9 June 2018 — 12:31
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 6 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
The fifty-third chapter of Isaiah describes Jesus Christ, the Servant of the Lord and Messiah, as “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” varón de dolores, experimentado en quebranto (v. 3). The New Testament account of His life bears that out. While Jesus wept (; ) and was grieved (; ), there is no indication in Scripture that He ever laughed. He told many somber, sobering stories, and even used sarcasm, but there is no record that He said anything to elicit laughter.
Despreciado y desechado entre los hombres, varón de dolores, experimentado en quebranto; y como que escondimos de él el rostro, fue menospreciado, y no lo estimamos.
The New Testament account of His life bears that out. While Jesus wept (; ) and was grieved (; ), there is no indication in Scripture that He ever laughed. He told many somber, sobering stories, and even used sarcasm, but there is no record that He said anything to elicit laughter.
The fifty-third chapter of Isaiah describes Jesus Christ, the Servant of the Lord and Messiah, as “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (v. 3). The New Testament account of His life bears that out. While Jesus wept (; ) and was grieved (; ), there is no indication in Scripture that He ever laughed. He told many somber, sobering stories, and even used sarcasm, but there is no record that He said anything to elicit laughter.
The New Testament account of His life bears that out. While Jesus wept (; ) and was grieved (; ), there is no indication in Scripture that He ever laughed. He told many somber, sobering stories, and even used sarcasm, but there is no record that He said anything to elicit laughter.
And yet the story He told in this text would surely have seemed like a joke to those who heard it. They would have seen it as laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous, impossible, inconceivable; a joke without a punch line; an impossible scenario. A great feast like the one of which the Lord spoke, given by a wealthy, prominent man, would have been the social event of the year. For some, it might have been the highlight of their lives. No one invited to such a banquet would have dreamed of refusing the invitation. Nor would such an important person invite the dregs of society to fill his banquet hall.
Jesus was still at the Sabbath-day meal at the home of a Pharisee described in the previous chapter of this volume. He had been invited in an attempt by the hostile Pharisees to trap Him into violating their man-made Sabbath restrictions by performing a healing (vv. 1–2). But He turned the tables on them and exposed their hypocrisy, shaming them into silence (vv. 3–6). Having silenced them, He then took the offensive and told a parable illustrating their duplicity, conceit, and hypocrisy (vv. 7–14).
The Lord had concluded His illustration with a reference to the resurrection and reward of the righteous. The scribes and Pharisees understood that He was referring to eternal life, and challenging them to humble themselves to receive it. Earning that resurrection was their supreme hope. They believed that by enduring the minute prescriptions, deprivation, self-sacrifice, and rituals of their religious system they would gain eternal life in God’s kingdom. In all false religions the promise of a good life in the future after death motivates people to put up with the restrictions and burdens imposed on them in this life.
Jesus was speaking in familiar terms because the Old Testament pictured the resurrection of the righteous as a magnificent banquet in the presence of God:
Y Jehová de los ejércitos hará en este monte a todos los pueblos banquete de manjares suculentos, banquete de vinos refinados, de gruesos tuétanos y de vinos purificados. Y destruirá en este monte la cubierta con que están cubiertos todos los pueblos, y el velo que envuelve a todas las naciones. Destruirá a la muerte para siempre; y enjugará Jehová el Señor toda lágrima de todos los rostros; y quitará la afrenta de su pueblo de toda la tierra; porque Jehová lo ha dicho.
Y se dirá en aquel día: He aquí, éste es nuestro Dios, le hemos esperado, y nos salvará; éste es Jehová a quien hemos esperado, nos gozaremos y nos alegraremos en su salvación.
The Lord’s reference to the resurrection of the righteous as a banquet was not lost on the guests, who thought of that great future heavenly gathering. That connection prompted one of those who were reclining at the table with Him to say in response, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” Bienaventurado el que coma pan en el reino de Dios. This was a beatitude; a toast directed at himself and his fellow Pharisees, affirming that they will be among the blessed at the heavenly banquet in the kingdom of God. It was not only a pronouncement of blessing on themselves, but also a scornful rebuke of the Lord’s declaration that they were too proud to enter God’s kingdom (cf. 14:11). His words bounced off their confidence that their Abrahamic ancestry (cf. ) and adherence to the traditions, regulations, and rituals would secure a place for them at God’s banquet. Not only did they fully expect to be at that heavenly feast, but also to be in the seats of honor.
The Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; a banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, and refined, aged wine. And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, even the veil which is stretched over all nations. He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken. And it will be said in that day, “Behold, 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.” (; cf. ; ; )
Bienaventurado el que coma pan en el reino de Dios.
The Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; a banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, and refined, aged wine. And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, even the veil which is stretched over all nations. He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken. And it will be said in that day, “Behold, 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.” (; cf. ; ; )
The Lord’s reference to the resurrection of the righteous as a banquet was not lost on the guests, who thought of that great future heavenly gathering. That connection prompted one of those who were reclining at the table with Him to say in response, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” This was a beatitude; a toast directed at himself and his fellow Pharisees, affirming that they will be among the blessed at the heavenly banquet in the kingdom of God. It was not only a pronouncement of blessing on themselves, but also a scornful rebuke of the Lord’s declaration that they were too proud to enter God’s kingdom (cf. 14:11). His words bounced off their confidence that their Abrahamic ancestry (cf. ) and adherence to the traditions, regulations, and rituals would secure a place for them at God’s banquet. Not only did they fully expect to be at that heavenly feast, but also to be in the seats of honor.
Reina Valera Revisada (1960). (1998). (). Miami: Sociedades Bı́blicas Unidas. This was a beatitude; a toast directed at himself and his fellow Pharisees, affirming that they will be among the blessed at the heavenly banquet in the kingdom of God. It was not only a pronouncement of blessing on themselves, but also a scornful rebuke of the Lord’s declaration that they were too proud to enter God’s kingdom (cf. 14:11). His words bounced off their confidence that their Abrahamic ancestry (cf. ) and adherence to the traditions, regulations, and rituals would secure a place for them at God’s banquet. Not only did they fully expect to be at that heavenly feast, but also to be in the seats of honor.
Jesus always sought to shatter unwarranted religious hope, and never encouraged anyone’s false sense of security, so that arrogant, misguided assumption called for immediate and unmistakable correction. Following His example is essential to all true evangelism. Those with an unfounded assumption that they are headed for heaven need to know that they are fatally deceived. To expect heaven while rejecting Jesus Christ and His gospel is the most deadly and serious of all false hopes (cf. ).
Jesus’ illustration and its application was a direct assault on the delusional self-confidence of the Jewish people, in particular the scribes and Pharisees. It may be divided into four points: the invitation, the excuses, the inclusion, and the exclusion.
MacArthur, J. (2013). (pp. 268–270). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.
Body
Jesus was in the midst of a Sabbath dinner party that had grown quite intense. The party became tension-filled from the moment Jesus stepped through the door because “he was being carefully watched” (v. 1) by the religious leaders who had been invited to the dinner for just that purpose. And the tension escalated when he healed a man of dropsy (edema in modern medical terminology), then silenced his would-be critics with a deft question and an allusion to their own rabbinical practice of rescuing mere animals but not people on the Sabbath. As if that were not enough, Jesus went on to criticize both the guests and the host—the guests for seeking the seats of honor, and the host for inviting only those who could return the favor. Everyone in the room had been deliberately insulted by Jesus.
It is reasonable to imagine that in the silence no one was eating the sumptuous fare. The party was becoming a disaster. The host and his friends were silently enduring a theological meltdown. They were mortified.
A quick-tongued guest then attempted to save the day with a pious exclamation.
Oyendo esto uno de los que estaban sentados con él a la mesa, le dijo: Bienaventurado el que coma pan en el reino de Dios.
