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Luke 14:15–24
“Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet” (vv. 23–24).
One of the plainest teachings of Scripture is that the current sinful world order will not last forever, but the Lord will finally renew and restore His creation, banishing sin and coming to dwell with His people forever. In depicting the glory of creation’s ultimate state, God’s Word frequently describes an eschatological—final or ultimate—banquet at the end of history. For instance, Isaiah 25 says that when God removes death from the world, our Creator will make for all peoples “a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine” (v. 6). There will be a celebration of the Lord’s final victory over sin, death, and Satan. In keeping with Isaiah’s vision, Revelation 19 says that the great marriage supper of the Lamb will occur when the beast and false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire.
This feasting imagery forms the background for today’s passage. Jesus had just given parables that use a banquet or feast to make His point regarding the kingdom values of humility and generosity (Luke 14:7–14). His use of the metaphor evidently called to mind the eschatological banquet of God for one of the people who heard the parables, for the man remarked that those who “eat bread in the kingdom of God” will be blessed indeed (v. 15).
The man was correct in his assessment, but Jesus did not comment on the truth of his remark; rather, He clarified who would be present at the meal celebrating God’s triumph over evil by using the imagery of a banquet again. Jesus spoke of a man who gave a banquet, inviting many to attend. Our Savior does not say so directly, but the cultural setting and the fact that the man sent servants to call the invitees likely indicates that the invitees had said that they would come. Yet when the meal was ready, the invitees all said that they were too busy with financial or familial issues to attend. So the man holding the feast told his servants to go out and compel others to attend—the poor, crippled, blind, and lame, who were the unlikeliest people to be a part of the celebration. None of the original invitees would end up attending (vv. 16–24).
Essentially, Jesus was speaking against the Jewish leaders of His day. They had responded to God’s invitation to be a part of the kingdom formally, but when the time came to enter—signaled by Jesus’ preaching the kingdom of God—they had “better things” to do than to come to the feast. So they would miss out, but other unlikely people—gentiles and Jewish commoners—would come in.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Jesus’ use of the word “compel” suggests an effort to persuade. When we share the gospel with others, we are not simply to repeat the bare facts of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, but we are also to call people to faith, using our words to “compel” them to believe, as it were, so that they know the consequences of rejecting the gospel. In this, we are, of course, always relying on the Holy Spirit, for only He can persuade sinners.
for further study
- Proverbs 25:15
- Matthew 22:1–14
- 1 Corinthians 4:13
- 2 Corinthians 5:11
the bible in a year
- Psalms 47–49
- Acts 26