Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

Our Stories series is rolling along. We’re spending the summer listening to some of the greatest stories ever told. These stories come straight from the mouth of Jesus. If you have a red-letter edition of the Bible, then everything we’re hearing this summer is written in red. It’s all straight from the mouth of Jesus.

We call these stories that Jesus’ told “parables.” A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Jesus used stories of very understandable things to illustrate incredible truths about God and His Kingdom. These stories had a powerful impact on the people who listened to Jesus speak…and the power of these stories hasn’t diminished one iota in the last 2,000 years.

This week, our story is the Parable of the Great Banquet. We’re in Luke 14 today. We’re going to pray and then we’ll dive into the fourth story in our series.

Now, let’s get into the story. Jesus said, “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'

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.'

Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'

"Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'

"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.'

'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'

"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. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.'” (Luke 14:16-24, NIV)

Now, as we’ve been doing throughout this series, we’re going to go back and walk through this story step-by-step. If you breeze through Jesus’ parables too quickly, you’ll miss a lot of the truth that Jesus wants us to receive.

The story opens up with a man who was preparing a great banquet with a very long guest list. There were no restaurants in this culture. Most of the time, people ate at home. So a banquet was a very big deal. To be invited to a banquet was a very special honor…especially a banquet of this magnitude. Jesus tells us that this would be “a great banquet.” Guests would enjoy a buffet of wonderful food and fine wine. This would be an event that you would never forget.

As you read Jesus’ parables, you’ve always got to keep in mind that they are illustrations. Jesus uses these stories to help us better understand the Kingdom of God. One parallel becomes clear in the very first verse of this story. God has prepared “a great banquet” for us.

So often, people think of following God in terms of what they will lose. “God says I can’t do this. God says I can’t do that.” And there are absolutely sinful things that God has commanded us to stay away from.

But that is an incredibly myopic way to think about following Jesus. In this parable, Jesus tells us that God has prepared a great banquet for us. Instead of thinking about the few things that God has called us to give up, Jesus is directing our focus to the incredible amount of blessing that God has prepared for us.

There are way too many people who believe that the Bible is nothing more than a rulebook and that God is just a cosmic cop, waiting to bust you when you screw up. That is a tragically small view of God and what it means to be His child.

In John 10, Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10b, NIV)

Jesus came to bring life. When He gives us commands to avoid sinful things, He does so to help us avoid pain and heartbreak in our lives. Jesus mission isn’t to rob you of joy. It is to give you joy!

If you believe that following Jesus is all about keeping rules and that’s it, I feel sorry for you. I really do, because you are missing the point. The point is that we worship a God who loves to throw great parties. We’re invited to an incredible banquet. That’s what life in Christ is all about.

Now, move to the next verse in our story. “At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.’” (Luke 14:17, NIV)

The final preparations had been made. The tables were set. A delicious aroma filled the air. It was time to get the party started.

The master sent his servant to tell everyone who had been invited, “Come, for everything is now ready.”

For someone to refuse the invitation at this point was considered very rude. It was a huge insult to the host. But that is exactly what happened.

In verse 18, Jesus said, “But they all alike began to make excuses.” (Luke 14:18a, NIV)

These people may have viewed their reasons for not attending as justified, but Jesus called them what they were…excuses. There was no justifiable reason for not attending this great banquet.

Jesus tells us about three people who gave excuses about why they couldn’t come to the party.

Here’s the first one, in verse 18. “The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'” (Luke 14:18b, NIV)

This man had just purchased a field, and he needed to make a post-purchase inspection to seal the deal. Obviously he could have made this inspection after the banquet. The field wasn’t going anywhere. But in his mind, it simply had to be done now.

Attending the banquet would interrupt his plans.

Since this parable is an illustration of God’s Kingdom this first excuse forces each of us to wrestle with a tough question…How do you react when God interrupts your plans? When he calls you to do something you hadn’t planned to do? Go somewhere you hadn’t planned to go?

The Bible reminds us in Proverbs 19, “Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21, NIV)

Sometimes my plans and God’s plans aren’t the same plans. You ever been there? My plan is here, but God’s plan is way over here. Our plans aren’t even in the same zip code.

How do you react in those times? The guy in our story missed a great party because it would have interrupted his plans. In the same way, we miss out on a lot of great stuff when we don’t allow God to change our plans.

God likes to shake things up. He seems to enjoy interrupting our plans. It’s usually meant to remind us that He is actually the one who is in control. And when we abandon our plans and pursue God’s plans, some incredible stuff can happen.

