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Invitation to the Great Banquet
Preached September 2, 2009 at Brother Bryan Mission. The Lord's Supper was offered after this service.
This past spring, the Superbowl champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers were invited to the White House to celebrate their victory. The whole team attended the special event, except for one player—the NFL’s defensive MVP, James Harrison. It was not the first time he had rebuffed a White House invitation. He also refused to come to the White House to meet President Bush when his team won the Superbowl a few years before. He claimed that he would not go because the invitation was not special or particular to him individually.
I don’t know about you, but I have always dreamed about going to the White House and meeting the President of the United States. To walk those historic grounds where Presidents since John Adams have lived and made important decisions. To see the grounds where Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and others lived and worked. And maybe I could even grab a few trinkets—some White House mints or pens. I, in some measure, long for the opportunity which James Harrison passed up—to visit the White House.
Tonight, you have been given an invitation to something even greater than a visit to the White House—an invitation to meet with One far greater than the President of the United States. You have been invited to a great banquet—to The Great Banquet. Will you accept the invitation?
Please read with me from our text for tonight. Luke 14 beginning in verse 15.
15 When one of those who were reclining at the table with [Jesus] heard this, he said to Him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!”
16 But [Jesus] said to him, “A man was giving a big [or great] dinner, and he invited many;
17 and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is now ready.’
In this passage, Jesus tells us a story about a man who is preparing a great dinner—a great banquet—a great party. Jesus does not give us many details about this dinner except to say that it is great. So we must ask, what makes this dinner great?
First, it is great because it would include many people. Jesus tells us that this man invited many to this party. He had a large home which could accommodate many people, and he would prepare enough food to feed the mouths of all the guests who would come.
But this dinner banquet was also great in that it was festive. One might imagine the types of food that would be served at this party. Today, if you were to attend such a party, you might expect to see things like escargot, caviar, crème brulee, mutton or some other funny, French-named fancy food. I prefer not to trust these French foods. They change the names of snails and fish eggs and make them sound good! I don’t know about you, but I prefer a nice juicy steak—and I prefer to call it ‘steak,’ rather than some fancy French name!
This dinner was also great because it was important. It was important because many would come, and it would be a great party with a festive atmosphere. To miss this party would be a real shame.
So after this man made all the preparations—the food was ready, the house in order, the invitations given out—he ordered his servant to go to those he had invited, and let them know that the great dinner was to begin. So his slave went out. Let’s read in verse 18 what those who were invited said:
18 But [the invited guests] all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.’
19 Another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to examine them; please consider me excused.’
20 Another one said, ‘I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’
As we have read, the invited people responded to the invitation with excuses for why they could not come. The first man’s excuse is ridiculous. He said that he had just bought some land, and needed to go and look at it. But what man buys a piece of land without looking at it first? And even if he did not look at it before he bought it, will the land no longer be there after the dinner? It is clear that the dinner is simply not important to him.
And the second man’s excuse is equally ridiculous. He says that he cannot come because he bought some animals and needed to examine them. But again, what man buys first, and then examines what he buys? That man would be a fool, and furthermore, the state of the oxen would likely not be changed if he waited a day to examine them. The truth is simple. This man did not want to come to the banquet.
But we come to this third man. This third man says that he cannot come because he is a newly wed husband. While the first two men say what they are going to do—to look at the land and to examine the oxen—this man does not even need to say it. He wants to go enjoy his new wife. And what person can blame him? I mean, what person would get married without wanting to enjoy the privileges of marriage? So seal-proof does this man’s excuse seem on its surface that, while the other two men said, “I ask you, sir, please excuse me,” this man does not even feel the need to ask forgiveness. I too am likely to want to let him off the hook. Let this man enjoy his honeymoon!
But what if, what if, this party, this dinner was a truly great party? What if it was the party of the year? The party of the century? The party of the millennium?
What if, what if, the bread at this party was bread that melted as you put it into your mouth? What if it were bread that you could not get enough of, but bread that did not have carbohydrates which would make quite enough of you? What if the bread at this party was bread that brought you life—bread that was the very bread of life? What if this bread gave you eternal life? Would this man, the newlywed that he is, not be a fool to miss it? The banquet of which we speak has this meat that takes away the sin of the world.
And what if, what if, the meat that was served at this dinner was so tender, so juicy, so delicious, that as you took a bite, you could not help but close your eyes as you savored the rich flavor of the meat in your mouth. What if that meat tasted so wonderful, even as it dripped with the juicy fat we all know we love, but what if this meat would never clog your arteries, or stop your heart? And what if, what if, this meat was part of a celebration of the sacrifice that paid that debt in full for all the wrong, and all the evil, and all the sin that you have ever committed? Would this man, the newlywed that he is, not be a fool to miss it?
And what if, what if, the wine that was served was wine that was finely aged wine that was pleasant to the taste, but never got you drunk, never got you depressed, never destroyed your life—indeed, what if this wine were wine that gave you control of your life, gave you control of your passions, and control of your anger? What if this wine brought you true and great joy? What if this wine put the pieces of your life together? And what is more, what if this wine paid for your redemption from the hand of the enemy (Eph 1:7), and brought you near to God (Eph 2:13). And what if this wine cleansed “your conscience from dead works in order to serve the living God” (Heb 9:14)? In short, what if this wine cleansed us and released us from the power of sin? Would this newlywed, not be a fool to miss it? My friends, this is what the wine, the blood of Jesus Christ, does for us.
