What Jesus Said
The Great Banquet
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Call to Worship:
Psalm 63: 1-4 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name, I will lift up my hands.
Intro:
What might you be willing to pay to have dinner with your favorite celebrity? Anyone at all if you could meet them and have a conversation with them, even share a meal with them, what would you give for that opportunity? Many would be willing to pay a great amount for an experience like that.
What if this person was having a great event, including a banquet with the best of all foods available, and sent you a personal invitation as his/her special guest wouldn’t cost you anything, would you go? I’m betting a fair amount of you are saying, YES, that’s a no-brainer! Free food and a chance to talk with my favorite celebrity? Yes, please!
We’ll often sacrifice a lot to go see someone famous-even just to see them in a concert. Think what tickets cost now to go to any concert these days; taking time off work; traveling to get to the destination-some even willing to go across many states to see their favorite artists; some willing to wait in line for hours to get a chance to meet someone.
Now imagine God Himself, is standing before you and invites you of all people, to come and be His guest and dine with Him at His banquet feast, but instead of jumping at the chance to meet with Him, you decline the invitation. You don’t go to the banquet. Not realizing you have just passed up the greatest invitation we’ll ever receive and the most divine banquet we’ll ever dine at.
This is exactly what the Pharisees did when Jesus stood proclaiming the Good News and the Kingdom of God being among them. All that they studied and preached in the Scriptures, were pointing to this very moment when God prepared His banquet and called His guests to come and share in it! When the time came, they blindly and arrogantly said no, we don’t want anything to do with this.
Jesus was about to share another important lesson about who will and won’t be in God’s Kingdom; about who will be sitting at the banquet table when the Master said, “Come and enjoy with Me!”
The opportunity came when Jesus was invited to dine at one of the leaders of the Pharisees’ home on the Sabbath. He was there-not to truly be an honored guest, more so they could closely watch Him to see what He might do on the Sabbath that would be breaking the Law. They were ever watching Him to catch Him doing something wrong. In front of Jesus stood a man with Dropsy-( a condition where tremendous fluid built up in his body) and Jesus knowing their hearts, asked the Pharisees “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” He knew the answer. Looking at the man Jesus had compassion and healed him. The man was instantly well. According to the Law, one was not to work on the Sabbath but there was no law about healing on the Sabbath. The Pharisees just decided to call His healing work so they might have charges against Him.
Jesus also noticed the leaders were taking seats in places of honor-which was a cultural practice from the most important to the least. They sat themselves as they deemed their own importance. Jesus called out you should allow the host to seat you and exalt you, lest you be humiliated and moved because someone else has greater importance than you. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who are humbled will be exalted.
Then Jesus addressed who was invited to this dinner the Pharisees held those who were people of importance; people who could equally repay the hospitality shown to them. Jesus said, rather than only invite people you wish to associate with, invite those who can’t repay you-the crippled, the lame, the blind, and the poor. In doing so you will be blessed. He was saying to the Pharisees-invite the social outcasts of your people and show kindness to them. This is what pleases the Father.
Then one of the leaders likely in the tension that was building said this awkward statement, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
Likely the other self-righteous leaders nodded their heads in agreement with a smile looking forward to the day they would all be dining at the feast God had prepared. Well, Jesus couldn’t resist an opportunity to share the truth and proceeded to teach about the Great Banquet.
Let’s have ears to hear and let us ponder what this invitation means to us personally as we listen.
Luke 14: 16-24 NIV
16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 “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.’ 19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
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.’ 22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ 23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”
- God’s Invitation is Inclusive.
Jesus made it known in this parable, that the invitation is not just for the elite, because in fact, it was the self-righteous elite who rejected the invitation. It is for all who will respond and come because God desires His banquet table to be full. When the original guests invited declined to come, the host said go find others and bring them in!
Luke 14:21 ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
Jesus is talking about Israel’s social outcasts that the Pharisees rejected and wouldn’t give the time of day.
Luke 14:23 ’ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.
Here Jesus is talking about the Gentiles and letting Israel’s religious leaders know God loves all people and wants all people to share in His Kingdom-beginning with Israel but certainly not ending with Israel.
This was in direct response to the leader who said, “blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
It was shocking to them to think of those people sitting among them in the kingdom of God.
We might all be shocked to see who joins us at God’s banquet table. For all who believe will be saved.
The Pharisees treated religion as a club with elite membership-only some were invited to join in. This can happen all too often yet today and we must know The Church is not an exclusive club-
it is for every lost sinner who recognizes his/her need for a Savior and calls on the name of Jesus as their Lord. Let us never treat church like a club-a family yes-a club, no.