I’m a walking, talking testimony to this truth. My life took a grand detour for many years. When I started out in Bible College, I had my sights set on being a preaching minister. Anything else would just be beneath me. I was incredibly arrogant, thinking that any ministry other than preaching was somehow second rate and less important.

That’s when God interrupted my plans. It happened in the very first church I served with. There was a huge need for someone to serve in the Jr. High ministry. I accepted that role, thinking it would be a very temporary thing. I didn’t plan on God breaking my heart for kids. I didn’t plan on falling in love with youth ministry. But that’s exactly what God had in mind.

Instead of forging ahead with my plans of being a preacher, I was a youth minister for over ten years. And it was one of the best detours I’ve ever had in my life. I am so glad that God interrupted my plans.

Now, I do want to tell you this. Not everyone approved of my pursuit of youth ministry instead of a preaching ministry. I remember when one older preacher told me that he was very disappointed with the fact that I was in youth ministry. I’ll never forget the phone call when he told me, “I had such high hopes for you.”

In my view, God had even higher hopes for me. He needed to humble me. He needed to teach me a lot. He needed me to learn how to loosen up and not take myself so seriously. Honestly, he needed to do a complete overhaul on me so he could use me effectively.

I never thought I would dye my hair in the name of ministry, but I did. I never thought my wife and I would spend our anniversary at a youth conference in Michigan, but we did. I never thought God would use me to impact several young, Jr. High punks who are now incredible men of God and are serving Him in ministry, but He did. When I allowed God to interrupt my plans, I found one of the greatest blessings of my life.

I’m not saying it’s easy. It’s not easy when God calls you to abandon your plans in favor of His. But it is worth it. And that’s what the man in our story missed. It wasn’t easy to allow His plans to be interrupted, but it would have been worth it.

Now, let’s check out the next excuse in our story in verse 19. “Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'” (Luke 14:19, NIV)

In this story, Jesus uses this second excuse to make a point that the people in this time period would have understood immediately. But it’s an easy point to us to miss in our culture.

This guy just bought ten oxen. It takes two to make a yoke, and he bought five yokes. That equals 10 oxen.

When Jesus told this story, the people listening would have immediately understood that this guy is one rich dude. Only a very wealthy person could afford to purchase ten oxen.

And, if this man needed ten oxen, that suggests that he probably owned up to five times as much land as an average landowner.

This guy was rich. He was on his way to test drive his new oxen. He would use these oxen to cultivate his fields, which would, in turn, make him even richer.

Attending the banquet would have altered his priorities.

Sure, the banquet might be fun. But it wouldn’t make him any money. This was a wealthy man who was very driven to expand his business, increase his assets, and grow his bottom line. Attending a banquet would have taken his focus off of these priorities.

In Mark 10, we read about the time when two of Jesus’ disciples vied for a place of honor and distinction above the other disciples. Here is how Jesus responded.

“Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you.

Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:42-45, NIV)

It comes down to priorities. These disciples placed a priority on getting ahead of everyone else. Same deal with the guy in our story. He had to check out his new oxen so he could keep pushing ahead, growing his operation, and leaving the competition in the dust.

Jesus totally turns those priorities upside down. His priorities involve service. Considering others before you consider yourself.

It’s one thing when God interrupts your plans. But it goes a lot deeper when He challenges your priorities. But Jesus uses the second man in our story to remind us of this truth: There is absolutely no place for a person who claims to follow Christ, yet places their priorities above God’s.

And now, it gets even tougher. Listen to the last excuse Jesus tells us about in our story.

“Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'” (Luke 14:20, NIV)

Of all the excuses in this story, this is the one that I resonate with the most. This guy had just got married. He had to make a choice: attend the banquet or go on his honeymoon.

I’ve got to be honest here…I’d go on my honeymoon! You know what I’m saying?

But Jesus included this excuse in his story to make sure that we don’t miss this truth…the Kingdom of God is more important than our family.

For this guy in Jesus’ story, attending the banquet would have upset his family.

It is no fun to live with family relationships that are strained. It can be very tempting to make concessions to restore family harmony. And sometimes that’s ok. But it’s not ok when the concessions we make are the things of God.

In Matthew 10, Jesus said some things that I’ve really struggled with. If I had the choice to take this out of the Bible, I probably would. But, whether I like it not…whether you like it or not…this is what Jesus said.

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

For I have come to turn " 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.” (Matthew 10:34-36, NIV)

The hard truth is that sometimes Jesus will divide your family. Sometimes obeying Him and living for Him will cause your family to make fun of you, exclude you, and maybe even disown you. I know some of you have experienced this firsthand. You know these verses are true because you’ve lived it.

