Supper Time by Rev. Paul Howden
June 17, 2007
Second Sunday after Trinity
Luke 14:15-24

As some of you know, the R.E.C. is sending a short-term mission team to Nigeria this summer. That team will be doing much of the same kind of work that the Paraguay team will be doing. I met recently with Paul Ekezie, the team leader, to discuss the itinerary for their trip. They have a unique event planned: a Nigerian king has invited them to visit his palace. He will attend them and have his servants give them a feast. The Rev. Ekezie laughed when he told me. “They better bring their cameras. This will be an unforgettable experience.” The king has a lion-skin throne; and perhaps the throne-room where the members will dine is decorated with zebra skins, elephant tusks, gazelles, gorillas; gold and silver. Our Gospel passage from Luke 14 has to do with a big supper.

What about the eating habits in Bible times? The Jews of ancient Judea consumed two meals a day. The first was eaten around 10 AM; the second was taken at sundown. The banquet described in our Gospel text was clearly an evening affair. In those days, only men would be invited to a banquet, and they reclined on mattresses. Reading Luke 14:1, 15.

"And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God."

Jesus and his disciples were present. As the festivities reached a jolly level, one of the guests remarked: “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!” The comment was directed to Jesus, and the others overheard it. Maybe the man offered it with upraised goblet as a toast: “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!” However he said it, the declaration reflected the hope of the Jews. A great supper symbolized the Kingdom the Jews longed for. Feasting in the Kingdom of God signaled the arrival of the Messiah and the blessing of His kingdom. Therefore, “Blessed is he who shall eat dinner in the kingdom of God!” was a phrase that spoke to the bliss of those who would share in the messianic banquet.

Of course the Jews claimed to be the People of God because of their blood-line with Abraham, their birthright, and their heritage. A wonderful future awaited them once the Messiah appeared. When the man said, “Blessed is he who shall eat dinner in the kingdom of God, the banqueters nodded their approval. Jesus had a different response. How did He react? He responded by telling a parable, The Parable of the Great Supper.

What about the parable itself? Let’s review the details and try to figure out the meaning. The parable concerns a wealthy man, a landowner, perhaps a king, who sends invitations to a crowd of respectable people to join him for a great supper. According to the custom of that time, two invitations would be sent out. The first would be delivered days before the feast. The host would send out his servants to announce the date and time of the forthcoming supper. Then he would send his servants to deliver a second invitation a couple of hours before the commencement of festivities. It is this second invitation that fits Luke 14:16-17.

"Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready."

The mansion buzzed with hustle and bustle; from the kitchen emanated a multitude of smells. Servants readied everything. The day had arrived. However, when the slaves delivered the second invitations, the guests offered excuses, and cancelled. One had just bought a field and he wanted to look it over; another was busy breaking in oxen; the other had recently married, and so it went.

The slaves returned and informed the master of the household that nobody was coming. He grew angry. But instead of abandoning his dinner party, he made a bold move to supply substitute guests. “Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind” (Luke 14:21). His slaves ran out and rounded up a second set of guests. These came gladly into the banquet hall. Still the room was not full. So the master sent out the slaves once more. This time He sent them even farther than before to the “highways and hedges” which means they ventured outside of the city limits. They wandered among the fields, vineyards, and gardens, inviting everyone they met. Work hands were walking home from a day in the fields. Quarantined lepers were huddled near their huts. Shepherds were bringing in their sheep. Farmers were putting away their tools in the shed. Fishermen were mending their nets. The slaves gave the invitation to the riffraff of society, and the riffraff accepted. Upon arriving at the mansion door, the servants greeted them with a drink. Good cheer rang out in the halls. Music played. People danced. Others reclined at the table. One culinary delight after another passed before them. Everybody feasted. The master of the household smiled. The banquet was a success. Those are the details. What is the meaning of the parable?

