Luke 14:16-2416Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 17And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. 18And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 19And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. 20And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. 21So that servant came, and showed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. 22And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. 23And 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. 24For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. (Luke 14:16‑24)
“A certain man made a great supper, and bade many; and sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come, for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and showed his lord these things. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is 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 tilled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.” — Luke 14:16-2416Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 17And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. 18And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 19And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. 20And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. 21So that servant came, and showed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. 22And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. 23And 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. 24For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. (Luke 14:16‑24).
This parable is very similar to the marriage for the king’s son, in Matt. 22, and has been thought by some to be the same parable differently recorded. On the other hand, it has been judged, that, whereas this was given in the Pharisee’s house, the one in Matthew was related in the temple; but this may not have been the case, as the discourses of our Lord are often grouped in a moral order, rather than as they were actually spoken. The teaching in the two instances is the same, though the details differ.
In Matthew it was “a king;” in Luke, “a certain man.” In Matthew it was for the marriage of the king’s son; in Luke, it is a great supper. Those first invited are the same; and they all excused themselves from coming. Here it is added, that one had married a wife, and could not come. And here it is well to notice, that in their excuses there is nothing gross or evil. One went to his farm — his piece of land; another, to his merchandise — his five yoke of oxen; and the third had taken a wife. All were things quite natural for men to be doing; but, alas! they were perfectly indifferent as to the invitation to the great supper.
In Luke we do not get the ill-treatment of the messengers, nor the punishment of those who ill-treated them, nor the burning of their city; all beautifully in place in Matthew, but not named in Luke, where Christ is most known as the Son of man.
On the other hand, the invitation here goes out wider — into the streets and the lanes, the highways and the hedges: and the poor and the maimed, and the halt and the blind, were all brought in to the great supper. But we do not get the guest without a wedding-garment, which seems to confirm the thought, that this garment was named because, in Matthew, it is the king who makes the feast.
The teaching in both Gospels is the same. One of those who sat at meat said, “Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.” But Christ told them of a present least. God has made a feast of grace, and His servants are still inviting poor sinners — good and bad — to” Come, for all things are now ready.” The great supper, too, may be looked at as a continuous feast, for we do not read of the supper being ended. And Christ, who is the Alpha of all our hopes and all our joys, is also the Omega and end of all our blessings, even when we shall be with Him, and like Him forever.
How cheering is that one word, “great;” it is truly a great supper, without limit as to provisions, without limit as to the invitation. Yes, what a word was that to the servants! — listen, all ye evangelists! — “Compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” There is to be glory to the Lord Jesus; He is to see of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied. Will a few satisfy Him who paid such a price of redemption? Ah, no; His house must be filled. Publish it abroad, then; be instant in season, and out of season; cry aloud, “Come, for all things are now ready.” His word shall not return unto Him void.
Part IV
Responsibility of Those Connected With the Kingdom