Will You Share in Heaven’s Banquet? (Luke 14:7-24)
by Rev. Jeremiah Cheung
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When foreigners meet, they greet each other: How are you? This is because foreigners value the enjoyment of life. They don’t save much. During long weekends, even the church attendance drops, for whole families would go out on vacations.
Jews greet each other “Peace!” when they meet. For 2000 years, the Jews had never had peace. Israel continues to be at war. Peace is what they long for. When Chinese see each other, we say: Have you eaten? We are a people who love to eat.
Eating is a form of culture. There are particulars about being a guest and a host. Foreigners can never understand the ways of Chinese. For example, when you arrive at a foreigner’s house while they are having their meals, they will courteously ask if you had eaten and invite you to eat with them. We as Chinese would politely decline and say `I have already eaten’, but actually, you haven’t. Then, the foreigners will take our word for it and leave us alone, perhaps ask you to sit and wait till they are finished. Then, you become displeased because for you it was impolite of them to not have insisted. That is how Chinese are. We will say: ‘No, I have already eaten.’ The host will say, `It’s alright, come and eat some more.’ Then, you will reply, `No…truly no.’ The host will say, `There isn’t much to offer you, just a few simple dishes.’ (But actually there are four courses!) And the exchange would continue: `No, that would be embarrassing.’ `No problem, we’ll just add another pair of chopsticks?’ Then, we will finally say `Okay.’
In the Bible, Jesus teaches us how to be a host and a guest. We must understand the expected roles of a host and a guest.
I. On Being a Guest V. 7-11
Jesus knew how to teach and how to tell a story well. Jesus made good use of teachable moments. This, we need to learn. Sometimes, in seeking to teach our children, we would order them to put off the TV or the computer while they are on it, then we’d give them a sermon. Yet, it turned out ineffective. It is because we did the right thing but not at the right time.
If we seize teachable moments and instruct them then it would be so much more effective. Sometimes, when I am driving my children to school and I would see something, I will immediately take the opportunity to teach them some things, just like when someone races a red light, or disobey traffic rules, these are teachable moments.
Jesus did the same. He took the opportunity to teach his disciples when he saw how the guests were picking the places of honour at the table. He said:
8″When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests.”
Do you remember the story of `King Arthur and His Knights’? King Arthur’s round table could seat 250 people and it was highly valued because people in the olden days had long tables not round ones. With long tables, no one could just sit anywhere he liked, for each seat has an attached title or rank; but at a round table, everyone was on equal footing. In the church, there are no ranking, you can sit anywhere but I believe out in the secular society, there are status distinctions. Do not turn the church into a social organization. The church is God’s family, in a family, everyone is equal.
“Jesus taught them, saying: v.10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then, you will be honoured in the presence of all your fellow guests.” How do you feel about that? I feel it is very hypocritical if you take this passage literally. For example, you invite me to your son’s wedding party. As I arrive, I intentionally sit on the table nearest the rest room and farthest from the host’s table. When you see me, you will say: “Oh, Rev. Cheung, why are you seated here? Come.” And you lead me to a table in front. Moving from the least to the most honoured seat, how glorious I’d feel as I make my way to that table and with the host leading me by the hand even. Everyone would ask who is he, he must be such a big shot. How glorious it would be for me!
Is this what Jesus is teaching us here? Of course not! We cannot interpret the Bible literally. Jesus’ true intention was to teach humility, v.11 “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” This is about the attitude of one’s heart. When we are invited, we must go in humility, in our heart we ought to feel our unworthiness – `who am I that I should be invited, it already means a lot to be given a seat, how can I seek for an honoured seat.’ But some people do not know themselves, they feel they are the most important guest, and as a result, they are asked to step down from the high positions. How humiliating!
But was this Jesus’ reason for speaking the parable? If so, this is but a teaching on human relationships, teaching us to be humble. Jesus meant something more. Verses 15-24 speak of the heavenly banquet. We find out that He is referring to this event.
Verse 15 “When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed be the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” And Jesus went on to speak another parable about a different banquet wherein the guests were the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. These people were unqualified to join the banquet, but they got invited. We are the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. None of us are qualified to be in heaven’s banquet, yet by the grace of God, we enter in.
Some people were applying to be church members, so I asked some pastors to interview them. The first qualification for becoming a CBCP member is that you must know clearly for yourself that you are saved. If you die today, are you 100% sure that you will go to heaven? 50%,70%,80% is not enough. We must be 100% certain of our salvation, even 99% is not enough. For our salvation is 100% the work of the Lord. We are poor, crippled, blind and lame, we are not qualified at all to enter heaven. It is only by the grace of God that we are able to enter. Thus, it cannot be 99%, it has to be 100%, it is not dependent on how good you are, but on the grace of God. May we have a humble heart before both men and God.
