Luke 14:15, commentary and pictures

At a meal where guests were taught to take the lowest place and to invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind for recompense at the resurrection of the just, one fellow diner exclaimed about the blessedness of eating bread in the kingdom of God, voicing the familiar expectation of a future feast sharing eternal life with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and his remark prompted the parable of a man who made a great supper and invited many. The speaker made himself prominent with seeming piety, yet like Balaam wishing to die the death of the righteous he desired the blessing while belonging to those first invited who refused to come and of whom it was declared that none would taste of the supper. His confident, pious-sounding turn to future blessedness avoided the question of present fitness, but sharing in that kingdom depends on accepting God's invitation of mercy now and giving it priority through present opportunity and service. Those who cherished the hope were slighting and rejecting it with excuses of possessions, business, pleasure, and family ties, so by valuing temporal interests above eternal things they would lose their place while the invitation went to the poor and needy and to those they despised until the house was filled. The feast is the gospel invitation, the bread of life and marriage supper of the Lamb now offered in the last call to the world, to be carried even to the degraded and unworthy and to thousands of places not yet reached, so that those in Christ of different backgrounds and former prejudices will journey to the same heaven and sit together at the same table with contempt and prejudice broken down.

Setting and Expectation

The remark was made by one fellow diner at table with Jesus after hearing His teaching to choose the lowest room instead of the chief rooms and to invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind rather than friends and rich neighbors, for recompense at the resurrection of the just, declaring blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God, and this remark prompted the parable of a certain man who made a great supper and bade many. The speaker was a guest and a Pharisee at the meal who made himself prominent with seeming piety, uttering a pious-sounding claim about the blessedness of sharing the future feast in God's kingdom. For him the eating of bread was the great lesson, and he used this hope of future blessedness to divert attention from present duties.

The declaration reflected the familiar Jewish expectation of a future feast in the kingdom of God, a familiar expression of hope for the blessings of God's kingdom. It looked for sharing the blessings of eternal life with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob while Gentiles were excluded, with the sacred feast serving as a type of those eternal blessings. Christ answered this expectation with the parable of the supper, showing that the invited guests who cherished it might refuse the call, while the poor and needy would be brought in so that the house is filled.

The exclamation revealed a spirit like Balaam's wish to die the death of the righteous, wanting the blessing of the kingdom while belonging to the class first invited to the supper who refused to come. Of that class it is declared in the parable that none would taste of His supper.

Accepting the Invitation Now

The confident, pious-sounding declaration of how blessed it will be to eat bread in the kingdom of God shifted attention from present duty to the future resurrection, avoiding the question of present fitness to share in that blessing. Sharing in that future kingdom depends on how the invitation of mercy is answered now, by accepting it, giving it priority in this life, and using present opportunities and privileges for service.

In answer the parable of the supper shows that those who cherished this expectation and first heard the invitation were rejecting it and slighting it, and that by disregarding it they would lose their place and not taste of the supper. The invitation would go instead to the poor and needy, to people they despised and regarded as having little value, so that the house would be filled. Even talk of that hope did not prevent this refusal, for those who heard the invitation of mercy made excuses and slighted it.

Worldly possessions, business, riches, pleasure, pursuits, and family ties absorbed them, so that blessings received from God became barriers when temporal interests were valued above eternal things. They turned from an invitation offered at great cost to their own excuses rather than accept it.

Sharing the Gospel Feast

The kingdom of God is set forth as a feast, and the invitation to that feast is the invitation to receive the gospel. Those who need spiritual enlightenment are to be given the truth as spiritual food, the bread of life. Even those sunk in degrading habits, burdened by sin, and feeling unworthy are not to be shut out from this gospel feast. They are to receive the invitation and be urged to come in by patient, earnest effort joined with love and kindness.

Sharing the meal in God's kingdom is the gospel feast, the marriage supper of the Lamb. Its blessing is offered through the last call and last invitation now to be given to the world in the message of Christ's soon coming. Carrying that invitation to thousands of places that have not yet heard it is the work given to this people. Young men are called to sound it.

Those who belong to Christ, though of different backgrounds and former prejudices, are journeying to the same heaven and will be seated together at the same table to share bread in the kingdom of God. Those united with Christ and in whom His love and Spirit abide will not despise a fellow believer because of race. They will not be offended when a colored brother sits by their side. Contempt and prejudice are broken down in them.