He Invites Us In
This year marks the 200-year anniversary of our Historic Church building.
Quite a majestic sight isn’t it? Yenli took this photo a few years ago during the Spring.
200 years is a significant milestone. St Annes has long been an important part of the Ryde community, and this is a moment to celebrate and remind our city of the impact of God’s gospel and ministry.
Perhaps we’ll put on a banquet and invite all of Ryde to come.
What would it look like to be good hosts to such a banquet? And what sort of guests might we want to invite to this feast? Who in our community today would be worthy of such an invitation to this great celebration?
In today’s passage in Luke 14, we read about two hosts who hold two banquets for their guests. One banquet held by a human host, and a parable about another banquet held by a heavenly host. In many ways, the two stories are similar, and have parallels. The question for us is: If we were invited to both banquets, which host would we rather have?
Here’s the sermon outline for today’s talk. I also have sermon transcripts available for those who might find that helpful. Just put up your hand and one of our welcomers will give you a copy to follow along.
The Human Banquet (14:1-14)
The disingenuous and deceptive earthly host
In our passage this morning, a prominent Pharisee has invited Jesus to join him for a banquet, along with other important religious leaders. What a generous host to think of including Jesus! Jesus accepts this invitation and attends the feast that his host has set up.
But straight away, we can tell that this won’t be any ordinary feast. As Jesus reclines at the table with Pharisees and experts in the law, he is being carefully watched.
Those to his left are whispering to each other, those to his right are eavesdropping and those across the table are occasionally glancing at him. Not because they are curious about this viral teacher and miracle worker.
Another person has also been invited to the banquet, but not as a guest, not as an equal. As Jesus is eating, verse 2: There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. An “uninvited” guest has been planted by the host to test Jesus.
Up to this front, Jesus has been healing people. So healing this man on any ordinary day wouldn’t be a problem for Jesus. But it so happens that the prominent Pharisee has held his banquet on the Sabbath day, a day of rest. A day that the Pharisees and experts of the law has said no “unlawful” work should be done in order to comply with the 4th Commandment and its associated laws.
The room goes quiet as the chattering stops, and all eyes are now fixed on Jesus. What will he do?
Now, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. Back in Luke 6:6-11, an almost identical incident happens.
Here in chapter 14, Jesus also knows what’s on their hearts and on their minds. Jesus knows he’s being carefully watched. Jesus knows his authority and interpretation of the Scriptures is being tested.
Instead of feeling trapped, he responds by asking 2 questions to the “experts”. The first one is in verse 4: “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” No response. They remain silent.
To the Pharisees, if an activity could be done after the Sabbath, then it should be delayed until then, otherwise you’d be breaking the Sabbath. To these religious leaders, healing someone is something that can be done later. It was more important to keep the law, than the heal the man during the Sabbath.
In contrast to their religious indifference, Jesus shows active compassion.
Verse 4: So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way. This shows his compassion and grace towards those others would ignore or even exploit. For Jesus, healing on the Sabbath is not merely allowed – it is right and necessary – because he understands the true purpose of the fourth commandment. The Sabbath is about worshipping the Creator, and that worship is expressed through love and mercy. Indifference to suffering breaks the heart of the law far more than acts of compassion ever could.
In verse 5, Jesus justifies his actions by asking, “If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath, will you not immediately pull it out?” And [again] they had nothing to say.
Jesus’ question echoes Deuteronomy 22:4, where God commands his people to help a neighbour whose ox or donkey has fallen. Once again, Jesus exposes their misunderstanding and misapplication of the law. By adding extra rules to “keep the Sabbath,” they have missed its purpose – to love God and to love others.
As Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus makes clear that love and compassion matter more to God than rigid law-keeping. The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath, and at its heart is the gracious character of God, not man-made rules.
By healing the man and foiling the cunning plans of the host of this earthly banquet, Jesus has shown his host to be disingenuous and deceptive. He wasn’t showing true generosity to Jesus when he invited Jesus to the party – he invited him to set Jesus up. And yet Jesus shows why he is the Lord of the Sabbath.
The proud invited guests seek honour
Now the guests of his banquet aren’t any better in their behaviour. Verse 7: When Jesus noticed how the guests picked the places of honour at the table, he told them [a] parable.
All the guests were vying to get the best seat, closest to the host up the front. Getting the best seat in the house was an expression of honour, power and importance to those around them.
Jesus notices a bit of a competition among the guests, so he tells a story about a wedding feast in verses 8-11.
Imagine being at a wedding feast where there’s unreserved seating. A relative of the bride sees a table up the front near the bridal table that’s labelled for family. And he thinks to himself: “Great, that table is for guests of honour, for family members like me.” So he sits down, smug, as he looks around at all the other unworthy guests. He believes he’s deserving of honour because of his connection to the married couple.
But in his pride, he’s forgotten to realise that he’s the 2nd cousin of the bride’s father’s aunt’s husband’s sister-in-law’s grandson.