The man’s words no doubt had a feigned earnestness to them. The exclamation sounded good—but it was insincere. Its pious language evoked everyone’s assent and a momentary hope of escaping Jesus’ onslaught. The man’s statement mirrored the religious leaders’ corporate confidence. In essence it meant, “Blessed are the likes of us who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” “Amen! Well said! Now pass the condiments…”
“When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, ‘Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God’ ” (v. 15). The man’s words no doubt had a feigned earnestness to them. The exclamation sounded good—but it was insincere. Its pious language evoked everyone’s assent and a momentary hope of escaping Jesus’ onslaught. The man’s statement mirrored the religious leaders’ corporate confidence. In essence it meant, “Blessed are the likes of us who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” “Amen! Well said! Now pass the condiments…”
But their confidence was misleading, and Jesus could not let the exclamation pass—for their souls’ sake. He knew that in their inmost being there was little desire for God’s kingdom, pious declarations aside. So there at the Sabbath feast, with the religious leaders at the table, Jesus delivered the Parable of the Great Banquet to expose the true motivations and desires of the religious establishment. Jesus’ tale issues a warning to every pious heart.
THE INVITATION (VV. 16–20)
Invitations Extended
Entonces Jesús le dijo: Un hombre hizo una gran cena, y convidó a muchos.Y a la hora de la cena envió a su siervo a decir a los convidados: Venid, que ya todo está preparado.
A man of immense means extended an invitation to his friends to attend “a great banquet,” the greatness of which would have derived from two things—a large list of names and an extensive menu of culinary delights and libations. This was a feast no one would wish to miss. The “great banquet” pictured the ultimate kingdom banquet, the supper of the Lamb (cf. 13:28, 29; 22:16; ). Using the symbol of a feast for Heaven is of immense spiritual significance because it suggests eternal satisfaction. Even in this world, a banquet is much more than a means of satisfying physical hunger—it is more than eating.
Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ ” (vv. 16, 17)
A man of immense means extended an invitation to his friends to attend “a great banquet,” the greatness of which would have derived from two things—a large list of names and an extensive menu of culinary delights and libations. This was a feast no one would wish to miss. The “great banquet” pictured the ultimate kingdom banquet, the supper of the Lamb (cf. 13:28, 29; 22:16; ). Using the symbol of a feast for Heaven is of immense spiritual significance because it suggests eternal satisfaction. Even in this world, a banquet is much more than a means of satisfying physical hunger—it is more than eating.
As David Gooding has explained, “The metaphor of feasting, as distinct from merely eating a meal assures us that no true potential appetite, desire, or longing given us by God will prove to have been a deception, but all will be granted their richest and most sublime fulfillment.” The “great banquet” is a lavish, sumptuous image of the kingdom of Heaven that will be exceeded by its reality—joyous satisfaction! And, of course, the ultimate convener and host will be Christ himself.
The custom of invitation in Jesus’ time involved two invitations that can be traced back to the Book of Esther (cf. 5:8; 6:14) and extended well into the fifth century A.D. when the Midrash on Lamentations said of the men of Jerusalem, “None of them would attend a banquet unless he was invited twice” (4:2). Therefore, when a prominent banquet was given, invitations were first sent out announcing the time of the upcoming meal, and the guests indicated their acceptance. Then on the day of the banquet a servant was sent out to reinvite the invited guests. To accept the first invitation but decline the second was an unconscionable insult.
Los hijos de Sion, preciados y estimados más que el oro puro,
¡Cómo son tenidos por vasijas de barro, obra de manos de alfarero!
Y vino hasta delante de la puerta del rey; pues no era lícito pasar adentro de la puerta del rey con vestido de cilicio.
“None of them would attend a banquet unless he was invited twice” (4:2). Therefore, when a prominent banquet was given, invitations were first sent out announcing the time of the upcoming meal, and the guests indicated their acceptance. Then on the day of the banquet a servant was sent out to reinvite the invited guests. To accept the first invitation but decline the second was an unconscionable insult.
Regrets Returned
And yet in Jesus’ parable those who had accepted the first invitation unanimously begged off with lame excuses.
Century 21 excuse.
Y todos a una comenzaron a excusarse. El primero dijo: He comprado una hacienda, y necesito ir a verla; te ruego que me excuses.