II. On Being a Host v.12-14
All of us had the experience of being guests and also that of being hosts. Jesus teaches us something interesting in verse 12, “Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
I have never seen such a banquet in all my 40 years. Can you imagine, not inviting your CBCP friends because they are not poor (we all have our own houses, money to buy our own food), crippled, lame or blind. You will also not invite the pastor, because I am healthy, I have money, I am handsome. Instead you invite all the poor, crippled, lame or blind to your wedding party. Was this what Jesus meant? If so, the church had not obeyed his teaching. I have not seen the poor, the crippled, the lame or blind in our feasts. Again, we cannot interpret the bible literally. What did Jesus mean?
Verse 12 “… if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Now, you would say you realize that this passage is about repayment. However that conclusion is only half-right. For if this parable is only about repayment, then that would mean it would not be good for you if your son shows you filial piety. . Imagine, you show your child love and he honors you back, that would mean you got repaid and lose your heavenly reward. On the other hand, if your son grows up rebellious, a prodigal, a black sheep despite your raising him up well and loving him, does that mean God will repay you then because you didn’t get repaid by your son? Of course not! This parable is not only about repayment. Then, what did Jesus really mean?
A. Those who are Able to be Hosts must be Grateful
We must not be proud for being able to be hosts. On the contrary, we must be grateful, because we have more that is why we can invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind.
B. We must Understand that Repayment May Not Happen in This Life
Verse 14 “Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” The resurrection of the righteous will not of course happen in this life. It is when the Lord returns. The Lord Jesus tells us that all that we do in this life, good or evil will have its just recompense, but do not seek repayment in this life, because many will not happen in this life. We must live by faith, good will be repaid with good, and evil with evil.
III. Invitation to Heaven’s Banquet v.15-24
After Jesus finished speaking the parable, He told those who were there not to miss the heavenly banquet and not to presume that everyone wants to attend the heavenly banquet. In fact, no one was willing to attend.
Do you think that everyone wants to come to church? No. No one likes coming to church, why? Because no one considers himself poor, crippled, lame or blind. We all think that we are rich, healthy and that we can see. And yet, verse 21 tells us that it is those who are poor, crippled, lame and blind who will be able to enjoy the banquet. When we compare this passage with today’s situation, we realize Jesus spoke so accurately. Today, what reasons do people who refuse to believe in Jesus give?
We are rich, we are healthy, we have can see, we are wise, we do not need Jesus. There aren’t many believers in Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong, why? Because they are rich. It is not easy for the rich to come to Jesus. That is why Jesus said: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Because they will not admit that they are poor, they consider themselves healthy, wise and that they can see, they do not think they need Jesus.
Just like this parable, those who didn’t want to come to the banquet all had their reasons: Someone said: `I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ Another one 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.’ Everyone had his reasons.
There is nothing wrong with going to see a field one has just bought, but who doesn’t check out a field before buying it? Who checks out a field after he has already bought it? In today’s language, five yoke of oxen would be five cars. Of course, one would want to check out newly bought cars, but who doesn’t go see the cars before buying them?
“I just got married so I can’t come.” Why can’t he bring his wife along? What problem is there with that? I tell you, people will have excuses as long as they do not want to come. Just like when you invite someone to church, he will always have excuses for not coming. Some excuses are in fact very reasonable, but these very valid reasons keep them from heaven’s banquet, from having a part in heaven.
People are all the same, which ones are easier to invite to church? The new immigrants, those who are sick, those with family problems, they would gladly come to church, because they recognize that they are poor, crippled, blind and lame. They want to ask the church to help them. But once they get better financially, recovers physically, they will gradually drift away because they feel they no longer have a need.
In conclusion, I want to share two statements: The first is for friends who have not yet come to believe in Jesus: Heaven’s banquet is waiting for you. If you do not want to enter just yet, I am afraid you may truly miss out on heaven’s banquet and it would be too great a lost. Simply acknowledge that you are poor, crippled, blind or lame and you are qualified, because no one is qualified, it is all by grace.
The second statement I say to the Church what the Lord told the Laodicean church: “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor , blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.”
O Church! Do not be deceived by external looks, we must continue to seek spiritual blessings, admit our lack that we may continue to enjoy heaven’s banquet!