Jesus, invited to dine by a wealthy Pharisee, accepts. But before the meal begins, a crippled man suddenly appears. Okay, it’s the Sabbath, and Jesus knew what they were up to. He quickly healed the man and sent him on his way. Then, He asked them a sharp question that they couldn’t answer.

After that, Jesus watched the guests and the host and told two parables that made them all uncomfortable.

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Vss. 14:15-24.

Jesus, still at the Pharisee’s dinner among other posh guests of the religious leader’s ilk, hears one of them burst out with…

          “Blessed is EVERYONE (meaning, “we righteous Jews”) who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!

The guy probably wanted to sound ‘magnanimous’ to his fellow guests after Jesus had said ONLY the humble would be exalted, ONLY the compassionate would be rewarded, and that reward is from GOD, not from man, after the resurrection. (yesterday’s parables)

That prompted another jarring story from Jesus in answer to the man’s declaration.

No, not EVERYONE will be blessed to dine in God’s kingdom. And Jesus begins…

“A man once gave a great banquet and invited MANY.”

You can picture the well-fed guests leaning back to listen, perhaps finishing their final sips of wine.

“At the time for the banquet to begin, he sent his servants to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’”

The guests nodded. In those days, a formal invite would be sent out first. Once it was acknowledged with “I will attend,” they would later receive a final call right before the feast was served.  The guests would immediately come.

But in Jesus’ story…

“When the final call was sent out by messenger, the guests ALIKE began to make excuses. Huh?

          “I just bought a field, and I have to go see it.”

          “I have bought a yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them.”

          “I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.”

These are not reasons but excuses.

Surely the men would have checked out the land and the oxen BEFORE buying them.  And a “new wife” was only a valid excuse for a soldier at wartime. He could be excused to spend a year at home (and hopefully to father a child) before going off to fight.  This was a banquet!

The guests, hearing Jesus’ words, “maybe,” were feeling uncomfortable now.  Sure, they might have made an excuse in the past, but none so blatant as THESE! The host understood, didn’t he?

“The master of the house became angry and told his servant to ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.”

Every jaw at the table dropped.

“The returning servant said, ‘Sir, what You commanded has been done, and still there is room.’”

          “And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and to the hedges, and COMPEL people to come in … that my house may be filled.”

The guests around the Pharisee’s table, who believed every one of themselves was worthy to eat at God’s table in the Kingdom, were shaken. The poor, crippled, blind, and lame?  Sit at the lavish table with THEM???  And GENTILES!!!  NO. WAY.

Jesus then quietly, with all seriousness and warning, said…

“I tell you … NONE of those men WHO WERE INVITED shall taste my banquet.”

“Okay, Jesus,” the host might have said, “time to go. Thanks for coming and all of that…no, the servants will take care of the mess…and oh, here are your sandals. Bye.”

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Vss. 14:25-27.

In the rest of chapter 14, Jesus shows how, not crowds, but true disciples are His aim. No half-hearted followers who just want to be with the “in” crowd, Jesus was looking for those few who meant business, who, in order to be His disciple …

“…would hate their own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and yes, even their own lives (in comparison to the love they would have for HIM).

“…would bear their own cross (a willingness to die) and follow after HIM.

(Check out Matthew 10:37-38 for more understanding of this “hate.”)

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Vss. 14:28-33.

Here, Jesus gives two examples of “counting the cost” before deciding you want to be His disciple.

1. A builder who wants to construct a tower just doesn’t begin with supplies on hand, but draws plans, makes material lists, prices labor … all BEFORE he digs the foundation. Why?  Because he doesn’t want to get halfway done and run out of money.  How EMBARRASSING!!  He would become a laughingstock!
2. OR, a king who goes out to fight another king in a war. He first counts his troops and weapons, then decides whether his army of 10K can actually stand a chance against the enemy army of 20K. If not, well before the initial clash, he will send out a delegation (with an appeasement?) to seek peace.

Jesus was telling this huge crowd to examine their own hearts and see if they REALLY wanted to follow Him. (After all, remember, Jesus was heading for the cross.) Were they actually willing to give up ALL but Him?

“So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has, cannot be my disciple.”

It was not so much about giving up all their possessions as an absolute, unconditional surrender.  Their commitment to Him was to be without reservation.

(Wow. It’s serious business to want to give your life to the LORD. You may not have to live in poverty or die a martyr, but you should be willing to.  Am I that committed? Praise God, He sends His Holy Spirit to convict us and give us the power!)

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Vss. 14:34-35.

          “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? ”  It’s only good for keeping footpaths free of weeds.

Okay, TRUE salt (like a true disciple and his love for Christ) cannot lose its saltiness (flavor and preserving power).

But the salt around the Dead Sea can be contaminated with gypsum and other minerals that cause a flat, metallic taste and aren’t good as a preservative. This is like the majority of the people of the “crowds” following Jesus.  Just “fluff.”   And He knows it.