October 27 - The Banquet, the Cost, and the Lost
SCRIPTURE READING:
Luke 14-15
SCRIPTURE:
Luke 14
¹ And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.
² And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.
³ And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?
⁴ And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;
⁵ And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?
⁶ And they could not answer him again to these things.
⁷ And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them.
⁸ When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;
⁹ And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.
¹⁰ But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.
¹¹ For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
¹² Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.
¹³ But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
¹⁴ And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
¹⁵ And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.
¹⁶ Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:
¹⁷ And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
¹⁸ And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
¹⁹ And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
²⁰ And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
²¹ So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
²² And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
²³ And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
²⁴ For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
²⁵ And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,
²⁶ If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
²⁷ And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
²⁸ For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
²⁹ Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
³⁰ Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
³¹ Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
³² Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
³³ So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
³⁴ Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?
³⁵ It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Luke 15
¹ Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
² And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
³ And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
⁴ What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
⁵ And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
⁶ And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
⁷ I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
⁸ Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
⁹ And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.
¹⁰ Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
¹¹ And he said, A certain man had two sons:
¹² And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
¹³ And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
¹⁴ And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
¹⁵ And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
¹⁶ And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
¹⁷ And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
¹⁸ I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
¹⁹ And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
²⁰ And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
²¹ And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
²² But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
²³ And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
²⁴ For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
²⁵ Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
²⁶ And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
²⁷ And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
²⁸ And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
²⁹ And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
³⁰ But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
³¹ And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
³² It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
DEVOTIONAL:
Luke 14-15 joins two truths modern readers often separate: grace gives a lavish invitation, and discipleship demands everything. Jesus first heals on the Sabbath and again exposes religious reasoning that can justify rescuing an animal while objecting to mercy for a suffering person. At the meal He watches guests seek places of honor and teaches the downward path of humility. Kingdom hospitality is then directed toward the poor, maimed, lame, and blind, people unable to repay socially. Grace disrupts the economy of calculated reciprocity.
The great-supper parable portrays invited guests making ordinary-sounding excuses. Land, oxen, and marriage are not evil. The problem is that legitimate concerns become reasons to reject the host's summons. The master then fills the house with those who would not have expected such an invitation. The parable warns religiously privileged hearers not to presume that proximity to invitation equals participation. God's kingdom is received, not managed on our terms. There is room, but the call must be answered.
Jesus immediately turns to the large crowds and speaks about counting the cost. His language about hating father, mother, spouse, children, and one's own life uses a stark Semitic contrast to demand supreme loyalty. It cannot mean sinful hostility toward family, because God's word commands love and honor. It means no relationship can outrank allegiance to Jesus. Cross-bearing and renunciation expose cheap enthusiasm. Grace is free, but the Christ who gives grace becomes Lord of the whole life.
Luke 15 then answers the accusation that Jesus receives sinners and eats with them. A shepherd seeks a lost sheep, a woman searches for a lost coin, and a father receives a lost son. Heaven rejoices over repentance. The father's welcome is extravagant, yet the younger son truly returns confessing sin. Grace does not tell him that the far country was harmless. It restores him as son because the father's compassion is greater than the son's ruin. The elder brother reveals a different lostness: outward service without sharing the father's joy.
Together the chapters refuse both legalism and sentimentalism. Legalism resents grace shown to the undeserving and keeps score like the elder brother. Sentimentalism wants welcome without repentance or discipleship without the cross. Jesus offers something better: the Father's open house and the costly path of following the Son. Those who know they were sought and welcomed become humble hosts, repentant children, and disciples whose possessions and relationships remain under Christ's lordship.
In daily life, In daily life, practice hospitality without always calculating return. Invite someone who cannot improve your network or repay the favor. Notice how often good things become excuses for ignoring Christ: family busyness, property, career, hobbies, or even church activity. Count the cost of obedience before crisis forces the issue. If you have wandered, imitate the younger son and come home without negotiating your worthiness. If you have stayed outwardly faithful, examine the elder brother in your heart when grace is shown to someone whose failures are more visible than yours. In family life, celebrate repentance instead of repeatedly making a repentant person relive the far country.
In U.S. civic life, In U.S. civic life, the virtue arising from these chapters is hospitality without favoritism. Pray for communities, churches, charities, and public-serving institutions to notice people who lack status or social leverage and to resist systems driven only by reciprocal advantage. Christians should show up in public life making room for the overlooked, honoring repentance and restoration, and resisting the pride that treats mercy as something other people must earn from us.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Why are the excuses in the great-supper parable dangerous even though the activities mentioned are not inherently sinful?
How should Jesus' language about hating family be understood in light of the Bible's commands to love and honor family?
What different kinds of lostness are represented by the younger and elder sons?
Where could you practice hospitality toward someone who cannot repay you socially or materially?
PRAYER:
ADORATION:
Father, we praise Your seeking mercy and Your joy over repentance. Jesus, we worship You as the Lord whose invitation is generous and whose call to discipleship is worthy of our whole life.
CONFESSION:
Forgive our excuses, status-seeking, calculated hospitality, resentment of grace, and attempts to follow Christ without surrendering competing loyalties.
THANKSGIVING:
Thank You for seeking the lost, receiving repentant sinners, and giving a place at Your table to people who could never repay the invitation.
SUPPLICATION – GENERAL:
Make us humble guests, generous hosts, repentant children, and wholehearted disciples. Free our families and churches from scorekeeping and teach us to celebrate genuine restoration.
SUPPLICATION – U.S. / CIVIC:
Help our communities notice people without status or leverage. Strengthen ministries and institutions that serve the overlooked, and make Christians hospitable without favoritism or self-promotion.
SCRIPTURE:
For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. — Luke 15:24