This is one of the most difficult priorities that God has given us. But through the last excuse in our story, Jesus reminds us that the Kingdom of God is more important than our family.

Your relationship with Jesus trumps your marriage relationship. God is a higher priority than your kids. If you have to choose between Jesus and your parents, you choose Jesus. That is incredibly hard to do. That’s why the man in our story couldn’t bring himself to attend the banquet.

It’s incredibly tough when you have to choose between God and family. But there are times when that is the choice that we have to make. It’s never easy. It will definitely get messy. But ultimately, you choose the one who loved you more than any member of your family ever could. You choose the one who gave up His life to give you eternal life.

Now that Jesus has told us all of the various excuses that people made as to why they couldn’t attend the banquet, check out what happens next.

Verse 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.'” (Luke 14:21, NIV)

The servant returns to the house and reports all the excuses he has heard to his master. His master got royally hacked off.

So he tells 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.”

You’ve got to understand that this was not normal social protocol. You just didn’t do this. In this culture, who you had dinner with was really important. You didn’t just sit down at a table with anybody. Mark Black wrote that, at a banquet like this, you only invited people who were your “social, religious, and economic equals. It brought shame upon one’s family or social group to violate these customs.”

But in Jesus’ story, the master completely ignored these deeply held social customs. Instead, he purposefully told his servant to invite the outcasts to his banquet.

Pick it up in verse 22. “'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'

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.” (Luke 14:22-23, NIV)

Even after the servant invited all the outcasts in the town to come in, there was still room at the banquet. So the master sent his servant out of town. This would imply that he was going out into Gentile country.

This was the ultimate taboo…a Jewish man eating dinner with a Gentile. It was unthinkable…no good Jewish person would even consider doing this…but it’s exactly what the master in Jesus’ story did.

And here is the master’s final word in the story. In verse 24, the master said, “I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet." (Luke 14:24, NIV)

None of the original invitees would ever get a taste of this fantastic banquet. They all had excuses that they thought were justified. But they missed out on something incredible…which is the ultimate point of Jesus’ story.

They all settled for less. They had a spectacular invitation to a once-in-a-lifetime banquet, but they all chose to settle for less.

God has prepared a great banquet for you and me. Ultimately, the banquet is in heaven. But we get to have some great appetizers here on earth. Following Jesus not only leads to eternal life, but it also gives us purpose, meaning, and hope in this life.

But so often, we’re willing to settle for less. We won’t give up our plans to follow where God wants us to go. We won’t align our priorities with the Lord’s priorities. And, in doing so, we settle for far less than what God wants for us.

What is God calling you to do? Maybe you’ve heard sermons about it. Maybe you shared conversations about it. Maybe you’ve read something that convicted you. However God brought it to your attention, you know what you need to do. The question is, are you going to do it? Or are you going to ignore His leading and, in turn, settle for less than His best?

At the beginning of our story, the master of the banquet issued this invitation: “Come, for everything is now ready.” (Luke 14:17b, NIV)

God is offering the same invitation to you. God has made preparations for you. Your seat is reserved. All you need to do now is come.

Maybe that means that, instead of just saying that you’re a Christian, you start living your life for Christ. You’re done settling for less. You’re ready to live a life that is completely sold-out to Jesus Christ. “Come, for everything is now ready.”

Or maybe you’ve never even set foot in the banquet hall. You’ve heard about Jesus. You’ve come to believe that He really is the Son of God who died for your sins. But you’ve never crossed the line of faith. You’ve never repented of your sin. You’ve never been immersed into Christ. You know what you need to do…you just haven’t done it.

It’s time to stop settling for less. “Come, for everything is now ready.”

Maybe you feel like you won’t be belong. You don’t think you belong in God’s church. Not someone as sinful as you. You think that, if you can get your life cleaned up first, then maybe you could be part of God’s church. Then maybe God would accept you.

You’ve got it totally backwards. The outcasts were the ones that the master invited to the banquet. He specifically invited the people that everyone else rejected.

So if you feel like you’re an outcast, good. Because you’ll fit right in. Every single Christian in this room was an outcast when Jesus saved them. Every one of us is a messed up, broken sinner. But God has invited us to His banquet anyway. And He’s inviting you, too.

“Come, for everything is now ready.”

Mike Edmisten

Tags: Luke 14, obedience, Parable Of The Great Banquet, parables, Stories