Luke 14:15 - Meaning and Application

This is another of our Savior’s teachings, in which he turns the feast he was invited to into a spiritual lesson. That is one way to keep good conversation going in the middle of ordinary life.

The occasion came from one of the guests. While Christ was giving rules about feasting, this man said, “Blessed is the one who will eat bread in the kingdom of God” (Luke 14:15). Some say this was a common saying among the rabbis, the Jewish teachers.

But why did he bring this up here? Perhaps he saw that Christ had first corrected the guests and then the host, and he feared the company would become uncomfortable. So he changed the subject. Or perhaps he admired the lessons Christ had just given about humility and kindness, but he doubted people in that sinful age would live by them. Then he longed for the kingdom of God, where such laws would finally rule, and he called blessed those who would share in that kingdom.

Or maybe Christ had just mentioned the resurrection of the righteous as the reward for kindness to the poor. In that case, this man was agreeing with him: those who are rewarded in the resurrection of the righteous will eat bread in the kingdom of God, and that is far better than being invited again to the table of the greatest man on earth. Or perhaps he saw that Christ had become silent after giving those lessons, and he wanted to draw him into more conversation because he was so pleased with what he had heard. He knew nothing would likely move Christ more than a mention of the kingdom of God.

Even those who are not able to carry on good conversation themselves should say a word now and then to support it and help it along.

What this man said was clearly true, and it fit well because they were sitting at a meal. We should take the chance, from ordinary things, to think and speak about heavenly and spiritual things, since Scripture often compares them to such things. That is one reason those comparisons are used. And when we receive the gifts of God’s providence, we should pass through them to think about the gifts of his grace, which are better still.

This thought is especially fitting when we are enjoying bodily food: “Blessed are those who will eat bread in the kingdom of God.” This may mean the kingdom of grace, the kingdom of the Messiah, which was soon to be set up. Christ promised his disciples that they would eat and drink with him in his kingdom. Those who take the Lord’s Supper eat bread in the kingdom of God. It may also mean the kingdom of glory, at the resurrection. The joy of heaven is like an endless feast. Blessed are those who sit down at that table, and never rise from it again.

Our Lord Jesus answered with a parable in Luke 14:16 and following. He agrees with the good man in what he said: “It is very true, blessed are those who share in the privileges of the Messiah’s kingdom. But who will enjoy that privilege? You Jews think you will have it all, but you will mostly refuse it, and the Gentiles will share in it greatly.” He said this in a parable, because if he had spoken plainly, the Pharisees would not have accepted it.

In the parable, we see the free grace and mercy of God shining in the gospel of Christ. First, we see the rich provision he has made for needy souls, for their food, refreshment, and welcome (Luke 14:16). “A certain man made a great supper.” There is something in Christ and in the grace of the gospel that becomes food and a feast for the soul that knows its own needs. It is called a supper because, in that land, supper was the main feast, when the day’s work was done. In the same way, the revealing of gospel grace to the world came in the evening of the world’s day, and the full enjoyment of that grace in heaven is kept for the evening of our day.

Second, we see the gracious invitation given to us to come and share in this provision. There was a general invitation: “He bade many.” Christ invited the whole Jewish nation to share in the blessings of his gospel. There is enough provision for everyone who comes. Scripture had spoken of this as a feast for all peoples (Isaiah 25:6). Christ, in the gospel, keeps a good house, and he keeps an open house.

There was also a special reminder when supper time came near. The servant was sent to tell them, “Come, for all things are now ready.” When the Spirit was poured out and the gospel church was planted, those who had already been invited were pressed more closely to come at once. All things are ready now, the full meaning of the gospel is revealed, all gospel ordinances are set in place, the fellowship of Christians is established, and, above all, the Holy Spirit is given.

This is still the call to us: “All things are now ready.” Now is the accepted time. It is now, and it has not been long. It is now, and it will not last long. The season of grace will soon be over, so come now. Do not delay. Receive the invitation. Believe that you are welcome. “Eat, O friends; drink, yes, drink deeply, O beloved.”

The gospel grace is met with a cold response. The invited guests did not come. They did not openly say they would not come, but they all, with one agreement, began to make excuses (Luke 14:18). One would expect them all to come gladly to such a kind invitation. Who would turn down such a supper? Yet they all found some excuse to avoid it. This shows the general neglect of the Jewish nation in refusing Christ and the offers of his grace, and the contempt they showed for the invitation. It also shows how unwilling most people are to respond to the gospel call. They are ashamed to say no outright, so they ask to be excused. They all acted at once, with no need to think up excuses. They were all in agreement.

Among them were two who had just made purchases. They were in such a hurry to go and inspect what they had bought that they could not find time for the supper. One had bought land, a piece of ground that seemed like a good deal, and he had to go see whether it really was. So he said, “Please have me excused.” His heart was so fixed on increasing his estate that he could neither be polite to his friend nor kind to himself. Those whose hearts are full of the world, and who love adding field to field and house to house, are deaf to the gospel invitation.

What a shallow excuse this was. He could have waited until the next day to look at his field, and it would have been exactly the same. Another man had bought animals for his land. “I have bought five yoke of oxen for plowing, and I must go now to test them, so excuse me.” The first man shows a strong love for the world, and this one shows an anxious care for it. Both reveal that they value the body more than the soul, and temporary things more than eternal ones.