Lucas 14
Some “excuse”! Who would ever purchase land in his town without looking it over? Besides, the field was not going to run away! But at least he was courteous and couched his excuse as a matter of duty—“I must go and see it.” But it was still just an excuse.
“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me’ ” (v. 18). Some “excuse”! Who would ever purchase land in his town without looking it over? Besides, the field was not going to run away! But at least he was courteous and couched his excuse as a matter of duty—“I must go and see it.” But it was still just an excuse.
Bovine excuse.
Otro dijo: He comprado cinco yuntas de bueyes, y voy a probarlos; te ruego que me excuses.
He did not argue duty but simply said, “I’m on my way.” But the excuse was transparently flimsy. No one would buy ten oxen (20,000 pounds of livestock) without knowing their capabilities.
The second excuse was less courteous: “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me’ ” (v. 19). He did not argue duty but simply said, “I’m on my way.” But the excuse was transparently flimsy. No one would buy ten oxen (20,000 pounds of livestock) without knowing their capabilities.
Nuptial excuse. The third excuse was terse and rude:
Y otro dijo: Acabo de casarme, y por tanto no puedo ir.
This one may have even cited Scripture (), but he used it wrongly
Cuando alguno fuere recién casado, no saldrá a la guerra, ni en ninguna cosa se le ocupará; libre estará en su casa por un año, para alegrar a la mujer que tomó.
“Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come’ ” (v. 20). This one may have even cited Scripture (), but he used it wrongly because that text exempts the newly married from duties, specifically the military, but not from parties.
because that text exempts the newly married from duties, specifically the military, but not from parties.
because that text exempts the newly married from duties, specifically the military, but not from parties.
The first two excuses had to do with material possessions, and the third with affections. Possessions and affections cover virtually every reason by which men and women give their regrets to the kingdom.
Furthermore, the basic thinking behind their regrets reveals humankind’s universal rejection of the kingdom. It is obvious that their refusal to come to the feast was contrary to sound reason. The decision to forgo a sumptuous feast prepared for you and your friends, to forgo the joy and laughter and satisfactions offered in order to visit your properties or your farm machinery, or even to be with your new wife, does not make good sense. They will all be there when you return. Your new wife might even be glad for a break from your wonderful presence!
Jesus offers the kingdom, a perpetual feast of peace, a feast of help, guidance, friendship, rest, victory over self, control of passions, supremacy over circumstances—a feast of joy, tranquillity, deathlessness, Heaven opened, immeasurable hope—salvation. Yet, people turn their backs on this feast, preferring a visit with their possessions and affections.
Jesus’ parable does not demean our possessions (our fields and oxen) or our affections (our loved ones). These are all legitimate. We certainly ought to check out our land, try our oxen, give pleasure to our loved ones. In fact, the more a man lives upon the feast that is in Christ, the more fit he will be for all these other enjoyments. The field will be better tended, the oxen better utilized, and his wife more tenderly and sacredly loved. But if our possessions and affections be so preferred that they become excuses to turn down Christ’s feast, our thinking is absurd and our souls in danger.
The real reason the three invitees offered their lame excuses was that they really did not want to go to the feast. Their excuses that, in their minds, made attendance at the feast impossible would have evaporated if they really wanted to be there. In today’s terms, if they were offered front-row seats at the NBA Championships, or a box seat to hear “The Three Tenors” (Pavarotti, Domingo, and Carreras), or a week’s fly fishing on the Madison, or a week’s shopping in Paris, they would have found someone to tend the field, the oxen, and, yes, even the home. Make no mistake, the real reason people turn away from the eternal feast is that they do not want to be there. They have no appetite for higher things.
It is easy to make general applications, but this text is talking about us and our preferences. We need to ask ourselves whether we like our car more than we like God. If Christ’s banquet and a large worldly estate were spread before us as options, would we rather have the estate?
Why is it that when Christ offers forgiveness, peace, eternal life, and an eternal feast, so few respond? Why is it that people do not want the kingdom? It is because their thinking is skewed. They do not think rightly about the eternal. In the depths of their hearts they do not want God.
