A King Gave a Great Banquet and Invited Many (Luke 14:15-24)

In the Parable of the Great Banquet in Luke 14:15-24, Jesus said, “A king gave a great banquet and invited many.” Those who had been invited began to make excuses, which represent the excuses many people give to the gospel. In response to the king invited the Gentiles, and all those who are poor, crippled, blind, and lame. Spiritually speaking these people represent all of us. Do we make excuses too? Table of Contents for A King Gave a Great Banquet and Invited ManyFamily Worship Guide for A King Gave a Great Banquet and Invited ManySermon Notes for A King Gave a Great Banquet and Invited ManyLesson One: The preparations are finished for our great banquet too.Lesson Two: There’s no good reason to reject the invitation to the great banquet.Lesson Three: The three main excuses for rejecting the invitation are our (part one) possessions.Lesson Three: The three main excuses for rejecting the invitation are our (part two) work.Lesson Four: There is still room at the great banquet for those who won’t make excuses. https://youtu.be/6usNoa8s9Z8 Luke 14:16 says, “A king gave a great banquet and invited many.” People made excuses, which represent the excuses given to the gospel. Family Worship Guide for A King Gave a Great Banquet and Invited Many Family Worship Guide for A King Gave a Great Banquet and Invited Many (Luke 14:15-24) Directions: Read the verses and then answer the questions: Day 1: Luke 14:15-17, John 19:30—Why do you think one of the religious leaders was so confident that he would attend the great banquet? Describe the two invitations associated with formal suppers in Jesus’s day. In what ways are the preparations for our great banquet finished? In other words, why can we say that “It is finished”? Why did the Jews reject Jesus when he came? Day 2: Luke 14:18-20, Matthew 13:22—Why did Jesus speak with hyperbole, or exaggeration? Can you think of some examples in the Gospels? Describe the three excuses the people gave when they received the second invitation. What other excuses can you think of people giving when the gospel is shared with them? What was so absurd about these excuses? What does it look like when people reject invitation because of possessions, work, or relationships? Day 3: Luke 14:21-24—Even though the servant experienced so much rejection when inviting people to the great banquet, why wasn’t he a failure? Who did the king invite to the banquet after the first group rejected the invitation? Who did these different groups represent? Even though the religious leader in verse 15 wanted to attend the banquet, why would he be prevented from doing so? What is required for us to attend the great banquet? Sermon Notes for A King Gave a Great Banquet and Invited Many The title of this morning’s sermon is, “A King Gave a Great Banquet and Invited Many.” On Sunday mornings we’re working our way through Luke’s gospel verse by verse and we find ourselves at chapter 14, verses 15-24. Please stand with me for the reading of God’s Word. Luke 14:15 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.’” You may be seated. Let’s pray. Here are the most outrageous excuses I could find that people gave to avoid work, as well as the journals they’re found in: In 1982 the Canadian Medical Association reported Bingo Brain, which is the headache associated with carbon monoxide intoxication occurring after spending long hours in smoke filled bingo halls. In 1956 the Journal of the American Medical Association reported Espresso Wrist, which is pain caused by espresso machine operators from strong wrist motions required to operate the equipment. Do we have any espresso makers here? Is strong wrist motion required? In 1965 the British Medical Association Journal reported Flip-Flop Dermatitis, which is a skin disease on the feet from wearing rubber flip-flops. I’ve worn flip flops much of my life, and God has graciously protected me from this infirmity. The New England Medical Journal reported three different excuses worth mentioning: Disco Digit, reported in 1979, which is a sore finger caused from snapping fingers while dancing. Jeans Folliculitis, reported in 1981, which is an irritation of the hair follicles from the waist to the knees caused by wearing too-tight jeans. A warning for all of you skinny-jean wearers! Ice Cream Frostbite, reported in 1982, which is – not surprisingly – frostbite on the lips from prolonged contact with ice cream. Here are a few others: Joystick Digit, Knife Sharpeners Cramp, Label Lickers Tongue, Money Counters Cramp, Electronic Space-War Video Game Epilepsy, and – my personal favorite – Television Legs, which is the loss of normal flexibility in your legs from being slumped in a chair too long watching television. It can also result in blood clots! Now briefly look at verse 18… But they all alike began to make excuses. The guests in this morning’s verses made ridiculous excuses too as we’ll see. But they didn’t miss out on work. They missed out on something much more serious.­ Briefly look at verse 15… Luke 14:15 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!” This religious leader heard Jesus talk about eating bread in the kingdom of God, and he got excited because what did he think? He thought he would be there! He’s in for a shock, because Jesus preached the following parable to let the religious leader know he – and others like him – won’t be there. That’s the context for this parable. Look at verse 16… Luke 14:16 But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. The man is God the Father and the great banquet is the marriage supper for His Son. In the New Testament, Jesus is the Groom, and the Church is His Bride, so it’s fitting that when Jesus is united with the church, it’s pictured as a wedding feast. Because the great banquet is associated with salvation, we should understand this parable illustrates the invitation to be saved. To be invited to this banquet is to be invited into the kingdom of God itself. Now let me explain something important to you about the way formal suppers, like this great banquet, would occur in Jesus’s day… There were always two invitations. First, an invitation with the day of the banquet would be sent months ahead of time so the guests could mark their calendars. This is like our “Save the date” invitations. The invited guests would RSVP, indicating their commitment to attend. Then the host would know how many guests to expect. As you can imagine, food preparation was different in Jesus’s day than in our day, so it was hard to know exactly when the food would be ready. And there was no refrigeration, so everything had to be eaten soon after it was prepared. When the food was ready servants were sent out to invite everyone to come. This was the second invitation. The first invitation was in verse 16, and the second invitation, announcing that everything is ready, is in verse 17… Luke 14:17 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.’ And this brings us to Lesson one… Lesson One: The preparations are finished for our great banquet too. Let me ask you to think about something… How does the king look? He looks gracious! He seems to want nothing more than to bless His people. He makes the offer attractive. He lets the invited know all the work is done. They don’t have to do anything but show up. It’s a wonderful picture of our salvation and how all the preparations have been made for us. The Lord has done all the work. If you write in your Bible you can circle the words everything is now ready and write, “It is finished.” We have received the same invitation. It is as though God said, “Come to my banquet. Everything is ready for you. There is a wonderful feast waiting. You don’t have to do anything. I have done all the work. You just need to accept.” Now let me put this parable in its historical context… If you write in your bible: First, circle the words sent his servant to call and write “Old Testament prophets” Second, circle the words those who had been invited and write “Jews.” God promised the kingdom of God to the Jews: He sent the first invitation to them through the Old Testament prophets. Jesus brought the kingdom of God from heaven to earth, so now the banquet is ready and he sends the second invitation, through John the Baptist and Jesus to invite them to the banquet…which is really to say to invite them to be part of the kingdom of God. But… When Jesus came, he wasn’t what the Jews wanted.