Luke 14:21-24 21And after coming, the servant reported these things to his master. Then becoming angry, the master of the house said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel to come in, so that my house may be filled. 24For I tell you, none of those people who have been invited shall taste my banquet.’ ”
The parable makes a big shift and surprise in verse 21 because the invited guests refused to make the change in their priorities to come to the feast. Everyone was too busy. The host sends out his servant to invite people out on the streets. The poor and disabled typically would not get an invitation to such a great feast. Like most societies today, these were the outcasts of Israelite society. These are the same type of people mentioned in verse 13. Jesus ministered to and healed the rejects of society, giving them honor and showing their importance to him. The servant was to go out quickly because the food was ready. There was no more time left. The streets and lanes represent the broad and narrow streets and paths of a typical ancient city. The poor and disabled often sat in these places, begging for assistance.
Another small surprise is that there was still room after inviting all the people from the city. This was a big banquet that could accommodate many people. The city represents those closes to the banquet, those just outside of the home of the master. The master sends the servant out to look for more people out in the countryside. The word compel (anagkason) is a strong word that can me force but here has the sense of strongly urging. The banquet was a big deal. The invitation in the parable represents sharing the gospel. Sometimes the gospel needs to be shared with urgency. People need to realize the blessings for accepting the invitation and the danger of being cut off.
The goal is for the master’s house to be filled up. There is plenty of room for all kinds of people. The implication of this parable is that the gospel is for all people of the world. The sad reality during Jesus’ ministry is that the Jews who first received the invitation to God’s kingdom and had the first option rejected their Messiah. Jesus was telling this parable to the spiritually elite and scholars who should have recognized the truth of what Jesus said, but they found various excuses for not heeding the call to discipleship. Verse 24 says that it is not enough to receive an invitation. One must follow through and actually make the decision and go to it. Those who refuse to accept God’s salvation will be cut off from the joy of the heavenly banquet and the eternal life it represents. God’s plan of salvation could not be stopped by the refusal of the Jews. This plan was for the whole world.
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