Day 225: Jesus Tells the Parable of the Great Feast

*Luke 14:15-35

Jesus teaches about God’s open invitation to all through a parable about a rejected feast and welcoming the poor and marginalized.

  • Parable of the Great Banquet:
    • At a dinner, a guest remarks on the blessings of eating in God’s kingdom.
    • Jesus responds with a parable about a man preparing a grand banquet and inviting many.
    • The invited guests make excuses and decline the invitation, citing their new property, oxen, and marriages.
    • In response, the host orders his servant to bring in the poor, crippled, blind, and lame from the streets.
    • After this, he directs the servant to compel those outside the city to come, ensuring the house is filled.
    • The host declares that none of the originally invited will taste the feast, underscoring the importance of accepting God’s invitation without excuses.
  • Cost of Discipleship:
    • Jesus teaches the crowd about the demands of following him.
    • He states that disciples must prioritize their commitment to him above family ties and even life itself, using strong hyperbole (“hate” in comparison to their love for Jesus).
    • A disciple must carry their own cross, signifying total devotion despite potential suffering.
  • Counting the Cost:
    • Jesus gives two analogies to emphasize thoughtful consideration before becoming a disciple:
      • A builder who first calculates costs before constructing a tower.
      • A king who deliberates whether he can win a war with fewer soldiers or should negotiate peace.
    • Both analogies stress the importance of understanding the commitment and sacrifices required.
  • Warning Against Losing Purpose:
    • Jesus compares disciples to salt that has lost its flavor.
    • He explains that salt that no longer serves its purpose is thrown out, similarly stressing the need for disciples to maintain their commitment and usefulness in God’s kingdom.

Luke 14:15-35 teaches us that following Jesus requires commitment and putting Him first in our lives. In the parable of the great banquet, many people make excuses and miss out on the feast, reminding us not to let distractions keep us from God. Jesus also talks about counting the cost of being His disciple, meaning we should be willing to give up anything that holds us back from fully following Him. We can apply this by making time for God, prioritizing our faith, and being willing to trust Him even when it’s difficult.

Luke 14:15-35 (WEB)

14:15 When one of those who sat at the table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is he who will feast in God’s Kingdom!”
16 But he said to him, “A certain man made a great supper, and he invited many people. 17 He sent out his servant at supper time to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, for everything is ready now.’ 18 They all as one began to make excuses.
“The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please have me excused.’
19 “Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I must go try them out. Please have me excused.’
20 “Another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I can’t come.’
21 “That servant came, and told his lord these things. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor, maimed, blind, and lame.’
22 “The servant said, ‘Lord, it is done as you commanded, and there is still room.’
23 “The lord said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you that none of those men who were invited will taste of my supper. For many are called, but few are chosen.’ ”
25 Now great multitudes were going with him. He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me, and doesn’t disregard his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he can’t be my disciple. 27 Whoever doesn’t bear his own cross and come after me, can’t be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? 29 Or perhaps, when he has laid a foundation and isn’t able to finish, everyone who sees begins to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, as he goes to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an envoy and asks for conditions of peace. 33 So therefore, whoever of you who doesn’t renounce all that he has, he can’t be my disciple.
34 “Salt is good, but if the salt becomes flat and tasteless, with what do you season it? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”