Introduction
I promised that in this series I would mention the main point of each parable before embarking on practical issues. So, the parable of the great supper teaches that the rejection of blessing offered to Israel would result in gospel benefits going out to the Gentiles. It is illustrated at Antioch in Pisidia when the Jews judged themselves “unworthy of everlasting life,” hence Paul’s words, “Lo, we turn to the Gentiles” (Act 13:46).1
The hostile atmosphere of the occasion helps us to arrive at this conclusion. Most of Luke 14 is played out in the home of “one of the chief Pharisees” where the Lord Jesus was under scrutiny (v1). It is possible that they had “planted” the man with the dropsy as an incitement to Him to heal on the Sabbath and give cause for criticism. He healed the man, but they were silenced (v6).
As He observed the scramble for the best seats at the table, He criticized their self-seeking attitude (vv7-11). Next, He challenged the host about the exclusive nature of the guest list (vv12-14). A pseudo-spiritual guest remarked about the blessedness of eating bread in God’s kingdom (v15). With that background He told the story of the great supper, for His fellow guests were the epitome of the Jewish leadership which would reject Him and all the blessings that accompanied Him.
The Provision
The great supper illustrates the wealth of spiritual blessings that God has on offer. Stroll through the Epistle to the Romans to see them set out on the table – justification for the guilty, redemption for sin’s slaves, salvation for those perishing without the law, reconciliation for God’s enemies, sanctification for people with the potential for the filthy behavior of chapter 1.
The message was, “All things are now ready,” and we see this in the epistle. Every expense has been fully met as explained in multiple references to the work of the cross: “The redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation” (Rom 3:24-25); He “was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (4:25); “Christ died for the ungodly” (5:6); “Christ died for us” (5:8); “justified by his blood” (5:9); “the death of his Son” (5:10) – and so the list goes on. We rejoice and worship, thanking God that everything has been prepared for us, for He “spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all” (8:32).
The Invitation
Many were given invitations, with the subsequent summons to “Come.” Again, Romans deals with the gospel invitation, especially in chapter 10. Yes, all things are ready; no one needs to ascend to heaven to bring Christ down; He already has come down. No one needs to descend to bring Him up from the dead; He already has been raised (vv6-7). And now salvation is available to all, Jew and Gentile, “for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (vv12-13).
The verses proceed to demonstrate that there is no universal acceptance of this message, particularly on the part of the Jews, as pictured in the parable. Says Romans 10:16, “They have not all obeyed the gospel.” The world will never be “Christianized”; the spread of the gospel will not introduce God’s kingdom. Rather, the destruction of opposing forces by the appearing of Christ will be the precursor to His universal reign (Rev 19:11-21).
The Commission
The fact that there is only one servant in the parable with the ability to “compel” (constrain) people to attend the great supper likely points to the man’s being illustrative of the Holy Spirit. However, for the sake of being practical, we will view him as someone like ourselves, a man with responsibility to carry a message of invitation to the needy. He is a slave, and again in Romans Paul depicts former slaves of sin as being now slaves to God (6:22). We have a duty to “yield [ourselves] unto God,” and that is equated with total obedience to Him (vv12-19). The nature of bondservice is disclosed by the centurion of Luke 7: “I say … to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it” (v8). Romans 6 has to do with God’s slaves behaving righteously, but elsewhere the concept relates to service. The gospel sounded out from the assembly at Thessalonica, and Paul describes them as “serv[ing] [as slaves] the living and true God” (1Th 1:9).
This servant was “sent” (Luk 14:17); he was told to “Go” (vv21,23), and in Romans the preacher must be sent. People will never “call” if they don’t believe; they will never believe if they don’t hear; they will never hear if there’s no preacher; there will be no preaching if there is no sending. It all starts with God’s mobilizing and sending His slaves (10:14-15). The question is, Are we available? Do we hear the call and respond?
The servant’s first venture was disappointing, and he reported back to his lord. Do you sometimes feel frustrated by the lack of response? Are you tempted to curtail your endeavors? You can be like the man in the story and unburden yourself to your Master; take recourse to the throne of grace and spread it before the Lord (2Ki 19:14).
His service was then redirected, and the city became a fruitful field. The equivalent of sinners who are “without strength” (Rom 5:6) responded, and still there was room. With the city having been so productive, a return visit might have been anticipated, but no. Rural areas had to have opportunity. When there has been blessing, the temptation is to try to replicate the experience, and so we anticipate the same venue, the same time of year, and the same preacher. That’s fine if there’s a green light from heaven, but God’s will could be for something different. When David came to the throne, the Philistines tried to take advantage of the fledgling king, but he inquired of the Lord and won the day. The enemy regrouped, and despite the similarity of the circumstances, David again inquired of the Lord; this time a different strategy was to be used! Ensure you inquire of the Lord (2Sa 5:17-25).
Briefly, let’s apply further lessons. The servant had to go out “quickly” (Luk 14:21). He had to explore different locations (see Acts 1:8 and 1 Thessalonians 1:8). He had to “compel.” Preaching involves persuading (Act 28:23), beseeching (2Co 5:20) and exhorting (Act 2:40); it should never be a dull lecture!
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV.
