7 Then Jesus noticed how the guests always chose the places of honor. So he used this illustration when he spoke to them: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding, don’t take the place of honor. Maybe someone more important than you was invited. 9 Then your host would say to you, ‘Give this person your place.’ Embarrassed, you would have to take the place of least honor. 10 So when you’re invited, take the place of least honor. Then, when your host comes, he will tell you, ‘Friend, move to a more honorable place.’ Then all the other guests will see how you are honored. 11 Those who honor themselves will be humbled, but people who humble themselves will be honored.”
12 Then he told the man who had invited him, “When you invite people for lunch or dinner, don’t invite only your friends, family, other relatives, or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they will return the favor. 13 Instead, when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the handicapped, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then you will be blessed because they don’t have any way to pay you back. You will be paid back when those who have God’s approval come back to life.”
15 One of those eating with him heard this. So he said to Jesus, “The person who will be at the banquet in the kingdom of God is blessed.”
16 Jesus said to him, “A man gave a large banquet and invited many people. 17 When it was time for the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who were invited, ‘Come! Everything is ready now.’
18 “Everyone asked to be excused. The first said to him, ‘I bought a field, and I need to see it. Please excuse me.’ 19 Another said, ‘I bought five pairs of oxen, and I’m on my way to see how well they plow. Please excuse me.’ 20 Still another said, ‘I recently got married, and that’s why I can’t come.’
21 “The servant went back to report this to his master. Then the master of the house became angry. He told his servant, ‘Run to every street and alley in the city! Bring back the poor, the handicapped, the blind, and the lame.’
22 “The servant said, ‘Sir, what you’ve ordered has been done. But there is still room for more people.’
23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go to the roads and paths! Urge the people to come to my house. I want it to be full. 24 I can guarantee that none of those invited earlier will taste any food at my banquet.’ ”
Read Luke 14:7-24 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
While there are lots of things in this passage/parable we could focus on, in this journal entry, let’s look at the man hosting the banquet.
One thing I usually look for in the parables that Jesus told is whose character represents God – specifically “The Father”. Jesus said He came to show us the Father, so in most cases, Jesus’ parables will have a character who fills this role. Our parable in this passage has the host, who is the most likely representative of God the Father than any of the other characters included.
Some might wonder why does the role of the host matter or why we would want to look closer at this role. For me, I like looking closer because I want to find more insights into God’s character, and this parable has many fascinating insights – which we have been discussing in several of the earlier entries.
Looking most specifically at the host role though, two things stand out in my mind:
The host wants a full banquet.
The host wants the banquet so full that none of those who rejected the invitation would even have room in case they changed their mind.
If the host is representing God the Father, two interesting ideas stand out to me based on the two things that stood out in my mind.
First, the past lives of each guest don’t matter to the host. All that matters is that they are present. This is important because our past does not disqualify us from getting invited.
Secondly, everyone ultimately received an invitation. Only those who rejected the invitation were left out. This is important because we must value the invitation that we have been given, and choose to be ready when the time arrives.
These two ideas make up the one big thought I had on this passage when looking at the host role.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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