You are invited (Luke 14:15-24)

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.” (Luke 14:15)

This week we begin a series looking at the stories Jesus told. This week’s story is about invitations and excuses.

You’re Welcome (Luke 14:15-24)

A Controversial Invitation

Later this month on 17th September, President Trump will arrive for a State Visit to the UK. He received the invitation from the king, when Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister visited the White House in February. Trump’s response at the time was that this was a “great, great honour.”

Not everyone feels that Trump should have been invited. Apparently, The Stop Trump coalition, is planning a ‘Trump Not Welcome’ demonstration for when he arrives.

Part of the three day visit will include a State Banquet at the St. George’s Hall in Windsor Castle. Along with Trump many VIPs from the UK will be invited to the banquet. For them the invitation is a real honour, it shows that they are important in the country, no doubt it will be a delicious meal and it will also be a chance to chat with other significant people in the country.

But the question of who is invited and who is going has itself not been without controversy. Nigel Farage, a fan of Trump, is reportedly upset that he has not been invited, whilst Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats has decided not to attend, out of protest at Trump’s lack of action to stop Israel’s military operation in Gaza.

Trump hasn’t yet arrived, yet already things are proving awkward.

An Awkward Dinner Party – 14:1-14

Our Bible Reading today, is set in the context of a dinner party. If you read the first part of chapter 14, you will see that Jesus has been invited to dinner at the house of a prominent Pharisee.

But things are rather awkward. Jesus firstly challenges them all about healing on the Sabbath, then the guests because they were trying to position themselves in high status seats and finally the host because he should have invited those who couldn’t have invited him back. If he’d done that Jesus says, he would be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.

Three times, Jesus criticises them. This dinner part was turning very awkward, I am sure you could have cut the atmosphere with a knife. 

An Amazing Banquet – 14:15

But at this point, one of the guests tries to turn the conversation in a more positive direction. He says, in verse 15:

“Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 14:15b)

This man has clearly understood something of what Jesus has been saying. Far better to be invited to God’s eternal banquet, because you invited the poor, than to be invited to dinner at your rich neighbour’s house.

Let’s just pause to reflect on the truth of this statement. Perhaps like Nigel Farage you wish you had been invited to the State Banquet with Donald Trump at Windsor castle. It would be an amazing honour, involve amazing food and no doubt you would meet some amazing people.

But to be invited to the feast in the Kingdom of God, is so much better than that.

It is an Amazing Honour to sit with the Creator of the whole universe, the Eternal and Everlasting King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the one whose power and might dwarfs even that of the President of the United States.

It will be an Amazing Menu. Just think of your favourite food. It comes from God’s creation and has been cooked by chefs who have taken on board centuries of cooking tradition. To be at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven, will be to experience the great variety of foods that God has created, but also in Revelation it says that ‘the glory and honour of the nations’ will be brought into the heavenly Jerusalem – I think that includes all the best recipes and skills of the best chefs. This will be the most amazing meal ever.

Finally, it will have Amazing Guests. The wicked will be no more, only the righteous (or at least those who have been made fully righteous through their faith in Christ) will be there. This will be a chance to be with people made perfect in Christ, with all the sinful, destructive bits taken away. It will be a true love feast with perfect relationships.

The man who spoke to Jesus says:

“Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 14:15b)

Surely, he is right. Certainly, nothing Jesus says afterwards says that this statement is wrong.

• So, how excited are you about being part of the banquet?

Do you see this opportunity, this invitation as the most important thing to have in life. If you were invited to the state banquet at Windsor Castle I am sure you would be excited about the opportunity. Surely, ss Christians we should be even more excited about the prospect of being a part of the feast in God’s Kingdom.

An Advisory Tale – 14:16-24

But, although Jesus clearly agrees with this statement, he responds with a story or Parable, that is a kind of advisory tale. He is kind of saying, “Yes, you are right it will be an amazing blessing to be at that feast, but be careful, lest you end up missing out!”

So, l am going to call Jesus’ story an Advisory Tale. Like most Parables, at one level it is just a story with normal people and events, but at another it stands for deeper spiritual truths. So, before we look in more detail let’s consider who the people in the story are meant to represent.

Who’s Who?

