Luke 13:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God.

NIV: People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.

NASB: And they will come from east and west, and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.

CSB: They will come from east and west, from north and south, to share the banquet in the kingdom of God.

NLT: And people will come from all over the world — from east and west, north and south — to take their places in the Kingdom of God.

KJV: And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.

NKJV: They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.

A man has asked Jesus if few people will be saved. Jesus isn't interested in numbers, though. He wants to make sure the crowd around Him understands how to be saved and that the time for taking that step is limited (Luke 13:1–9, 22–27).

Jesus has said that some Jews—descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—will not spend eternity with God. The imagery of reclining at the table describes a formal banquet such as the feast used in Judaism to represent God's eternal blessings. These Jews will not repent of their sins or establish a relationship with Jesus, so they will be separated from true followers (Luke 13:5, 23–28).

Even more shocking, many Gentiles will be part of the kingdom of God. They are the birds who have flocked to the mustard tree—the kingdom of God (Luke 13:18–19).

The sequence of cardinal directions is a "merism:" a figure of speech using contrasting ideas to represent a larger whole. "East and west" and "north and south" are opposites to mean all the space between them: the whole earth. The idea of Gentiles from the east, west, north, and south knowing God is also found in the Old Testament prophets (Isaiah 45:6; 49:12; Malachi 1:11).

Luke 13:22–30 records another of Jesus' teachings about the kingdom and salvation. In the previous pericope, He explained that the kingdom of God is close, easily accessible, and inevitable (Luke 13:18–21). Here, He explains that, although close, the way into the kingdom is very narrow. Many will think they have entered when they haven't. In the final story of this group, Jesus will mourn the Jews who should know to pass through the narrow door but refuse. Matthew includes similar lessons in several distinct teachings (Matthew 7:13–14, 22–23; 8:11–12; 19:30; 20:16; 25:10–12, 41).

Jesus uses real-world examples to show that tragedy and death can come to anyone, even the righteous. No one should delay in reconciling to God; time is running out. Jesus heals a woman in the synagogue, on the Sabbath, triggering an angry response. Jesus scolds the synagogue leader, then preaches about the inevitable spread of the gospel around the entire world. However, He also notes that most people will reject this message, including the people of Israel.

Luke 9:51—19:27 is sometimes called "Jesus' Travelogue to Jerusalem." The segment describes how Jesus prepared the disciples for their future as He approached His own death and resurrection. Interspersed are a few altercations with religious leaders. There are calls for the crowd to repent of their sins and reconcile with God before it's too late. In Luke 13, two stories in particular reveal Jesus' heart. In one, He heals a long-suffering woman on the Sabbath; healing is a type of rest. In the last, He mourns the fact that, for now, the Jews as a nation will reject their Messiah.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.