As the bride and groom’s parents arrive, followed by siblings, uncles and aunties, and cousins, the distant relative is repeatedly asked to move to make room. Each time he is pushed further away, experiencing more and more humiliation, until he ends up at a table near the noisy kitchen and smelly toilets.
This is what Jesus means at the end of verse 9 when he says “Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place”. A more distinguished guest has been invited. Don’t act as if you’re the only VIP in the room.
The humble will be honoured
In contrast, Jesus teaches that guests should take the lower place, so that the host will move them up to a better place, and in doing so, they will be honoured in the presence of all other guests. True exaltation is not self-assigned. It’s given by the host.
Verse 11: For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
The perfect host invites the lowly without expecting repayment
This required humility applies not only to the guests, but also to the host. Verse 12: 12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.
Jesus knows the host isn’t truly being generous. The guests are other distinguished figures – Pharisees, experts in the law, and respected community leaders – people who can return the favour. The host is seeking honour for himself, not genuine generosity, by hosting those who will invite him back.
Instead, Jesus says: 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.
The perfect host is one who invites the lowly without expecting repayment. Ultimately, they will be repaid by God himself, at the resurrection of the righteous, when the Lord comes on that final day.
The Heavenly Banquet (14:15-24)
The genuine and generous heavenly host
At this point, one of the guests interjects: Verse 15: When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
He shifts the focus from the perfect host, to the blessed guest in the feast in the kingdom of God.
Jesus responds with another story, shifting the focus from those who expect to receive blessing to the one who blesses others by extending the invitation to a great banquet.
To those who have ears to hear, Jesus is telling this story to describe himself as the host of the messianic banquet to come. We’ve seen this picture before in our Revelation series last year. He is the one who invites people to “eat at the feast in the kingdom of God”. So as we hear Jesus tell us this next story, we are supposed to compare Jesus, the heavenly host of the feast in the kingdom of God, with the prominent Pharisee, the earthly host of the feast in that room.
Verse 16: A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, “Come, for everything is now ready”.
Invitations had already been sent out and the guests had already put in their RSVPs. “Yes, I will be attending”.
One of the great joys of a wedding day is celebrating with family and friends at the reception, the great banquet.
In Vietnamese culture and Indonesian culture, the reception is a huge party. It isn’t uncommon for wedding receptions to be 500 or even 1000 people.
So when Yenli and I got married, how many invitations did we send out? We went with about 100 guests because we wanted to spend real time with people, not just rush from table to table. That meant the guest list mattered, and we had to be selective.
As RSVPs came in, some couldn’t make it, so we invited others from our shortlist to fill the seats because we wanted the reception to be full. Once the numbers were set, we paid the deposit and locked in the catering.
Closer to the day, a few people who had said yes had to pull out for various reasons. We were sad but we wanted to fill the seats with friends, so we invited others at the last minute to take their place. And it was a wonderful party. We were glad that all the invitations had been accepted and the room was full of loved ones.
In Jesus’ parable, it’s the day of the banquet. The host wants to bless his friends. He demonstrates his genuine desire to have friends celebrate with him by expressing his generosity through having a bountiful feast.
The fattened calf had been killed and roasted. The fluffy bread had been freshly baked. The barrels of wine which had been maturing of months was ready to be poured.
Everything is now ready. It is time for the guests to be brought in.
The proud invited guests seek excuses
Verse 18: But they all alike began to make excuses. It wasn’t just one or two guests, it was ALL of them. The first said, “I have just bought a field, and I must go see it. Please excuse me.” Another said, “I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.” Still another said, “I just got married, so I can’t come”.
If you haven’t listened to Colin Buchanan’s song on this verse, it’s a great way of having a good giggle.
On the surface, these sound like reasonable reasons: a property inspection, new work equipment, or time with a new spouse.
But Jesus calls them “excuses” because the guests are rejecting the host’s invitation. They had already been invited and said they would come, yet when it was time to come, they had other priorities. All of them, all at once, refusing to accept the invitation of the host. Though these reasons sound reasonable at first, they reveal what truly matters to them – not a relationship with the host, but possessions, work, and other relationships.
People still make the same excuses today when it comes to responding to Jesus’ invitation. Even for Christians, it’s easy to push Jesus into second place, prioritising family, careers, holidays, or social life, whatever it is that reveals where our true priorities lie. At the end of the day, these aren’t reasons, they’re excuses that we use to justify our rejection of Jesus’ lordship in all parts of our lives.
So how does the host in the parable respond to the rejection of his invited guests? Verse 21: The servant came back and reported [the rejections] to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry.
He has every right to be angry. Those that he has invited have snubbed his invitation. They don’t want to come because they feel they have more important priorities than this relationship.
And so they will face the consequences of their decision. Jesus then makes this application wider by speaking to all his listeners, not just his host. Verse 24: I tell you (plural), not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet. They had the chance to come in, but the refused to hear the call and invitation. So they will never enjoy being in the company of this host.
The humble are honoured
But rather than sulk and whinge and give up at this point, the master orders his servant “Go out quickly to the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.”