I.            First, the position of Israel is clarified in this parable. God gave a great supper and invited whom? The Jews. Israel. They were the first ones to receive God’s invitation to his kingdom banquet. The Israelites were well aware of their privileged status. God had given them the Old Testament Scriptures, the oracles of God. The Lord had sent them prophets to speak His Word. He had given them the Promised Land, and His presence in the Temple. They had received many blessings, yet, when their Messiah arrived with an invitation to dine with Him in God’s Kingdom, they rejected His invitation. That nation snubbed Him and cancelled. They rejected Him as their Messiah. What was the response of God the Father? Did the Master of the household end the banquet? Did He postpone it until a later date? No! The party would go on. There might be a new set of guests, (the Church, instead of Israel would attend) but the kingdom celebration would go ahead. There would be no delay. And that is precisely what happened. At His resurrection and Ascension, Jesus established the kingdom of God with the Church at the center. 

“Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” (v. 23) That means that the Gospel must burst the old wineskins and flow over the borders of Judea to the Gentile cultures. In other words, the Church had replaced Israel, and the Church should carry the Gospel to every corner of the globe. The servants of the King must go to the highways and hedges to give invitations to the great Supper. Hence, our job is on outward focused, missionary-oriented enterprise of winning the world to Christ. Missionaries deserve our prayer and support. They are the ones going to the highways and hedges of this world, inviting the hungry to a Supper with the King.

II.            Furthermore, it should not surprise us that the Lord gives attention to the poor and maimed, lame and blind. The master of the house commanded His slaves to “go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, the highways and hedges, and bring in the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.” Though the elite of Jesus’ day scorned the weak and destitute, He took them in. Jesus invited in the unpretentious folk of society. The Church has followed the example of Jesus. She has always sought out to help and serve the poor and the maimed, the lame and blind. That is why the Church has tirelessly raised up hospitals, schools, orphanages, adoption agencies and shelters.

The Celts of Scotland had a lovely tradition during the Middle Ages. They baked bread on the eve of the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, a feast that falls in September. The Scottish fathers and sons would go out and gather whatever was ready in the fields: rye, dried apples, parsley, sage, etc. The collection would serve as the ingredients for their harvest bread called “strewen.” The grains, wild herbs, and dried fruits that the men had collected were brought home and given to the wives and daughters. The women would then stay up all night making and baking small strewen loaves. The finished product was fascinating: a heavy grainy fruity loaf of bread that lasted a long time.

In the morning the loaves were taken to the Church where the priest blessed them. Then there followed a procession through the town. The loaves were distributed to the poor. Strewen thus became a symbol of charity. In an age like ours when fast, highly processed foods are common, we miss the ritual of preparing a meal, and the coming together to share a meal, to break bread together. Fast food can’t represent a Kingdom feast; slow food can. Food, prepared in a quality way, has the ability to nourish the soul as well as the body.

The fact that the invitation to the feast was given to the poor and maimed, the lame and blind reminds us of the Christian influence on Western civilization. This should not be taken for granted. Ever since Christianity civilized the barbarians, a respect for human beings has held sway. Secular anthropologists might try to romanticize pagan culture, and wax eloquently on the purity of the noble savage, but the truth is incontrovertible: non-Christian societies are usually cruel to their helpless members.

Take for example the Indians of Paraguay. We are going to help them this summer. Before missionaries arrived, they routinely buried people alive. Why? If a mother was still taking care of a toddler, another mouth was too much to feed, so newborn babies were buried, especially twins. If somebody was going to die at night, they believed that the person’s ghost would haunt them in that region forever, so they buried a sick person alive to prevent his or her ghost from coming out at night and forever spooking people. To die during the day caused no ghost problems. Elderly people who could not keep up with the nomadic lifestyle were buried alive. Examples like this could be multiplied. Cruelty to the helpless and weak is typical of heathen cultures: the poor and maimed, the lame and blind receive little help. Ancient Greece and Rome were little better. In contrast, Jesus teaches us respect for people, no matter how sick and feeble they may be. Christianity helps the poor and maimed, the lame and blind, not because they are clever, or attractive, or useful, but because they are humans. They are created in the image of God; they have souls that live forever. Jesus reminds us over and again that we must love the lesser people – unborn babies, the elderly, the mentally handicapped, the blind and crippled.