The religious leaders in Christ’s day acted as if they wanted the kingdom, but in fact they did not. What a tragedy! The hardest people to reach are those who say, “Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God” Bienaventurado el que coma pan en el reino de Dios. (v. 15), who bow toward God’s Word, but are unwilling to come to the feast.
SUCCESSIVE INVITATIONS (VV. 21–23)
Luke does not tell us how those at the dinner party responded to Jesus’ parable. Some of them must have seen where the story was going—that they cared little for God’s kingdom despite their affirmation to be kingdom seekers.
Outcasts Invited
Likely few or none of them were ready for the next turn in the tale—namely, the kingdom offered to outcasts.
Vuelto el siervo, hizo saber estas cosas a su señor. Entonces enojado el padre de familia, dijo a su siervo: Vé pronto por las plazas y las calles de la ciudad, y trae acá a los pobres, los mancos, los cojos y los ciegos.
Historically, from the time of the giving of the Law, the physically blemished were barred from full participation in worship (cf. ).
“The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame’ ” (v. 21).
Habla a Aarón y dile: Ninguno de tus descendientes por sus generaciones, que tenga algún defecto, se acercará para ofrecer el pan de su Dios. Porque ningún varón en el cual haya defecto se acercará; varón ciego, o cojo, o mutilado, o sobrado, o varón que tenga quebradura de pie o rotura de mano, o jorobado, o enano, o que tenga nube en el ojo, o que tenga sarna, o empeine, o testículo magullado. Ningún varón de la descendencia del sacerdote Aarón, en el cual haya defecto, se acercará para ofrecer las ofrendas encendidas para Jehová. Hay defecto en él; no se acercará a ofrecer el pan de su Dios. Del pan de su Dios, de lo muy santo y de las cosas santificadas, podrá comer. Pero no se acercará tras el velo, ni se acercará al altar, por cuanto hay defecto en él; para que no profane mi santuario, porque yo Jehová soy el que los santifico.
Historically, from the time of the giving of the Law, the physically blemished were barred from full participation in worship (cf. ). The rule had been rigorously stressed in the Qumran community (cf. I Q Sa 2:5ff. CD 13:4–7). Of course, their disabilities also forced many into poverty, making them ragged outcasts. But now the sumptuous feast, the lavishly appointed tables, and the endless entrees of exquisite cuisine were set before many who could not even see it all—blind beggars. The lame and crippled hobbled to the tables, their eager eyes reflecting the bountiful feast. Pitiful rags draped from bent limbs as they eased awkwardly into place. Amazing!
The rule had been rigorously stressed in the Qumran community (cf. I Q Sa 2:5ff. CD 13:4–7). Of course, their disabilities also forced many into poverty, making them ragged outcasts. But now the sumptuous feast, the lavishly appointed tables, and the endless entrees of exquisite cuisine were set before many who could not even see it all—blind beggars. The lame and crippled hobbled to the tables, their eager eyes reflecting the bountiful feast. Pitiful rags draped from bent limbs as they eased awkwardly into place. Amazing!
The rule had been rigorously stressed in the Qumran community (cf. I Q Sa 2:5ff. CD 13:4–7). Of course, their disabilities also forced many into poverty, making them ragged outcasts. But now the sumptuous feast, the lavishly appointed tables, and the endless entrees of exquisite cuisine were set before many who could not even see it all—blind beggars. The lame and crippled hobbled to the tables, their eager eyes reflecting the bountiful feast. Pitiful rags draped from bent limbs as they eased awkwardly into place. Amazing!
This is, of course, what the gospel does. Listen to the lines of Vachal Lindsey’s poem “General William Booth Enters Heaven”:
Walking lepers followed, rank on rank,
Lurching bravoes from the ditches dank …
Vermin-eaten saints with mouldy breath,
Unwashed legions from the ways of death—
Drabs and vixens in a flash made whole!
Gone was the weasel-head, the snout, the jowl;
Sages and sibyls now, and athletes clean,
Rulers of empires, and of forests green!
In Jesus’ parable, the subclasses of society, those of less noble standing, were called to the table. But the great banquet still had many unfilled spaces.
Gentiles Invited
So the servant approached his master.
