THE INVITATION TO THE GREAT SUPPER
(Suggested Reading: Chapter 14)
We now pass on to a new phase of things in view of Christ's rejection. In chapter 12, we have the path of faith of the believer once Christ is gone on high— in chapter 13, the effect of His rejection on Israel and the world. But here we move away from Israel and its law to what was really in the heart of God— grace to fallen man.
The subject is introduced by Christ healing a man with the dropsy in the synagogue on the Sabbath day. The Lord had healed a woman in the synagogue on the Sabbath day, using the incident to reveal what was in the heart of the ruler of the synagogue. Now He heals a man, to reveal what was in the hearts of the Pharisees. Even before this happens, we are given an indication of their state of soul— "they watched Him.”
The Parable of the Guest's Conduct at a Wedding—14:7-11
The occasion for this parable was dual— first, the reaction of the lawyers and Pharisees to the healing of the man with the dropsy; secondly, "He marked how they chose out the chief rooms." Both are connected, for they resented blessing to others and selfishly sought good for themselves. If their ox or ass needed water or was in trouble, they looked after it on the Sabbath 13:15. 14:5 but they would neglect their fellow man. Still, they might argue technically that they need not go beyond the law, for the Scripture says, "a righteous man regardeth the life of his beast" Prov. 12:1010A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. (Proverbs 12:10). But they could not answer Him publicly. Now the Lord exposes the springs of their conduct. He points out that the proper conduct of a wedding guest was to sit down in the lowest room. If the guest's conduct and status warranted it, the host might then usher him to a better room. This would bring respect to the guest, instead of shame, if the host conducted him out of a high room he chose himself, to a lower one.
Out of this parable comes a great principle, "for whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." Christ was the only Man who truly humbled Himself, as we read, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, subsisting in the form of God, did not esteem it an object of rapine to be on an equality with God, but emptied Himself, taking a bondman's form, taking His place in the likeness of men, and having been found in figure as a man, humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death and that the death of the cross. Wherefore also God highly exalted Him, and granted Him a Name, that which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of heavenly and earthly and infernal beings and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to God the Father's glory." Phil. 2:5-115Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5‑11). Christ then was "the more honorable Man" 14:8 but they did not know it. Israel's leaders had exalted themselves and must be abased; Christ, who had humbled Himself, would be exalted.
The Conduct of a Host in Inviting Guests to a Feast—14:12-14
The Lord next unveils the complementary principle to the guest's conduct in instructing the host what he should do. The host was to invite the poor and wretched to his feast— not the rich and amiable. If he did this, God would repay him— since the poor and wretched couldn't. Now the guests in the parable had sought only present advantage self-exaltation in this life; here the host is warned to turn his back on this and seek God's approval in the life to come. "The resurrection of the just" (v. 14) is also called the first resurrection, of which it is written, "Blessed and holy is he who hath part in the first resurrection." Rev. 20:66Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6).
The Great Supper—14:15-24
This beauteous teaching, so contrary to what men were accustomed to hear from others, caused a guest to exclaim admiringly, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God." The Lord uses the remark to illustrate the blessedness indeed of eating bread in the Kingdom of God, but that Israel, alas, did not want to do so. "A certain man [God] made a great supper, and invited many, and sent his servant [the Holy Spirit] at suppertime to say to those who were invited [the Jews] Come for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse.”
At this point, let me break the thread of the narrative to tell a story which demonstrates that our hearts really are no different from the hearts of the Jews, but that God's heart is the same to Jews or Gentiles. As I was walking to the office where I once worked, I noticed a man reading his Bible in the company parking lot. I approached him and identified myself as a Christian. After some conversation, we agreed to meet together in Queen's Park. We met one lunch hour and sat down on a bench. Then he gave his testimony to me and also to another believer I knew who was passing by. Although he is now with the Lord, "he being dead yet speaketh" Heb. 11:44By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. (Hebrews 11:4).
He lived in Poland and came from a Greek Orthodox family. His mother had attended gospel meetings and had been saved. She knew her son was going on vacation and, desiring his salvation, packed a Bible in his suitcase. He found it before he left and threw it away in anger, storming at his mother at the same time. Some time after his return, his dear mother was disconsolate. She had invited to her house her son's school teacher, who was later saved, but at this time only beginning to be anxious. The son overheard the two women conversing, his mother in tears— "Oh," the poor mother cried, "my son, he is all I have, I brought him up; I educated him— and he won't do the one thing I ask— take Christ as his Savior." His school teacher said she would try to get him to go to a revival meeting being held by a preacher from Philadelphia, U.S.A. About eight hundred people were attending— a large number for a strict Roman Catholic country like pre-war Poland.
The son argued with his school teacher. That night there was a dance on. "Nice girls," he said— soft music, dancing, coffee on the terrace— what could be better? And to go to a gospel meeting instead, when he didn't even believe in God! Nonsense. What a perfect illustration of our chapter, "they all began with one consent to make excuse." But the school teacher persisted until he promised to go— but just for fifteen minutes. He went. The fifteen minutes passed— then half an hour an hour. Suddenly he realized he had missed the party. Angry, he went up to the platform to attack the speaker.
