement was widely accepted and used in the time of Jesus, we're told. Maybe it made in joy over Christ's good teaching. Maybe it was said to turn the conversation away from the uncomfortably specific to the comfortably general.
The implied question: Who will eat bread in the kingdom of God?
Answer: a parable of a great feast. The characters in this parable are...
God – He gives a kingdom feast.
Messengers – they personally take the invitations out.
Jews - they have been invited and have replied that they intend to attend.
Needy and Gentiles. These are the poor, crippled, blind, and lame – just people.
When it comes time to actually eat and the servant is sent out to bring them in, the Jews make excuses! And they are nice excuses: I bought a field, I've bought oxen, or I have a wife… huh. These sound like ordinary things! However, they are missing an extraordinary gathering! Truth is, these people have put the business of everyday life ahead of the claims of the kingdom of God, thus showing that they're not worthy to enter[2]. So God's wrath boils over, and the invited are rejected. Church, it is paramount to sound doctrine to hold on to the fact that it is GOD who will judge us; it is GOD who finds our sin offensive and refuses to let sinners into His glorious presence! It is GOD that we must fear, not the devil and his fallen angel minions. The 'master of the house' here represents God, and when His wrath boils over, it is a scary thing! Israel had managed to evoke that wrath from the desert outside of Egypt (1445 B.C.) to the city of Jerusalem with Nebuchadnezzar laying siege outside (586 B.C.). Let us not take such an invitation for granted. God's wrath boils over. Yet then we see this: God's grace flows over, being determined to share this good meal. The poor, the lame, the blind, and all of those who have no hope of repaying the master of the house for his hospitality, are welcomed to this joyful, sumptuous feast! And the message is clear: the Gentiles come to Christ through the rejection of the Jews. Yes, the kingdom of God will be filled, but many of those originally invited will be excluded[3].
Hospitality and Heaven. Our hospitality needs a motive makeover, and our hope of heaven need be in response to God's invitation to 'come' through Christ.
A few questions might be in order…
Are you hospitable? Do you invite those who can't repay you now?
Hope of Heaven: what is your response to God's call to come to Him? What is your response to Jesus? What is your response TODAY, actually?
[1] All Scriptures, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved. I paste them in red for distinction.
[2] From footnotes in the ESV Study Bible, © 2001-2011 Crossway, all rights reserved.
[3] Ibid.
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