• ‘The Great Banquet’ stands for the ‘feast in the Kingdom of God’
• ‘The Host’ represents God, as the one who invites us to the feast in the Kingdom of God.
• ‘The Servant’ stands for those who declare that God’s Kingdom is near and that people should respond to the invitation now. At the moment of Jesus’ telling the parable, this was Jesus’ role, but by the time Luke wrote his gospel, this has become the role of the church more widely.”
• ‘The Initial Invitees’ stands for people like those at the dinner who assume they have a place in God’s Kingdom banquet.
• ‘The Later Invitees’ stands for those who are surprising guests at the banquet.

To grasp the thrust of what Jesus is saying, I am going to focus on the two sets of invitees.

Feeble Excuses wrong Focus – vs. 18-20, 24

First there are the initial set of invitees. These are the people who in the story you would expect a wealthy home owner to invite to their dinner, the rich and the well to do neighbours. But, at the Spiritual dimension, they represent those like the guests at the Pharisees house who saw themselves as basically decent people, with a Jewish heritage that meant they would expect to be at the feast in the Kingdom of God.

But shockingly in the story, Jesus says, when the time to come to the feast arrives, they all begin to make rather feeble excuses. Here they have the opportunity to come to a great banquet, but instead they are more excited about things, that quite frankly could wait until another day.

The first, says that he has just bought a field and needs to inspect it. He represents people more excited about their possessions than God’s Kingdom.

The second, says that he wants to try out his new oxen. He represents someone more excited about their work than God’s Kingdom.

The third says, I have married a wife. He represents someone more excited about their relationships than God’s Kingdom.

None of these things are bad things to be excited about: possessions, work, relationships. They are the stuff of life. But, when they become more exciting and important to us than God’s Kingdom, when we see these temporary things as the main blessing in life, rather than a place in God’s eternal Kingdom, then we are in danger of missing out on God’s amazing invitation to us.

In fact the attitude of these guests is a terrible snub to the host. Similarly, if we turn God away, because we are more concerned about our possessions, work or relationships, then we are snubbing the creator of the universe.

The response at the end of the story, is that the host will snub the invitees, that God will snub those who ignore his invitation.

• The point is this. If you live your life more concerned about your possessions, your work or your relationships than you do about your place in God’s Kingdom  then you are snubbing God and you will miss out on that amazing banquet. Like Nigel Farage at the State Banquet, you will find yourself shut out.

And let’s be honest, this is the way most people live. If coming to church is a sign that you are part of God’s Kingdom and looking forward to his heavenly banquet, then how many people do we know who stop coming, or never come because they are more interested in looking after their possessions, worried about their work or more concerned about their human relationships. Let’s be careful not to miss out on what matters most, because we are too caught up in these other things.

Amazing Grace: Inviting the Unimportant – vs. 21-23

The first invitees were the respectful well-to-do people you would expect to be invited to a rich man’s feast. What happens next in the story, is a surprising response from the host. He tells his servant that since the VIPs won’t come, those who the world considers unimportant, the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame, will be invited instead. The normal social order is turned upside down.

This shows us that although, God may snub those who snub him, he is not interested in just VIPs in the world’s eyes. Rather, he is the God who invites the poor and unimportant to come and be VIPs at his amazing banquet.

As Jesus says in the previous chapter:

“Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” (Luke 13:30)

• There will be some here, who may feel that the world treats them as unimportant, that they do not matter. Perhaps because you are not well, not successful or not rich. But, this story Jesus tells should be an encouragement to you. You have a VIP invitation to God’s amazing eternal banquet.

And for those of us who are part of the church, this is an encouragement to invite not just the people like us, but the people who might be considered of lower status in the world’s eyes. We exist not to attract those who will bless us in return, but those with nothing to offer us, because that is what God does, but also because when we do that God will ultimately repay us, just as Jesus said in 14:13-14

” But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke 14:13-14)

How do you respond?

I wonder how the man who spoke the Beatitude in verse 15 felt after the story Jesus told? How are you feeling after thinking about the Parable?

Awkward?

• Don’t like the challenge, would prefer the status quo.
• Perhaps you realise that you are more concerned with possessions, your job or relationships than you are about being part of God’s Kingdom. But you would rather not change your attitude?

Advised?

• You realise that you need to take on Jesus’ advice and be more excited about the Kingdom of God and eager to invite even those with lower status than you to be a part of God’s Kingdom.

Amazed?

Or perhaps you are amazed that despite how insignificant you feel that God has invited you to the great banquet of his Kingdom.