Luke 14:16-24 New American Standard Bible
Parable of the Dinner
16 But He said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; 17 and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, because everything is ready now.’ 18 And yet they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I purchased a field and I need to go out to look at it; [a]please consider me excused.’ 19 And another one said, ‘I bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; [b]please consider me excused.’ 20 And another one said, ‘I took a woman as my wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’ 21 And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here those who are poor, those with disabilities, those who are blind, and those who are limping.’ 22 And later the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads and the hedges and press upon them to come in, so that my house will be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my dinner.’”
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Receiving an invitation is usually seen as an honor, and most people welcome a gracious request to join in the celebration and meal In God’s kingdom, our main approach should be simply to invite people to “come and see” what God offers us in Christ—salvation and full life forever! This is often more effective than getting into a debate about a teaching or criticizing others for their beliefs.
Psalm 34:8-10 New American Standard Bible
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
9 Fear the Lord, you His saints;
For to those who fear Him there is no lack of anything.
10 The young lions do without and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the Lord will not lack any good thing.
In Jesus’ parable of the great banquet, God the Father is portrayed as a generous host who wants to share of his limitless abundance and fullest joy with others.
The host prepares a feast, ensuring that everything is taken care of.
God undertakes everything needed for our salvation—even footing the bill by sacrificing his own Son for our sake.
And he opens the doors of his kingdom, extending his invitation to all.
Ultimately God wants his house filled with all whom he has invited.
And as followers of Jesus who have become God’s servants, we receive an expanded role.
We become inviters and bringers, actively seeking and urging others to join us.
This role has sometimes been described as “one beggar telling another beggar where to find food”—or, as in this parable, one invited guest informing another guest about the indescribable banquet hall brimming with our eternal blessings.
What does Luke chapter 14 verse 23 mean?
People who are outcast and Gentiles, even robbers waiting to waylay travelers, are welcome. Jesus compels them to come: He does not force them, but He does work hard to show them why it’s a good idea. Parables are meant to teach, apply a certain moral and ethical lesson—not to be taken with any wooden literalism.
What is the moral lesson of the parable of the Great Banquet?
Because those invited were too busy with things, they made their lame excuses and turned down the invitation from the master and missed the great feast!
In this parable the invitation to the banquet is Jesus’ invitation for us to accept His salvation. Accepting this invitation to salvation means that we ask Jesus to enter our hearts, forgive our sins and choose to do the things He wants us to do.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God, the Holy Spirit,
Praying …
Psalm 84 New American Standard Bible
Longing for the Temple Worship.
For the music director; [a]on the Gittith. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
84 How lovely are Your dwelling places,
Lord of armies!
2 My soul longed and even yearned for the courtyards of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
3 The bird also has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may put her young:
Your altars, Lord of armies,
My King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in Your house!
They are ever praising You. Selah
5 Blessed is the person whose strength is in You,
In [b]whose heart are the roads to Zion!
6 Passing through the Valley of [c]Baca they make it a [d]spring;
The early rain also covers it with blessings.
7 They go from strength to strength,
[e]Every one of them appears before God in Zion.
8 Lord God of armies, hear my prayer;
Listen, God of Jacob! Selah
9 See our shield, God,
And look at the face of Your anointed.
10 For a day in Your courtyards is better than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than live in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord gives grace and glory;
He withholds no good thing [f]from those who walk with integrity.
12 Lord of armies,
Blessed is the person who trusts in You!
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 