What does Luke 14:15 mean?

A banquet at the home of a Pharisee includes Jesus and other noble guests. Bystanders are probably lining the walls, listening in. The mood has been tense. It seems Jesus created the tone when He healed a man suffering from edema before He even reclined on the dining bench. Normally, healing wouldn't be a problem except that it's the Sabbath. He then told a parable to encourage the guests to stop grasping for honor and allow others to decide their importance. Then He explained to the host that if he had invited the poor and injured—like the ill man—God would have given him an eternal reward instead of the temporary, worldly honor his guests can offer (Luke 14:1–14).

One of the guests, it seems, senses the awkwardness Jesus' teaching is creating and tries to lighten the mood. The man deflects away from Jesus' exhortation to interact humbly with peers and serve the disadvantaged and latches on to the idea of the great feast at the resurrection (Isaiah 25:6; Psalm 22:26).

The guest ignores the hard truths Jesus taught to focus on future rewards. Jesus doesn't let him minimize the sacrifices required to live in the fulfilled kingdom of God. Those in presence at that heavenly banquet will not be exactly who the world would expect. God will invite those who are blessed in the world's terms, but many well-off people will be too wrapped up in their happy, prosperous life and will refuse to respond. God will also invite the poor, crippled, blind, and lame, as well as the homeless and the travelers (Luke 14:16–24).

God's economy turns the natural earthly worldview on its head. Honor doesn't come from humans; it comes from God. Humility and service bring God's favor. Honoring the least of these honors God. And it is the least of these who are most likely to honor God.