It Is Better to Give

Luke 14:15-24 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God." 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.' "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.' "Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' "Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.' "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.' " '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 compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.' "

Keywords: banquet, servant, purchased a field, five yoke of oxen, married/wedding, blind & lame

Banquet is a feast to celebrate an occasion. The banquet can be found in the Old and New Testament. As per Sawyer, the occasions can be sealing a friendship, celebrating a victory, and other joyous reasons.[1] The celebration would take place in the evening after the work day has ended. The typical for would be fish, bread, vegetables, cheese, honey, dates, and figs.

Servant is defined as a person totally responsible to and dependent on another person.[2] An individual could become a servant as a result of being a prisoner of war, default on a debt, or conviction of a crime. An individual could agree to servitude due to the inability to support themselves.

Field is an unenclosed land. The term can refer to a hunting ground, vineyard, or terrain. The term could also refer to a village without walls.[3]

Ox is a large work animal known for its strength.[4]

As reviewed during Luke 14:7-11; The wedding festival is a week or longer party. The bride is selected for the son by the parents. A year is given for the future husband to build a home for his bride.[5]

Blind and Lame were not allowed to serve in the Temple as per Leviticus 21:18.

The parable is a second way of understanding the wedding feast. The parable defines a contradiction in the thought about who will be in the kingdom of God. The belief is the decedents of Abraham will be at the wedding feast with God. Jesus uses this parable to explain that all who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior will be allowed in the kingdom. The lame and the blind were not allowed in the temple, yet these individuals were invited to the feast because many other guests had excuses. Based on Mosaic Law, these reasons all fall into the reasonable category.

Do not make excuses to accept that Jesus is the son of God. He was sent to use his innocent blood to cover the sins of humanity. The blood of Jesus allows humanity to be seen by God as acceptable. We are called to believe in Jesus, confess our sins, and turn our lives over to the will of God. As seen above good excuses may follow the law, but they are not worthy of putting off the call to be with God. Put away the excuses and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life.

Bibliography

Brooks, James A. "Slave/Servant", in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015.

Edwards, James R. The Gospel According to Luke. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company/Apollos, 2015.

Enns, Paul P. “Wedding” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015.

"Field", in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015.

"Ox", in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015.

Sawyer, W. Thomas. "Banquet", in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015.

[1] W. Thomas Sawyer, “Banquet”, in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015), 170. [2] James A. Brooks, “Slave/Servant”, in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015), 1482-1483. [3] “Field”, in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015), 569. [4] “Ox”, in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015), 1204. [5] Paul P. Enns, “Wedding”, in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015), 1645-1646.