Y dijo el siervo: Señor, se ha hecho como mandaste, y aún hay lugar.Dijo el señor al siervo: Vé por los caminos y por los vallados, y fuérzalos a entrar, para que se llene mi casa.
This is a prophetic reference to the Gentiles who would soon be invited into the kingdom through faith in Christ (cf. ; ; ). The Apostle Paul’s heart would be aflame with his gospel mission to the Gentiles.
“ ‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full’ ” (vv. 22, 23). This is a prophetic reference to the Gentiles who would soon be invited into the kingdom through faith in Christ (cf. ; ; ). The Apostle Paul’s heart would be aflame with his gospel mission to the Gentiles.
Historically, the phrase “make them come” (literally, “force them to enter”) has been abused, as, for example, by the leaders of the Inquisition. But the point of it is that outcasts, Gentiles, and the poor would need some convincing in order to overcome their natural reticence. The servant was not to take no for an answer. The feast must be filled. No seat can be left empty.
And so it will be in the eternal state. When all the seats are filled by Jews and Gentiles, many (or most!) of whom are poor, crippled, blind, and lame, the feast will begin. What rejoicing there will be!
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
Y oí como la voz de una gran multitud, como el estruendo de muchas aguas, y como la voz de grandes truenos, que decía: ¡Aleluya, porque el Señor nuestro Dios Todopoderoso reina!Gocémonos y alegrémonos y démosle gloria; porque han llegado las bodas del Cordero, y su esposa se ha preparado.Y a ella se le ha concedido que se vista de lino fino, limpio y resplandeciente; porque el lino fino es las acciones justas de los santos.
Y el ángel me dijo: Escribe: Bienaventurados los que son llamados a la cena de las bodas del Cordero. Y me dijo: Estas son palabras verdaderas de Dios.
CLOSING REFLECTIONS
Apocalipsis 19:6
“Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)
Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” ()
CLOSING REFLECTIONS
Presuming that silence still prevailed at the dinner party, Jesus’ final words must have settled with a pall over the guests:
Porque os digo que ninguno de aquellos hombres que fueron convidados, gustará mi cena.
This was an extremely personal confrontation. They were the original invitees, but not one would be admitted to the messianic meal unless there was a response of repentance. At that moment every soul in that room except Jesus was lost! Those custodians of the Law, those leaders of Israel, were doomed to judgment!
“ ‘I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet’ ” (v. 24). This was an extremely personal confrontation. They were the original invitees, but not one would be admitted to the messianic meal unless there was a response of repentance. At that moment every soul in that room except Jesus was lost! Those custodians of the Law, those leaders of Israel, were doomed to judgment!
They had received two invitations to the messianic banquet. The first had come through the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. They had answered yes. Of course they would not miss the banquet, whenever it would come. Just send the customary second invitation and they would be there for the feast. It was a conventional yes, but it was not from the heart. They actually loved their fields and their oxen and their homes far more than they loved God. They preferred their possessions and affections to Heaven. They loved the world first! And now that Jesus the Messiah had come with the second invitation to the feast, they would have none of it.
All their religious posturing was so empty. “Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God” Bienaventurado el que coma pan en el reino de Dios. was pious jargon. Their kingdom longing was bogus. Their true longing was for worldly comfort. There was such urgency in Christ’s method here. He was combative because he ached for their repentance. They must hear and do his Word to avoid judgment.
Bienaventurado el que coma pan en el reino de Dios.
Reina Valera Revisada (1960). (1998). (). Miami: Sociedades Bı́blicas Unidas.was pious jargon. Their kingdom longing was bogus. Their true longing was for worldly comfort. There was such urgency in Christ’s method here. He was combative because he ached for their repentance. They must hear and do his Word to avoid judgment.
The question for Jesus’ hearers and us is, do we really want to attend the feast? Or are other things more important? Our portfolios? Our cars? Our homes?
It has cost Jesus everything to prepare the feast—pain, tears, flesh, and blood. Now he invites us to come and drink the blood he has shed and to eat the bread that cost him everything.
Hughes, R. K. (1998). Luke: that you may know the truth (pp. 115–121). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.