It is very sinful, when we are called to a duty, to make excuses for ignoring it. Excuses usually show that a person knows it is right, but does not want to do it. The things they used as excuses were small matters. It would have been better for them to say, “I am invited to eat bread in the kingdom of God, so I must be excused from going to see my field or my oxen.” They were also lawful things. Even lawful things, when the heart is too attached to them, become deadly barriers in religion. We all struggle to handle worldly business in a way that does not draw us away from spiritual things, and that should be our careful concern.

Here is another man who had just married and could not leave his wife to go to the supper, not even once: “I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come” (Luke 14:20). He says he cannot, when the truth is that he will not. Many people act the same way about religion. They claim they are unable to do their duty to God, when really they dislike it.

He had married a wife. It is true that the law excused a newly married man from going to war for the first year (Deuteronomy 24:5). But would that excuse him from going to the Lord’s feasts, which all the men had to attend each year? It certainly would not excuse him from the gospel feast, since those older feasts were only pictures of it. Our love for family members often becomes a barrier to obeying God. Adam said, “The woman you gave me persuaded me to eat.” This man, in effect, said, “The woman persuaded me not to eat.” He could have brought his wife with him, and they would both have been welcome.

The servant then reported to the master of the feast how his invited guests had insulted him (Luke 14:21). He came and told his lord these things, with surprise, that he was likely to eat alone. The invited guests had received enough notice to arrange their affairs, yet they were busy with other things. He told the matter exactly as it was, without making it sound better or worse.

Ministers must give an account of how their ministry is received. They must do this now at the throne of grace. If they see the fruit of their work, they should thank God for it. If they labor without success, they should bring their grief to God. They will do this later at the judgment seat of Christ. They will stand as witnesses against those who keep refusing and are lost in unbelief, showing that they were truly invited. They will also stand as witnesses for those who accepted the call: “Behold, I and the children you have given me.” The apostle gives this as a reason to hear God’s word preached by his ministers, because they watch over your souls as men who must give account (Hebrews 13:17).

The master was rightly angered by this insult (Luke 14:21). The ungrateful way people treat gospel invitations, and the contempt they show for the God of heaven, deeply offend him. Mercy abused turns into severe judgment. So he said, “None of the men who were invited will taste my supper.” This was like the sentence God gave to ungrateful Israel when they despised the good land. God swore in his anger that they would not enter his rest. Grace despised is grace lost, like Esau’s birthright. Those who will not have Christ when they may will not have him when they want him. Even those first invited, if they reject the offer, will be shut out. When the door is closed, even the foolish virgins will not be let in.

Then care was taken to fill the table, not only with food, but with guests. He said to the servants, “Go first into the streets and lanes of the city, and invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Do not expect the merchants, the shopkeepers, or the busy people to come. They will all ask to be excused, one because he is going to his counting house, another because he is going to the tavern with a friend. Bring in those who will be glad to come, even the common beggars.”

The servants did not object that this would shame their master or his house. They knew his mind, and they quickly gathered many such guests. “Lord, it is done as you commanded.” Many Jews were brought in, but not the scribes and Pharisees, such as Christ was eating with then. They thought they were the people most likely to sit at the Messiah’s table, yet it was the tax collectors and sinners who came. These are the poor and the crippled. Still, there was room for more guests, and enough food for all.

Then he said, “Go out into the highways and hedges.” Go out into the countryside and gather the travelers, or those coming home in the evening from work in the fields, hedging and ditching. “Compel them to come in,” not with force, but with strong argument. Urge them earnestly. In this case, it will be necessary to persuade them that the invitation is real and not a joke. They will be shy and hesitant, and they may hardly believe they are truly welcome, so keep pressing them until you win them.

This points to the calling of the Gentiles, those to whom the apostles were to turn when the Jews refused the offer. In this way the church was filled. Here we should notice two things. First, the gospel provision for precious souls will not be wasted. If some reject it, others will gladly receive it. Christ finds comfort in this, that even if Israel is not gathered, he will still be glorified as a light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 49:5-6). God will have a church in the world, even if some refuse to belong to it, for human unbelief will not cancel God’s promise.

Second, those who are poor and low in the world are just as welcome to Christ as the rich and great. In fact, the gospel often succeeds most among those who suffer worldly weakness, among the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.

Christ here plainly refers back to what he had just said, that we should invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind to our tables (Luke 14:13). Since Christ’s gospel honors the poor, that should move us to be generous toward them. His kindness and compassion toward them should lead us to show the same kindness.

Many times, the gospel succeeds most among those who seem least likely to benefit from it, and least expected to submit to it. The tax collectors and prostitutes went into the kingdom of God before the scribes and Pharisees. So the last will be first, and the first last. We should not feel too sure about those who seem most eager, or give up on those who seem least promising.

Christ’s ministers must be both quick and urgent in inviting people to the gospel feast: “Go out quickly” (Luke 14:21). No time should be wasted, because everything is ready now. They are to call people to come today, while it is still today, and to compel them to come in by speaking kindly to them and drawing them with the cords of a man and the bands of love. It is completely wrong to use this as a reason for forcing people’s consciences, or forcing them against their consciences, in matters of religion. No such thing was meant here, like saying, “You must take the Lord’s Supper, or you will be fined, imprisoned, and ruined.” That is not the kind of compulsion intended. The weapons of our warfare are not worldly.

Even though many have already been brought in to enjoy the blessings of the gospel, there is still room for more. Christ’s riches are beyond measure and never run out. There is enough in him for everyone, and enough for each person. The gospel shuts out no one except those who shut themselves out.

Christ’s house, though great, will be filled in the end. That will happen when the full number of the elect, those chosen by God, has been completed, and all who were given to Christ are brought to him.