The Parable of the Great Feast
This week we’re uncovering the Parable of the Great Feast found in Luke 14:16-24. Check out this video as we learn about this week’s Bible study (also available as a podcast!).
This week we’ll be unpacking the Parable of the Great Feast in Luke 14:15-24.
This is an amazing parable that is directed toward the Pharisees, but ultimately is a message that applies to all who are lost (Hint: that’s ALL of us!). At the heart of this passage, we are going to learn that we are all invited to God’s table and that all we have to do is accept the invitation. Our attitude should shift from, “Here I am Jesus, aren’t you glad you get me?” to instead be “Thank you for your invitation. I’m not worthy, but I am honored to accept.”
DAY 1 - READ AND REFLECT
Let’s start by reading the full parable in, Luke 14:15-24. Re-read the passage, preferably in a different translation to get a clearer perspective on what the passage is communicating.
Keep in mind a parable is a story that parallels a message Jesus was trying to communicate, which would've been more easily understood by the original audience. Without a deep connection to Jewish culture, Jesus’ point is often lost on us. To understand the heart of Jesus’ parables, ask the following questions, and watch as the parables of Jesus come to life!
Who is the audience and how would the original hearer have heard this?
What cultural reference points would the original hearer have known that I miss?
Does the parable have characters and how are they described?
Does the parable have an unexpected ending that highlights the point Jesus was trying to make?
If Jesus were to make this point today, what parable might He tell?
To understand the CONTEXT around this passage, read right before this parable in Luke 14:1-14. Where is Jesus? Who is He gathering with? What lesson is He teaching prior to the parable we’re studying this week?
DAY 2 - THE KINGDOM OF GOD (Luke 14:15)
Before Jesus tells the Parable of the Great Feast, it’s prompted by someone at the table that said, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the Kingdom of God” (Luke 14:15, NIV).
The great feast or banquet they refer to here was an anticipated event to Messianic Jews. To understand the significance of this statement, we need to understand a little HISTORY around the feast and the Kingdom of God. Thankfully we can learn a lot about it through different passages in the Bible.
Reading Isaiah 25:6, what do we learn about the feast?
Looking at Luke 13:28-29 and Matthew 8:11, who would Jewish people have expected to be at the great feast as honored guests?
The man who made the comment in Luke 14:15 likely believed that he and the other Pharisees dining in the home of one of the “leading Pharisees” (vs. 1, CSB), would one day be at the banquet table in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus knew this was the Pharisee’s assumption and that is why He told this parable - to get their attention! Be on the lookout for the parable's unexpected ending this week.
For CONTEXT, in the New Testament, we see the “Kingdom of God” also called the “Kingdom of Heaven” as it referred to the future time of God’s heavenly rule on the earth (Matthew 6:9-10). The great feast in our parable was also referred to as the “marriage feast of the Lamb.” We see the celebration in Heaven outlined a little more in detail in Revelation 19:1-9.
Now that you understand more around the feast and Kingdom of Heaven, why do you think everyone would have wanted to be there? Do you want to be at the feast in the Kingdom of God?
DAY 3 - THE INVITATION (Luke 14:16-17)
In this week’s Parable of the Great Feast in Luke 14:15-24, Jesus started out by explaining that a man invited many guests to a great banquet. “At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready’ (vs. 17, NIV).
Did you notice anything interesting about how that verse is phrased? “At this time of the banquet” seems a little late to be going out to notify people of your party! But understanding HISTORY for this passage is important.
Wedding dates were often left ambiguous and open. A host had to prepare food, clean, cook, and so many other things to get ready for the party, so there were often two invitations: the first was to invite you as an honored guest, and the 2nd invitation came once the celebration was ready to begin.
To gain some CONTEXT around how to think about these invitations in connection with the Kingdom of God, read Matthew 3:1-3. Who was the first invitation from? What was his invitation?
Now read, Matthew 4:17 and 19:14. Who was the second invitation from?
This parable isn’t just a random story that Jesus is telling here, is it? This invitation He’s talking about is God’s invitation to us for the great feast. We have the privilege of saying “Yes!” to God’s invitation to the Kingdom of Heaven. To have an audience with God through Jesus. What may stop you from accepting the invitation?
DAY 4 - DECLINING THE INVITATION (Luke 14:18-20)
As we unpack the Parable of the Great Feast in Luke 14, we see that this was going to be an amazing party! It’s likely that no one would refuse to go. It was a distinguished honor to be invited to such an event and based on the HISTORY and culture of that day, skipping out would go against social norms.
And yet… as the feast was ready, and the servant went out to collect the guests, he started getting excuses.
“I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it.” (vs. 18, NIV)
“I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out.” (vs.19, NIV)
“I just got married, so I can’t come.” (vs. 20, NIV)
As we understand the HISTORY of the culture in this day, these excuses would have been ridiculous. Even if you don’t know a lot about that culture, it’s likely you can see the absurdity.
Would a person not see their land before they buy it?
Would a person not try out oxen before they buy them?
Would a person agree to go to an event when they have plans to get married?
To refuse an invitation to the feast would have been insulting to the host. Yet, that’s the message Jesus was trying to convey to the Pharisees here. They were taught to work hard and follow the law to achieve a high place of honor at the banquet table. At the same time, they were making excuses for not accepting the invitation that Jesus was presenting them.
READ Matthew 23:1-13. What do you learn about the Pharisees? Can you relate to any of their behavior?
Remember the CONTEXT around this passage. Read Luke 14:12-13. Who did Jesus say should be invited to banquets? Now read, Luke 15:1-2. Who was leaning in around Jesus after His parable? What was the Pharisee’s reaction?
Jesus practiced what He preached. He constantly spent time with the ostracized and outcast, who not only could give Him nothing in return, they also came at a cost to His reputation! The Pharisees' reaction to whom Jesus ate within Luke 15:1-2, highlighted that they would never even consider following Jesus' teaching in Luke 14:12-13! Why do you think the Pharisees reacted so strongly to Jesus' association with tax collectors and sinners in Luke 15:1-2? How does Jesus' teaching in Luke 14:12-13 challenge you?
DAY 5 - ACCEPTING THE INVITATION (Luke 14:21-24)
As we close out the study of the great feast parable in Luke 14, we see that the host, not wanting to waste the party, sends his servant out again to gather people from the streets including the “poor, maimed, blind and lame” (vs. 21, CSB).
Notice Luke 14:21 used the words “bring in here the poor…” (CSB). These are important words to notice as you READ since based on the protocol of that time, the poor would have declined to “come in” and attend such an extravagant banquet given their social status. They would have felt awkward, unworthy, and ashamed.
The servant in the story gathered as many people as he could and yet there was still more room (vs. 22). So the master told the servant to “go out to the highways and hedges and make them come in” (vs. 23, CSB). Knowing our AUTHOR Luke, Luke was a Gentile, who wrote to the Gentiles (anyone not Jewish), this wider group the servant invited alluded to the Gentiles. That said, this word picture helps us see that the host of the banquet (God) is willing to go to the deepest and darkest corners to have us join Him in the Kingdom of Heaven (Mark 16:15).
This parable illustrates what has been referred to as the “great reversal.” Those who end up accepting the invitation to the banquet table in the Kingdom of Heaven aren’t who you might expect. In the end, only broken/humble people are sitting at the table. What do we learn from that? Why is that good news?
Written by: Heather Erickson
List of Parables
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