THE PARABLE OF THE GREAT BANQUET

The Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:15-24)

15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”

16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests.

17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’

22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.

24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”

A banquet is a celebration. For the people Jesus was speaking to (the Jews), a shared meal was something very personal, intimate, an act of friendship and a bond with others. Sharing a meal with someone meant being united with them.

The host prepares everything and generously invites people to join him at the banquet. However, to his surprise, the people he had invited gave various excuses and did not come. So, he asked his servant to go and bring in the disabled and marginalized so they could take part in the banquet. Even after bringing all of them, he sees that there is still plenty of room and tells the servant to go back and compel those who had not received the invitation to join him.

Let’s now understand:

The host who offers the banquet is our Lord, our God. Jesus is the servant who went out in search of the guests. He wants to share this moment with us. We see that He handed out invitations—that is, Jesus came into the world to invite us to be part of the Kingdom of God and to “sit at the table” with Him.

The people who received the invitations made various excuses for not coming. These were the ones closest to Him who rejected Him—most likely a reference to the religious Jews who did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah and rejected His message.

Then the host asked the servant to go and find the disabled and marginalized to take their places. In other words, the invitation was extended to all who recognized their limitations—those who saw the need to be with Him and had nothing else to take His place. To me, it becomes clear that only those who are free from pride or arrogance—especially religious pride—are able to enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus consistently challenged and exhorted those who held on to self-righteousness.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. Jesus (Matthew 5:3

When Jesus said, “poor in spirit,” He is not referring to someone without economic means, but to the one who recognizes their own limitations and weaknesses—and understands that without God’s grace, there is no life. The Kingdom of Heaven is a gift to the humble and the repentant.

However, even after bringing in these people, the host still notices that many seats remain empty. So, he tells the servant to “Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full”

The verb “compel”, used in this verse, comes from the Greek word anagkástos, which means forcibly, urgently. The Greek verb anagkázo (translated as: to compel, to force, to strongly urge) conveys the idea of persevering in the offer of hospitality. This is a metaphor for the kind of insistent hospitality that does not take “no” for an answer. So, it does not mean to “force people in,” but rather to insist until they come. This shows us once again the persistence of the One who loves us.

So, I could end my message here, because we’ve already understood the meaning. I could close with the central message of the parable: Accept the invitation to the Lord’s banquet and come!

But, as we know, the words of Jesus are endless. In fact, the Bible is infinite in the sense that every time we read it again, something new is revealed. Different teaching stands out to our eyes.

And this time was no different. As I studied the parable this week, one word kept being highlighted in my mind: PRIORITIES.

What have your priorities been? What comes first in your life in terms of importance? And know this: the answer that came to your mind may not actually reflect what you truly prioritize in your daily life.

For example, someone might say, “My family, my children...” But in their everyday routine, they’re so busy with work and responsibilities that they barely see them...

Reflecting on this, I came to understand that priority has everything to do with time management.

What I truly prioritize in life should fill my time, my mind, and my heart more than anything else.

And still connecting priority to time, I should be able to establish a ranking of the things that ought to be priorities in my life, based on how long those things will last.

Let’s look at some examples: Material things are temporary. Houses and cars get old. Jewelry gets lost or loses its value. Clothes, shoes, and other things wear out and break. And money? Well, as they say, “Money burns a hole in your pocket.” It disappears as if it was never even in our hands.

And what about our career, our profession, our work? We need it to live. It holds a certain level of importance. But if we use the measure of how long it lasts, we see that it has a set time to end—after all, most people dream of retiring one day.

There’s a powerful measuring stick I found in a quote by Jonathan Edwards, a Puritan theologian. He said:

“Resolved: never to do anything which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.”

Because if it were the last hour of our lives, we wouldn't have time to waste, we would only prioritize what really matters.

And what lasts until the end? Love. The relationships we build. That’s what should be the priority in our lives. In fact, only two things really matter in our final hour: the love we’ve built and the faith that helps us through that passage. That’s it.

And then Jesus takes us even deeper. When we start giving excuses not to do something, it means that things have become just an option for us—not a priority.

Let’s return to the parable:

The first excuse for not joining the banquet had to do with material possessions. ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ Superficial! Clearly, that should not have stopped the person from coming to the banquet of the Kingdom of God.

The second excuse had to do with work. ‘I have just bought five yokes of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Okay, yes—it’s important. But it should not have been a higher priority than the banquet of the Kingdom of God.

The third excuse... ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’  You got me here! This one has to do with what we said should be our priority: love, relationships. So maybe it was okay for that person to miss the banquet? Right? No!

Because if we use the time-based criteria again—we see that the Kingdom of God is eternal. And in that eternal Kingdom, love becomes eternal too. So, if you don't enter the Kingdom of God, even love will come to an end here.

Therefore, what should we prioritize?

The Kingdom of God!

Look at this quote from Saint Augustine:

“God must be our priority, for everything finds its place in Him.”

There is no life without Him. There is no love without Him. There is no meaning without Him.

Keep this verse in your heart:

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” — Jesus (Matthew 6:33)

Have you been seeking?

Priority and option are not the same thing.

When something is just an option to me, I make excuses.

But when it is truly my priority, I don’t need excuses—I seek it first!

“Today I’m not going to talk to God in prayer because I’m tired” (I chose to sleep).

“Today I didn’t think of Him even once because my day was too busy” (I chose to try to stay in control).

“Today I didn’t love anyone because I’m upset and hurt” (I chose myself).

“Today I can’t forgive because the pain is too deep” (I chose resentment—which should never be our priority).

But here you are, reflecting on the things of God. You received the invitation to the banquet. Don’t stay outside.

It’s time to stop making excuses and start prioritizing the banquet of the Kingdom of God. After all, with the hunger our soul carries—only He can satisfy it.

 by Dani Caldeira