The Parable of the Great Supper: ’Who will we invite to the banquet?’

Topic: The Parable of the Great Supper: ’Who will we invite to the banquet?’ 

Text: Luke 14:16-24 

Rev Rennie Khoo 

1 st September 2019 

Introduction 

In a Chinese wedding banquet, it is not unusual for the bride and groom to meet their elderly guests for the 1st and the last time. The parents of the couple will invite the guests, in turn the guests will reciprocate by attending the dinner banquet. This ‘reciprocity’ is observed and taken seriously as it creates a relationship. 

Similarly, the old parable in the bible, like the present days, also observed this kind of reciprocity! 

1. There is still room! [Luke14:22] Jesus had shared many parables that had to do with hospitality. At a banquet, ‘Jesus shared that when a host invited friends and relatives to a banquet, they will have to reciprocate and return the invitation. But when you invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, Jesus said you will be blessed because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous’ [Luke 14:13]. This represents reciprocity. 

Furthermore, guests who had accepted invitations but did not come and gave excuses, may cause humiliation to the host [vs 15]. The excuses in the parable gets progressively ugly and ridiculous as well as rude. 

Firstly, these guests are quite wealthy, so these lame excuses can only expose the reality. Those days, social relationships were prized, so these actions can break a relationship. Thus, the master invited the other poor people; firstly, whoever that is poor in the city and secondly, … ‘to go even further to the peripheral to invite the extremely poor’ to come to the banquet! 

2. How can we understand this parable in the present day and in a fresh way? 

i. As invitees: Have we responded? What excuses would we give for not coming to the banquet? Are there other things more important than God’s call to discipleship in the Kingdom? We need to place ourselves as one who is invited. This stands out as a testimony and likens the Holy Communion to the Banquet of the Kingdom of God! We are mandated to do this fellowshipping with His Father! And if there is still room, then we need to echo this in the CGs. 

 ii. As servants: Have we invited, or have we been inviting others? What excuses would we give for not inviting the margins of society (or people who are different from us) to the banquet, especially those who cannot repay us? Are we too preoccupied with self, comfort and convenience over the many out there who need to be invited, who are waiting to be invited? Even as our multiplication challenges our convenience, we need to reach out to others. They may be people who are lost and who have not been experiencing the abundance that we have enjoyed, as we know He will never leave us and we need to embrace it to experience God’s love. Conclusion Yes, there is still room! So are you living the life that God destined you - to invite others? We are called to invite others as there is still room in God’s Kingdom. 

Questions: 

1. If you were the host and you were told of the excuses of your guests for not coming to the banquet that you prepared, how would you have felt? Would you then have invited ‘the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame?’ Why or why not? 

2. What are some of the excuses you may have for refusing to come to the banquet of God? Are these excuses genuine? Why or why not? 

3. What can you do to reach the poor, the crippled, the blind man and the lame?’ – those who have nothing to offer, but who must in fact be urged to come to the banquet? 

4. There is still room!’ (vs22). How is this statement challenging/enlarging your heart for a global vision/mission? 

5. The parable ends with a word of judgment upon those who had originally been invited but then made excuses for not coming to the banquet (v24). How might this parable be a warning to us?