Clubs are exclusive and our God is inclusive.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 10: 12-13 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Look at the picture we are given about God’s Kingdom as He calls all of us scattered sinners home:
Revelation 7:9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
- God’s Invitation is FREE.
In this parable, the host was very generous in inviting others to attend a wonderful banquet at no cost. They didn’t need to bring a dish to pass, or bring a gift to give the host in return for His kindness-they were simply invited to come and share in the bounty of the feast and enjoy his company.
Luke 14: 16-17 16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
This is often rare in our culture today pride says we need to pay for something; we need to contribute in some way; it’s hard for us to truly receive something nice for free isn’t it? How many of you try to pay for something when someone offers a nice gesture? How many ask what I can bring when you are invited over? It’s what we do, but Jesus was making an important point that what God offers us is completely free and ONLY free. We can’t buy our seat at His banquet table. We can’t negotiate and trade off good deeds to earn our place at the table. It’s a free gift from God, but we must receive the gift. As we do, Jesus makes this promise:
John 6:35 35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Ephesians 2: 8-9 NLT 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
It’s in our nature to want to take credit for things; but God says no, you can’t take credit for this. I am doing this because I love you and to show the riches of My grace. It is for My glory, not yours. Just come.
Pride says let me do it. Humility says thank you so much I can never repay you for your kindness.
What we must remember is the gift of salvation is not based on anything in you. It is offered freely in spite of you. This is God’s grace. Jesus paid for it all and freely we must receive His gift of grace.
We might be asking if Christianity and salvation through Jesus is so good and so true why don’t more people embrace it? Why don’t more accept His free invitation to come?
That leads us back to the parable.
- Receive His Invitation (Attend the Banquet).
At this time, it was common for a host to let people know the date a gathering or banquet such as this would take place and people would RSVP if they could make it. They did not know the exact time to come until a messenger on behalf of the host would arrive saying, come everything is ready for you.
It was considered a grave insult to tell the host the day off that you were no longer coming after he had already prepared the meal for you; yet this is what the parable is saying happened.
Luke 14:18 “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.’ 19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
Excuses. Their excuses were being preoccupied with material things and experiences or a lack of desire-they simply didn’t want to.
None of these things on their own are understandable and kept in a proper place. When any one of these things hinders us from being right with God, then it becomes wrong. When our hobbies hold greater importance than our time with God; we are out of balance. When work holds greater priority over honoring God, we are out of balance. If we make another person our idol and we place them above God, we are out of balance.
Much like the host of the banquet in the parable was offended at their rejections, so we must remember it is a personal insult to our Gracious Father who offers us the invitation to join Him daily in relationship and we put Him off. He gave His Son as a sacrifice for all of us sinners to be reconciled to Him so we might sit with Him and dine at His lavish banquet, so we can share in all His spiritual blessings; so we can walk in His peace and joy-that is no small thing He has done.
Yet how many times have you responded like those in the parable-sorry God not today I’m too busy. I have too much work to do. I’m just swamped. I would rather be golfing, fishing, boating, hiking, binge-watching my series…I would rather… maybe next year I can fit you in more. Maybe when I’m older. I’m having too much fun right now. The truth is we too can be full of excuses and God, our great banquet host, is calling out and saying go in the streets; go in the countryside and compel the hungry to come in! Fill the seats because My banquet will not be in vain. I will have a full table.
Isaiah 55:6 6 Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
Let us make sure we receive His invitation and honor God with our time. Let us not miss the goodness He desires to bless us with. Let us remember this invitation is for all who are thirsty- let’s show others WHO will quench their thirst.
Revelation 22:17 17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
Conclusion:
Jesus already paid for every seat at His banquet table. He is preparing the feast to celebrate with all who will receive Him. Will you be there?
Will you be a letter from Jesus telling others about His gracious invitation?
Let’s pray:
Offering: remember all this month our love offering as you feel led by God is to give to our service team heading to Constanza. Our 2024 budget has been approved, please pray and ask God how He is calling you to help us fulfill it. We operate solely on member donations.
Announcements: thank you to all who helped with Italian Night! Big thank you to Dawn! Next Sunday is Palm Sunday and then we head into Easter week with Good Friday at 6 pm, and our Easter Celebration at 10 March 31st. Please invite others to join us for all of these services. T-shirt contest still going on for 160th celebration. Make sure you have a packet from our annual meeting if you missed-thank you for all the support! Ladies’ prayer group Wed.
Prayers:
Final Song
Final Blessing: The love of God be the passion in your heart.
The joy of God your strength when times are hard .
The presence of God a peace that overflows.
The Word of God the seed that you might sow.