We must be willing to associate with oddballs, weirdoes, eccentrics, and cranks. I saw a cartoon the other day that showed a guy sitting in the middle seat of an airplane and passengers were boarding. On one side of him sat a very deformed and weird person, and another weird guy was getting ready to sit in the seat next to the man. He says to himself, “Why do I always get stuck sitting next to the weirdoes?” That is the way I feel when I attend a church for the first time. Partly it is because the Church invites in the poor and maimed, the lame and blind. Another reason this happens is that first impressions are deceptive. You can’t trust first impression. People look odd and eccentric, but after you get to know them they seem normal, in fact they come to appear very good people.

An atheistic abortion mentality will seek to dispatch unproductive persons. Princeton professor Peter Singer openly advocates infanticide. According to him parents should have the option of exterminating their offspring in the first few months after birth if they are unsatisfied. Such a notion is unthinkable for followers of Jesus. The Christian worldview ascribes intrinsic, eternal worth to all souls. On earth, the weak and ugly may seem the least in the kingdom of God, but we do not see how they will end up in Heaven. In God’s providence, they may end up the greatest. That means we strive to love the unlovely, help the helpless, protect the weak, and defend the poor.

III.            The parable teaches another truth. We must respond favorably to the Lord’s invitation when He offers it. Woe to those who make excuses. Why do people turn down the feast? They refuse the dinner and make excuses, because they hate the host. They don’t want to be ruled by King Jesus, so they have given themselves over to rebellion. They oppose the reign of Christ in their lives, so they have no time for Him, and their hearts grow hard. Such calloused sinners need our prayers. God’s grace and His Holy Spirit can turn them.

Others do not come to Christ because they are foolish. Before his conversion St. Augustine told God, “Give me purity. But not yet.” He was having too much fun with sin. He didn’t yet realize the emptiness and superficiality of it all. There is a difference between fun and joy. Sin can be fun, but it doesn’t necessarily lead to joy. Joy is deeper.

Others seldom come to Christ because they make excuses. They have trapped themselves in the busyness of life and neglected Kingdom priorities. If you are one of those too busy to dine with the king, the Lord Jesus tells you that you endanger your very soul when He invites you to dine with Him at His royal table and you decide that you have better things to do.

Archbishop Venables has a story that I would like to relate. He is the Anglican Bishop over the Southern Cone of South America. A missionary boy grew up in Northern Argentina among the Wichi Indians. These are destitute people. My sons and I worked with them in 2004 on a short-term mission team. The Wichi people live in small adobe huts and have few possessions. They throw out their trash in a hole dug in the ground. Dogs and chickens sometimes get in their and pick at it. One day the missionary boy’s mother asked him to take out the trash. She wanted to throw away a tea saucer that had a crack in it. So the boy threw that and other things in the garbage pit. Twenty years later this boy had become an ordained pastor and visited the Wichi people who had known as a boy. The Wichi wanted to celebrate Holy Communion when he arrived. The believers set up a table, the wine was in a wooden chalice and the bread sat on a paten. The Missionary looked carefully at the paten. It was the same dish he had thrown away twenty years before. It still had a crack, but it was being used to hold the bread of life. Somehow that saucer had been retrieved from the garbage pit and put to use in the Church. God uses the broken. He uses the poor and maimed, the lame and blind. Are you broken by sin today? Are you broken by affliction? Do you feel broken by pride and vanity, by guilt? Are you broken by pain and hurt? God can still use you. He loves you and invites you to serve Him.

The Lord calls you today to come to the feast. He calls you to come in faith and repentance. There is no better place to be. The sacrament works powerfully to those who partake in faith. It may seem like just a little piece of bread, and just a little sip of wine, but spiritually, it is a Great Supper. The Savior extends an invitation. Come to His table for the refreshment of your body and soul.

Let us pray.