The table is set. The food is hot. The drinks are cold. The seats are in place. The host is ready to show generosity and hospitality. Even though his original guests have rejected him, that doesn’t change who he is, as the genuine and generous host who wants to bless his invited guests. So he swings his doors wide open and extends the invitation. Verse 21: Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. But even after the servant has done this, there is still room in the master’s house. But rather than cut his losses and deal with who he’s got, verse 23: Then the master told his servant, “Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full”.
The master invites those who can never repay him. The poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind. These are guests who don’t seek honour, who don’t exalt themselves. The master honours those who have been humbled by society. Those who have been humiliated by society. Those who have humbled themselves because they know they are undeserving of such an honour, the privilege of being invited in without deserving it. As Jesus had said back in verse 11, “Those who humble themselves will be exalted”. This perfect host treats them with dignity and honour. He exalts the humble, above the proud who have rejected him.
The perfect host invites the lowly having paid the cost himself
But it’s a costly invitation. This host will never receive a return invitation. Everything is paid out of his own pocket. It’s a poor investment that will never see any returns. But yet he still compels all people to come in, so that his house will be full. There is still room, there is still more food, there is still more that he can bless the humble with.
God is faithful: He invites us in
Jesus is the perfect host who invites us in
Jesus tells this parable to show that he is the master – the owner of the house and the true host of the heavenly banquet. He invites people into his kingdom to enjoy the feast he has prepared, but this invitation came at a great personal cost to him.
Jesus humbled himself to the point of death on a cross, taking the punishment we deserve. God then raised him from the dead and exalted him as the risen King and gracious host of the banquet to come.
Unlike the Pharisee who invited guests for selfish reasons, Jesus is a generous and genuine host. As the master of the house, he invites all to come, regardless of their circumstances.
We are the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind — those who do not deserve honour. Yet Jesus sends out the invitation so that his house may be full. This invitation is for each of us today.
Jesus warns that rejecting his invitation has consequences. Verse 24: I tell you, not one of those who were invited [and rejected my invitation] will get a taste of my banquet. Refusing him is not a neutral choice. Those who reject the invitation will face God’s anger and they will miss out on the joy and blessing of God’s kingdom. Don’t let that be you today.
All are welcome so come as you are
If this is the first time you’ve heard this invitation, I’m glad you’re here. Today, Jesus is opening his house to you and inviting you to his table – to become part of his family and share in the eternal blessings of God’s kingdom.
You are here for a reason. God has brought you to St Annes today to hear and respond to this invitation. If you sense God prompting your heart and you want to accept his invitation to join his banquet, please come and speak with me afterwards – I would love to pray for you.
Perhaps you may not be ready yet, but you realise the reasons you’ve been using are actually excuses. If you’re curious to learn more about this generous host, we are running a Christianity Explored course where you can discover who Jesus is, what he’s done, and what it means to follow him. You can register during the response time using the QR code.
Being faithful servants means praying and inviting
Now if you call Jesus your master, then you are his servant. And like the servant in the parable, it’s an invitation that you can pass on. There is no “plus ones” to this great banquet – it’s “plus unlimited”. There is still room and we are to compel everyone to come in so that God’s house will be full.
Our family will be heading to Japan in a few weeks’ time as CMS missionaries. We’d love your prayers for the Japanese people that we will be inviting to this great banquet. Come to our commissioning this Saturday to pray for us and send us off along with the rest of the CMS fellowship. We have such a great invitation that we don’t want the Japanese to miss out on getting a taste of Jesus’ banquet.
But you don’t need to be a missionary to tell others about our perfect, genuine and generous king.
God is faithful and he invites people into his kingdom, to bless them as they eat at the feast. There are many in Ryde who have yet to hear about this invitation that Jesus is extending to them.
As we approach St Annes Day in August later this year, as we celebrate 200 years of our historic church, our goal isn’t to host the biggest and best banquet, with important dignitaries and guests of honour invited to sit on the important seats. Yes, that day will be significant.
But St Annes isn’t about the building. It isn’t about the history of the parish.
That’s why our vision begins with St Annes Ryde is a family brought together by our Lord from many different backgrounds. St Annes is full of people of all different contexts, across a span of 200 years, who have accepted the invitation of the perfect host.
And because God is faithful, because he’s been faithful and will continue to be faithful, his invitation to his heavenly banquet will remain available until the day Jesus returns. That’s why St Annes, we the people of St Annes, are keen to share the good news of Jesus with the city of Ryde and beyond. That’s the last part of our vision statement.
We don’t have to wait until the big events of August to invite people to hear the good news of Jesus. Next Sunday is as good a day to invite your family, friends, neighbours to St Annes to hear that our master has an open invitation for them to join him at his great banquet.
Can you think of 3 people that you can be praying for this week, this month, this year? And can you pray for yourself that you would be excited to bring a few “plus 1s” to this great banquet, so that they can meet Jesus Christ for themselves?
God is faithful. He invites people in. He has invited you in, and you have accepted his invitation to his heavenly banquet. Will you now be a faithful servant and invite others to hear about Jesus, our perfect, genuine and generous heavenly host, who invites all people in, and has paid the cost so that they can join in his great banquet on that last day?