THE PARABLE OF THE GREAT BANQUET

Passage: Luke 14:15~24  

Key verse: 23

1. One excuse after another (15-20)

One of the guests at the table said to Jesus, 'Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.' How true! But would any of these guests be at that feast? Was it really the desire of their hearts? Jesus shared a parable with them that revealed their true priorities. In the parable, a man prepared a great banquet and invited many guests. Likewise, God invited those present at the dinner. As Jews, they had received God’s invitation in the Old Testament. But when the kingdom of God came to them in Jesus, they made excuses, just like the men in the parable. They let their careers, possessions, and relationships take priority in their hearts. They enjoyed the things of the world more than God.

2. Go out quickly (21-24)

The owner of the house would not let the feast go to waste, so he sent his servant out to invite the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. They were humble and grateful for the invitation. But still, there was room for more guests. So the owner sent the servant out again to the roads and country lanes. God desires His kingdom to be filled with all kinds of people. As his servants, we are to go and invite everyone we can find to come to the feast of God.



Prayer: Lord, send us out to invite people from every nation.

One Word: Go quickly and invite others