The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 2 — Section 24

our ontertniniug those whom we love. He of the speaker's admiral ion of the r, nest so menne eimply, "In view of the lifo to come, hated und yet so wondere,1 at. There is, thou cnnet do better etill." no doubt, lurking in the words a. certain Vere. 13, 14.-Bnt when thou mnkest a Pharisaic self-congratulation-a something feast, oe.11 the poor, the maimed, the lo.me, which seems to imply," Yee, that blessedness the blind : and thou eho.lt be bleBBed ; for to which you, 0 Master, are alluding, I am they cannot reoompense thee. Great p11gan looking forward confidently to share in. moralists, sick o.t heart Rt these dreo.ry, How happy will it be for us, J ewe as we selfish society conventionalities, have con- are, when the time comes for ua to sit down demned this system of entertaining those at that banquet in the kingdom of heaven I" who would be likely to ma.Ire an equivalent Ver. lfi.-Then said he unto him. The return for the intereeted hospitality. So parable with which tbe great Teacher Martie.I, writing of such an incident, says, answered the guest's remark contains much " You are asking for gifts, Sextue, not for e.nd varied teaching for all ages of the friends." Nehemio.h gives a somewhat Church, but in tl1e first instance it replies similar charge to the J ewe of !,is day: to the speaker's words. " Yes," said the "Eat the fat, and drink the awed, and Master, "blessed indeed ara they whn sit send portions unto them for whom nothing down at the heavenly feast. You think is pl'epared" (viii. JO). Thou ehalt be recom- you are one of those whom the King of pensed at the resurreotion ofthejuet, There heaven has invited to the banquet; what ie no doubt that Je8ue here was allmling have you done, though, with the invitation? to that first resurrection which would con- I know many who have received it who sist of the "just" only; of that resurrection ho.ve simply tossed it aside; are yvu of that which lilt, John spea.ks of in rapt and glow- number 1 Listen now to my story of the ing terms: "Blessed and holy is he that bath Divine banqnet and of the invited thereto." part in the first l'esurrection '' (Rev. xx:. 6). A certain man made a great supper, a.nd 'l'his was a doctrine evidently much insisted bade many, The kingdom of heaven, under on by the early teachers of Christianity the imagery of a great banquet, was e. (see John v. 25; Acts xxiv. 15; I Cor. xv. picture well known to the Jews of that age. 23; I These. iv. 16; Phil. iii. 11; and The guests in the Pharisee's house for the compare our Lord's words again in eh. :u:. greater part were probably highly cultured 3.'i). men. At once they would grasp the mean- Vere. 15-2-1.-In reply to an observation ing of the parable. They knew that the of one of the guests, Jesus relates the parable supper was heaven, a.nd the Giver of the of the g1·eat supper, in which he shows how feast was God. The IDJlily-these were {ew really cared for the joys of God's kingd.0111 Israel, the long line of generations of the in the world to come. chosen people. So far ijtrictly trne, they Ver. 15.-And when one of them that sat thought; the Galihean Teacher here is oue at D1eat with him hoard these things, he with the rabbis of our Jeru.salem schools. said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eo.t But, as Jesus proceeded, a puzzled, angry bread in the kingdom of God. One of those look would come upon the self-satisfied faces who were partaking of the banquet, and of Pharisee, scribe, and doctor; whi.:lpers hnd witnessed the whole scene, now speaks would run round, "What means the Gali- to the Stranger-Guest. He had looked on lrean here?" the mirnclo performed for the afflicted man; Vers. 17-20.-Come; for all things are he had hea1·rl the wise words spoken by the now ready. And they all with one consent Gll.lilisan Rabbi; he had listened to the began to make exouse. The excuses, viewed gentle o.nd yet pungent rebuke to the Pha- as a whole, 11re paltry, anu "if," as it has risee for hie ostentatious hospitality to the been well said, " as o. mere story of natural rich and 11:reat; he hatl mnrked the quiet life it seems highly improbable, it is because reminder as to the many sufferers who really men's conduct with regard to the Divine stood in need of the via.nde so plentifully kingdom is not uccordin~ to right reason .. , . spread for those who wnnted them not; he 'l'he excuses are all of the na1ure of pretexts, had been specially stmck by the mention not one of them being e. valid reason fur of the recompense which the just who re- non-attendance at the feast." The fact was, membered the po<'r would receive at the the invited were pleo.sed to be invited, but resurrection, This quiet observer, noticing there the matter ended with them. The that the Master's remarks were touching bo.nquet, which they were proutl to have upon the recompense of the just in the world been nsked to share in, bud no influence to come, now breaks in with a remark on the upon their e¥oryday lives. 'fhey maue their hlessednoss of him who should ent bread in engagements for pleasure and for business the kingdom of God. 'l'he words do not without the least rega.r,1 to the clay or the seem to ha.vo been spoken in II mocking hour of the banquet: indee,l, they treated epiri~ but to hnve been the genuine outcon10 it with perfect indifference. The key to  2r, 'l'HE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. [en. xiv. 1-35.