Let me go on. What if, what if, this Host was an absolute delight to be with? What if when the Host told a joke, it was clean, uplifting and made the whole company laugh from deep down in the belly? What if this Host put you completely at ease when He spoke to you? And took an active interest in you as if you were the VIP guest even though everyone knew the Host was the star of the party? What if this Host knew all about you, but still loved you? What if this Host was not just entertaining and a pleasure to be with, but what if all His words gave you life? Revived your soul? Gave you hope and joy? What if when you came to this Host, you thought to yourself, “I never want this to end, and I never want to be away from this Host”? And what if He said in reply to the words you never spoke, but only thought, “I never want you to be apart from Me. I want you to remain with Me forever”? What if, might I dare even say this? What if being in His company was better, even better, than the most wonderful benefits of the intimacy of marriage? Would this newlywed man not be a complete and utter fool to pass up this Great Dinner? And even more, wouldn’t you be a fool to pass up an invitation to such a dinner? And a fool you are if you do not accept the invitation to put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ! For He brings believers to His banquet table and His banner of us who believe is love!
And finally, what if the others who attended this party were also a delight? The things that used to annoy you about dinner parties are not there—or you do not notice them anymore, you aren’t sure which is the case—because all of you are so focused on the wonderful, delightful Host. And all the while, being in this Host’s presence changes all of those present. No longer are people vying for attention of the Host or the attention of the people. No longer are people looking down on others, or writing them off as if they do not matter. What if this company were changed into the very likeness of that most wonderful, gracious, life-giving Host whose company is better than any earthly pleasure? Would not all these men and their excuses sound foolish in light of the wisdom of God?
Would not the man who passed up the marvelous Gardens of the Host, lush with vegetation, with a life-giving river, and trees that bear healing and life-giving fruit—would not this man who passed up the banquet to see a piece of land, filled with weeds, thorns and toil—would he not seem a fool for refusing the invitation to go to this Garden—this land that is free from the curse? And would not that other man who passed up all the treasures, all the precious rubies and diamonds and streets of gold—would not this man seem a fool for passing all of that up for a few animals? Indeed he would be a great fool.
We have said, while preaching through these parables, that these are earthy stories with spiritual messages. So we need to ask, what is Jesus talking about? And what is the Great Feast, the Great Banquet, the Great Supper to which He is referring?
[Jesus is telling this story while at a dinner party. He is a bit impolite at this party—He heals a man on the Sabbath and teaches the Pharisees why He does it. Then, He tells a parable to the invited guests after observing that they are fighting over the seats of honor. And finally, He tells the host of the meal to invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind instead of the wealthy who can make repayment. And then, He tells the parable we are focusing on tonight to His followers—those who are sitting with Him at the meal. But even though He is telling this parable at a meal party, this is not the meal to which He refers.
You may recall the meal of the Passover. It is that great feast which was celebrated every year as a thanksgiving and reminder for how the Lord protected His people through the death of a lamb and how He miraculously led them out of Egypt by parting the Red Sea. But this Passover meal not only pointed back to the Lord’s deliverance, it also pointed them forward to Jesus Christ who is the great Deliverer, the Passover Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.]
Tonight, we will be taking the opportunity to reflect on the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world—the Lord Jesus Christ—as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. It is a Great Supper—a Great Banquet. Repentant believers in Jesus Christ partake of the Lord’s Supper in order to recall and proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ’s death and our salvation until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:26).
But this Great Supper, the Lord’s Supper, not only points us back to the death and resurrection of Christ, it points us forward to the Great Feast, the Great Dinner, what Revelation 19 calls “The Marriage Supper of the Lamb”—that celebration feast of the eternal union between Jesus Christ and those who put their trust in Him. The book of Revelation is not the first we hear of this feast—this Great Banquet. Isaiah 25 tells us that this feast will be filled with people from all over the world and it will celebrate that time when the Lord will “swallow up death for all time, And the Lord will wipe tears away from all faces.” And those of us who accept the invitation will cry out, “This is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation!” A wonderful feast it will be.
Will you accept this invitation? The Lord is inviting you to this Great Banquet. Will you be attending? Or do you have an excuse? Is this dying world and its rusting and decaying possessions keeping you from the Great Feast which will fulfill your every desire? Is a person you dearly love keeping you from accepting the invitation to be with the Lord Jesus Christ. I have heard someone say, “I would rather be in hell with my loved one than be in heaven without.” Such an idea is so short-sighted. No person will like hell, nor enjoy the persons they find there—even the ones they love here. Set your excuses aside, and come.
Let us read the rest of this story, starting in verse 21:
21 And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’
22 And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’
23 And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.
The host of the party was understandably upset. He had made careful preparations, but those he invited clearly had other interests. So he told his slave to go throughout the city on big streets and in small alleys to find those who have not yet been invited. He sent his slave to go to Main Street to those who were seen and ignored, as well as to back alleys to those who were not seen and ignored. He was sent to those who were needy, to those who needed assistance, to those who would otherwise lose their way, and to those who would not be able to walk in on their own.
But still, still, there was room. And there is still room for you in the Kingdom of God. Jesus says that “In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you…that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3). This banquet will include vile, but cleansed, sinners from Corinth; wicked, idolatrous, but repentant kings like Manasseh; former persecutors of the Church like the Apostle Paul; former drug dealers, former gang members, former drunks, former prostitutes, former homosexuals, former adulterers, former fornicators, former thieves and convicts. But still there is room for you. No person is beyond the reach of the forgiving and cleansing Savior. No highway of sin too far to bring you in. He is inviting you to come.
Finally, Jesus ends this parable in verse 24. Read with me.
24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.’”
You will remember that this story began with someone at Jesus’ table who said, “Blessed is everyone who will eat in the Kingdom of God.” But now, we are told that these who reject the invitation will not eat, nor will they taste of this Great Dinner. It is not the Host’s fault. It is the fault of those who have rejected the gracious invitation. And it is their loss. Will it be your loss?
The Lord is inviting all of you tonight, to come, “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). You can taste of the Lord tonight. Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with [will have this Great Supper with] him, and he with Me.”