'The Feast and the Full House'

Luke 14:1–24 

Jesus went for a Sabbath meal at the home of a leading Pharisee. The guests were watching Jesus, and right before Jesus was a man whose body was swollen.

Why would this prominent Pharisee invite Jesus to his house for meal on the Sabbath? Was he a sincere seeking or was this a set up? Jesus was being carefully watched and he found himself before a man whose body or limbs were abnormally swollen. Jesus knows that everyone is watching him and remember that a synagogue ruler had recently become indignant when Jesus healed a woman on the Sabbath (13:14). Jesus asks the scribes and Pharisees if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath, but they say nothing. So Jesus heals the man, sends him on his way and then says, “Which of you, if your child or animal fell into a well, wouldn’t pull him out immediately, whether or not it was the Sabbath?”  Again they have nothing to say. (14:1-6)

Next we find Jesus assessing the situation at the dinner table. The guests are taking the places of honor at the table. Jesus tells them a story in which they are not to take the places of honor at the table or the host may give their seat to someone more important; which would be culturally humiliating. Instead, one should take the least desirable seat. Then the host may say, ‘Friend, take a better seat’ and you’ll be honored.  The Jesus quotes a prominent concept found throughout scripture, ‘the humble will be exalted and the exalted will be humbled’ (Ezekiel 21:26, James 4:10, 1 Peter 5:6).

Jesus is not concerned about dinner etiquette. Nor is Jesus presenting a more wise way to gain respect at a social function. This is not an alternative way to get recognition. Jesus is concerned about the Kingdom of God. He is denouncing an attitude of superiority. He is opposed to thinking of oneself as better or superior to others and the desire to be exalted in the eyes of others. For Jesus those who exalt themselves will be humbled and humble will be exalted; this is taught throughout scripture. (14:7-11)

Then Jesus addresses the one hosting the meal. Jesus tells him not to invite his friends, family and rich neighbors to dinner because they will simply return the favor. Instead Jesus says to invite the poor, the disabled and the disadvantaged who cannot return the favor.  They cannot return the favor, so the reward will come at the ‘resurrection of the righteous’. (14:12-14) This would have been as foreign back then, as it seems to us today. For Jesus, the ‘Kingdom of God’ is not about trying to obligate others and to get invited to parties or being seated in prominent seats. Such behavior is merely exchange and as a lifestyle it’s an empty pursuit.  Jesus’ point is that inviting those who can never repay reflects God’s other-centered love. No matter what our status, we are to identify with the disabled and disadvantaged because we are no better than them. Even if we have good health and economically privilege we are all spiritually impoverish. God’s people must know and demonstrate that all people are in need of the ‘grace of God’. Of course this takes faith; if we do this we will only be repaid—at the resurrection of dead!  

Then a guest said, “Blessed are those who will eat at the feast in God’s kingdom!” So Jesus tells a story of a man who invites many guests to dinner party. He sends his servant to the invited guests, saying, ‘Come, all is ready.’ But those invited make excuses. The first has bought property and needs to see it. Another has bought five teams of oxen, and needs to check them out. Still another has just been married and can’t come. The master is outraged and tells the servant to go gather the disadvantaged and the disabled. The servant says that this has been done and there was still room. The master tells the servant to go out compel them to come because the master wants his house full and says that those invited will not get even a taste of his banquet. In the parable those originally invited rudely snub the invitation to a splendid party, but the host is determined to have guests at his table. With the original guests disqualifying themselves, others are invited and coxed in to taking their places. (14:15-14)

Remember that Jesus has been going around Galilee summoning people to God’s great supper. Israel had been invited and they were waiting for the coming kingdom. And yet, most of them refused Jesus’ kingdom. However, others were delighted to be included. The poor, the disadvantaged, the disabled have responded to Jesus and have been celebrating with Jesus. The invited guests were the Jews, but most of them turned away when the time had come. The majority of the nation turned down Jesus’ invitation, so he gathered the poor, the outcasts, the misfits, the disadvantaged and he disabled. God’s messengers are sent out into all kinds of places in order to round up the unexpected people to join in the party—people with every possible cultural, social, ethnic and ethical background.  If people wanted to be included in Jesus’ movement, this is the sort of thing they were joining.

Since those invited were distracted and didn’t make the kingdom a priority. The host turns to the city streets and the back roads to bring in the disadvantaged, the marginalized and the disabled. The insiders are out and the outsider and outcasts are in. This is the challenge that comes to us today. Christians today are called to celebrate God’s kingdom in ways that the people at the bottom economically and socially find the invitation to be good news. The party guests are expected to become like the party host and invite the outsiders and outcasts and to compel them to come in!