“Show me your Jesus Christ," he said, "and then I will believe." For three months he wrestled with the Holy Spirit, getting no rest at night until, finally, he accepted Christ as Savior. The rest of the story, while not directly connected to our chapter, is too good not to pass on— for it is part of the story of the glory of the grace of God to man.
The years rolled on until the German armies invaded Poland, and the Russians in turn fought in that country. The Russians seized this young man and shipped him to the Ukraine for forced labor, along with some German civilian prisoners. As the German armies closed in on the Ukraine, the Russians decided to move the German prisoners back lest they join the advancing German army. They told them to discard everything for the move. One German threw out a big Bible labeled "Holy Bible" on the cover. The young Pole quickly seized this treasure and took it to his lodging. When the German armies entered the town, their commander was enraged at the losses of his men from sniping civilians. He ordered three hundred Russian civilians to be rounded up and shot in reprisal. One of those seized was the young Pole.
“But I'm not Russian, I'm Polish," he protested to the Nazi storm trooper.
“It doesn't matter. Poles shoot just as good as Russians," he said. "I have to make up my quota.”
In despair, the Pole cried out, "This is the end. O God, save me!”
The soldier granted him a few moments to pack up his belongings and went into his lodgings to watch him do this. As he entered the room, his eyes caught the words "Holy Bible" in German on the big Bible the Pole had found.
“Holy Bible," he exclaimed. "My mother read me the Holy Bible." He began to talk. He had a wife and children, too, but he would never see them again, for he would be killed in this war. The Pole then spoke to the German about God's way of salvation, and they discovered that they were both Baptists. The Pole then quoted the 91St Psalm to comfort the German "a thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee." Remember that this comfort was coming from a man selected to die! But tears came into the burly German soldier's eyes. "You can stay here," he said. "Goodbye." Thus did the Pole prove the truth of the psalm he had just quoted.
The sequel to this story is also interesting. The Pole told us that he was the pastor of a poor Polish-speaking evangelical church in the city. Like Paul with his tent-making, he supported himself and others by working. His engineering degree was not recognized in Canada and he had to work as a draftsman. When the company threatened to lay off several draftsmen, he said he had no worries. "The Lord knows I need this job, both for my family and my people," he said. In later life, I was able to verify the Lord's care of him. With this beautiful illustration of God's care to those who love Him, let us return to consider those who don't.
What were the excuses they made for not attending the great Supper? The first said, "I have bought a piece of ground and I must go and see it." What folly! The time to see a piece of ground is before you buy it— not after. "She considereth a field and buyeth it," is simple logic Prov. 31:1616She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. (Proverbs 31:16). Another said, "I have bought five yoke of oxen; and I go to prove them." Again, the time to prove them is before you buy them. Another said, "I have married a wife and therefore I cannot come." This is the worst excuse of all. Why not bring her along, too, to the Supper? It is indifference to grace. There was nothing wrong in the things they did —only in making these invalid excuses for not attending the Supper.
God was exceedingly angry that His gospel invitation was rejected. He tells His servant —the Holy Spirit— "Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city." "The city" here is Jerusalem, where the gospel was first preached, on the day of Pentecost. The servant is to "bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind" as Jesus had instructed the host to do (v. 13) when making a feast. This done, the servant reports back that there is still room, "And the Lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that My house may be filled." These are the Gentiles. Israel's sin made this extension of grace necessary. She bore no fruit when fertilized (chapter 13) and she refused the invitation to the Kingdom of God here. The fullness of Gentile blessing is given to us in the story of the prodigal son in the next chapter. As for the religion of the Jews, it was being broken up. The Lord's condemnation falls on the religious leaders, "for I say unto you, that none of those men who were invited shall taste of My Supper.”
The Lord's Words to the Crowds Who Thronged Him—14:25-35
In thronging the Lord, the crowds were saying, in effect, "We are different from our religious leaders we will go with you and eat the Great Supper." But man is the same, be he lofty or low all need the new birth to follow Christ. Nature will not do though right in its place. We cannot be Christ's disciples unless we apply the cross to ourselves. This is hard for most people to understand, so the Lord gives two illustrations. Would a contractor start to build a tower without first estimating its cost? Certainly not, for he might go bankrupt. Laying the foundation is what is fundamental to Christianity the bedrock truths. To build a tower that is go heavenwards we must not only pour treasure into the project, but we must estimate the cost in advance. The other illustration is warring with another mightier than ourselves as Satan is. The whole camp of Israel trembled when Goliath appeared. To meet Satan we must be full of Christ, for He overcame him. If we are full of flesh that is, self like the Pharisees, we will soon find out that he is a mightier king than we. This thought, too, is included in the symbolism of the tower and the army. The tower is defensive warfare taking the field offensive warfare. Satan may besiege us in the tower or take the field against us. In both cases, the cost must be counted.
“Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its savor wherewith shall it be seasoned." Salt is the preservative factor the saints are the salt of the earth. If they fail to be this due to unfaithfulness in life, they become of no account in this world. "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." All men have ears, but only Christians have ears to hear Christ's words John 10:2727My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: (John 10:27). The great thing is, having heard, to obey.