Luke 14:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

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

NASB: and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, because everything is ready now.’

CSB: At the time of the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’

NLT: When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’

KJV: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

NKJV: and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’

This parable covers an issue Jesus has covered before. God has chosen the Jews to be His people. He desires to spend eternity with them in paradise. But if they do not respond to His invitation, they disqualify themselves. Jesus' message was more straightforward in Luke 13:22–30. He told a crowd that it wasn't enough to eat the food He provided or even perform miracles in His name. Those works didn't mean that they accepted Him as their Savior. It wasn't even enough to be descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They need to place their identity in Him, not their national patriarchs, their towns, or their works.

In this parable, Jesus focuses more on choice: to be welcomed at the feast God will provide at the resurrection, the invitees must agree to come. That sounds simple, even self-evident. Yet it's easy to be distracted by life, whether that be expanding one's earthly kingdom or one's family (Luke 14:18–20). It's equally easy to forget that earthly blessings mean nothing compared to God's eternal blessings (Luke 12:13–21; 14:14).

The phrase "for everything is now ready" is poignant. With Jesus' arrival, "The kingdom of God has come near" (Luke 10:11). The Messiah the Jews have been longing for is here! But the Jewish leadership will reject Him and cling to their own pointless earthly influence and power.

During formal banquets, the host usually left his door open for interested people who were not invited to the meal to stand along the walls and listen in. The way Jesus describes the situation, those bystanders are more inclined to accept God's invitation than the religious leaders reclined at the table (Luke 14:21–24).

Luke 14:15–24 is the last of three lessons Jesus gives about how humble and marginalized people can be more qualified to be honored in the kingdom of God than some religious leaders. A good life can distract anyone from their need for salvation. Those who suffer or have no homes are more likely to look forward to eternity in paradise with the Father. Luke will go on to present the cost of accepting an invitation to God's kingdom as well as its ultimate value (Luke 14:25–35). This parable resembles the parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22:1–14.

A Pharisee invites Jesus to a formal dinner. There, Jesus teaches lessons using invitations and feasts as a theme. These emphasize humility and the importance of not making excuses. After the dinner, Jesus warns that those who seek to follow Him will experience hardship. Believers should "count the cost" and understand what aspects of this world they may have to give up.

Luke 14 continues Jesus' doctrinal march to Jerusalem and the cross. Luke 14 and 15 contain the second grouping of one miracle and a series of discussions about the kingdom of God and salvation; Luke 13:10–35 is the first. Next will be a collection of warnings about rejecting God's kingdom (Luke 16:1—17:10) and two more sets of lessons about the kingdom and salvation, each beginning with a single miracle (Luke 17:11—18:34; 18:35—19:27). After this comes Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

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.