Rev. Whitefield essentially uses this verses Luke 14:22-24 to make 3 points:
- Put yourself last.
- The Gospel blesses those who believe.
- All sinners are welcome.
The verses read, “22 And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.’”
Jesus tells this parable to Pharisees that have invited Him to their home for a meal. Instead of resisting the invitation Jesus joyfully joins them for meal in an attempt to persuade them to believe. To persuade them GW says Jesus tells them the story of not taking the best seat when invited to a dinner but always take the lowest one. For in verse 11 Jesus says, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Then Jesus tells them that when they have a feast don’t invite those guests who can recompense you but invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind who cannot repay you, ‘For you will be repaid ‘at the resurrection of the righteous’ (Luke 14b) or at the judgement seat.
He is setting the table for the final story and that is of the great wedding feast. The door is opened when one of the Pharisees says in response to the above message, ““Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” (Luke 14:15).
Now Jesus is getting to the point of believing. He tells a story of a man giving a great dinner. He sent his servant into the city to invite those for whom the dinner was planned. But they make excuses for why the cannot come. Jesus subtly points out the absurdity and the worldliness of their excuses.
He says one bought land and had to go see it; one bought cattle and had to look at them; and one had gotten married and heeded to spend time with his wife.
Oddly enough you assume that they three people would have done what they said prohibited them from attending the dinner before they purchased the land, cattle and entered into marriage. This is the absurd part and in fact what the self righteous religious types do when they hear the Gospel.
They make absurd worldly excuses. Presuming perhaps they might receive another invitation or actually not valuing the original invitation they make their excuses thereby insulting the man who is hosting the dinner. These people also represent the Pharisees and most of the Jews in Jesus day who refuse His invitation of salvation.
What does the master of the feast do? Cancel the feast? No! His plan is to fill the hall with guests so he sends his servant to invite the very people who cannot recompense him to attend. This reflects how the Pharisees and Jews in rejecting the Gospel open the doorway for sinners to be invited.
So the drunks, whores, liars and thieves enter the Kingdom of God ahead of the Pharisees who thought they were in the Kingdom already. How could sinners enter in the Kingdom? By faith! Faith in the promises of God and faith in His invitation. They responded to the Gospel feast invite with a Yes! and thee by received the blessings off the Gospel and entered the Kingdom.
The last verse shows the severity of the rejection: the Master of the Feast says, “And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.” (Luke 14:23-24″. They would never be invited to attend again. They were cutoff from the Kingdom forever.
In conclusion in Gospel work the minister is the servant, he preaches the Gospel to speak of the blessings of God in the Gospel and beckons all hearers of the Word to respond in faith. All who repent and believe do receive the blessings and enter the Kingdom of God. Those who do not repent, regardless of their religious or worldly status, do not receive the blessings and are cutoff from the Kingdom forever.
Views from an Evangelist 