The Great Banquet

Story Snapshot

A man prepares a great banquet, but the invited guests all make excuses. Angered, he sends his servant to bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame from the streets, and then anyone found on the roads, so his house will be full.

Main Characters

Story Summary

When a guest at the table remarked on the blessing of eating in the kingdom of God, Jesus told this parable. A man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those invited, Come, for everything is now ready. But they all began to make excuses. One had bought a field and had to see it; another had bought five yoke of oxen and had to try them; another had just married. The servant reported this to his master, who became angry and told him to go out quickly into the streets and alleys and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. When there was still room, the master said, Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. For, he declared, not one of those who were invited will taste my banquet. The parable pictures God's open invitation to his kingdom, the refusal of those who assumed they belonged, and the surprising welcome of the outcast in their place.

Timeline

• The InvitationA man prepares a great banquet and invites many.
• The ExcusesThe invited guests each decline for their own reasons.
• The ReversalThe angry host brings in the poor and outcast.
• The CommandHe sends out again so his house will be full.

Themes

What This Story Means

The banquet pictures the kingdom of God, and the invitation is genuine and generous. But those first invited, standing for the religious insiders who assumed a place was theirs, make excuses that are really preferences: a field, some oxen, a marriage, all good things allowed to crowd out the greatest thing. Their refusal opens the door to the unexpected. The host fills his hall with the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame, and finally with strangers from the roads. Jesus teaches that God's kingdom will be full, but not necessarily with those who presumed on their invitation. Excuses, however reasonable they sound, are still refusals. And the grace that the insiders spurned becomes the welcome that the outsiders receive.

Bringing It Home

• God's invitation to his kingdom is generous and genuine.
• Reasonable excuses can still be a refusal of God.
• Preoccupation with good things can crowd out the greatest thing.
• God welcomes the outcast and the unexpected into his feast.
• A place assumed can be a place forfeited.

Key Verse

Did You Know?

• The excuses, a field, oxen, and marriage, echo grounds for exemption in the law.
• Filling the hall with the poor was a striking social reversal.
• It was told at a meal, in response to a remark about the kingdom.
• It is unique to Luke's Gospel.

Read Next

What This Shows Us About God

• God invites generously to the feast of his kingdom.
• God welcomes the outcast when the invited refuse.
• God will see his house filled.

What This Shows Us About People

• We let good things become excuses to refuse God.
• We presume on invitations we take for granted.
• We are surprised by whom God welcomes in our place.

A Question to Sit With

What good things am I letting become excuses that keep me from God's feast?

Prayer

Lord, thank You for inviting me to Your feast. Keep me from letting even good things become excuses. Give me a heart that comes gladly, and rejoices at whoever else You welcome in. Amen.