Jesus told a parable of a great banquet. Although many guests were invited, they began making excuses once the feast drew near. Today, R.C. Sproul continues his series in the gospel of Luke, urging us to examine where we stand regarding the Lord’s ultimate invitation.
The following video is message 66 of Sproul’s series on the gospel of Luke; link for series is below video.
Sermon HIGHLIGHTS
- SERMON TEXT: Luke 14:15-24: 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.’”
- Initial 4 minutes: reading text, intro and very brief review
- Reference to the beatitudes, in that Jesus pronounced blessing
- Jesus used, in the beatitudes, an ancient formula of the prophets, an oracle
- There are two types of oracles: weal (pronouncing good); and woe (pronouncing bad)
- The word ‘blessed’ accompanies oracles of good
- A person received the highest comfort when receiving blessedness pronounced by Jesus
- ‘Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God…; who comes to the table of God in the Kingdom
- Like Mephibosheth in the Old Testament, invited to the table of David; all who are born again, redeemed by Christ, adopted into His family are invited to the heavenly feast prepared by God: the marriage feast of the Lamb and His bride
- Those in the invisible church are His bride
- The story that lies behind the parable of the marriage feast is as follows: It was an ancient Jewish custom that when a major feast was being prepared by a wealthy person, there were two invitations. The first went out to guests that the wealthy person would have in attendance; they were required to RSVP [in modern terms]; secondly, when the feast was prepared, those who had stated they would attend, were given notice to come
- In the above scripture text, those who had RSVP’d made excuses to justify not attending
- Jesus stated 3 excuses: 1. I’ve bought a piece of ground I need to see; 2. I’ve bought a team of 5 oxen that need tested; and 3., I’ve married a wife
- That is, they claimed to have pressing reasons for being excused from attending the feast
- Jesus accented the flimsiness of their excuses: 1. Anyone who would buy property without first seeing it, to say the least, lacks discernment; even so, since the land would be there tomorrow, that could not be passed off as a pressing need that prohibited his attendance
- Similarly, anyone who would buy 5 yoke of oxen without first examining them, has already erred greatly, and the oxen would be there tomorrow to be tested…
- Anyone who did not know the date of his wedding before he RSVP’d… not an excuse. Besides, he could have viewed the marriage feast as an opportunity to celebrate with his new wife
- That is, all the excuses are lame
- When the servant reported these excuses to his master, he was told to go out quickly and to invite the poor, the lame, maimed, blind… and hungry to come to his table.
- Still there was room
- Go outside the city to the strangers = Gentiles, to those people who were no people and let them be known as my people
- To you and to me the invitation is given
- R C noted that his son has a biblical hermeneutic that when he reads in the scripture about someone doing something stupid, foolish… that it is referring to him
- Such things in scripture describe us
- APPLICATION:
- One: Every church member had to pledge to participate in the life of the church; as those who are married vowed to their spouse to maintain honor in that marriage
- In our fallen state, we make commitments that we do not always honor
- Two: Why did they not go? They put second things first
- Jesus commanded in Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you
- In each example, their gaze was fixed on earthly things first
- All those things were okay in themselves in the right circumstances, but not in the context Jesus presented
- We rarely consider heaven and eternity [an example given from his life]
- We need to lift our gaze towards heaven and think of the things God has stored up for us for eternity
- How can people live in this world and not think the following:
- What is it all about?
- What is ultimate truth?
- Every bone in our body screams that the significance of human life far transcends the significance of the daily activities in which we engage
- Have you never thought that ‘there’s got to be more than this?’
- However, for the most part, we are mindless about eternal things
- So excuses like the above become far more important to us than our eternal destiny
- Finally, my greatest concern in the church is that people who have made a profession of faith don’t possess that profession
- Not that anyone will get to heaven by professing faith, because that does not for certain indicate that you actually possess that faith
- All of the people professed that they were coming to the banquet, none came
- Jesus indicated that the people who made a commitment and did not keep it; these people whose eyes were fixed on the world and not on heaven; these people who professed faith in Him and didn’t (don’t) possess that faith – no such person shall taste His supper
- Notice the subtle change in the parable, it began with ‘a man’ who held a banquet; in the end, He is that man, it was His banquet
- None who were invited and made excuses shall taste His supper
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