The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 2 — Section 37

God's p!Rn in the attentions we bestow, 4. At the finA.l arrangement of God's kingdom, all ~uch disinterested nospitality shall be recompensed. How? Surely by opportun_ity ?ein~ affor~ed of ~oin_g the like again I 'l:he hospita?le heart, which keeps etermty m view m all its hosp1tahty, shall have eternity to be still more hospitable in. III. ~E PARABLE ~F. THE GREAT SUPPER, (-yers. 15_-24.) Jesus proceeds from the quest10n of hosp1taht1es to present the gospel in the light of a supper provided by the great Father above, and to which he invites sinners as his guests. And here we have to notice : 1. The greatness of tM supper. The preparations were long and elaborate. How many centuries were consumed in preparing the feast which we have, in the gospel! It was to be the greatest "feast of reason and flow of soul" the world has seen. And so it is. Nowhere else does man get such food for his mind and heart as in the gospel of Christ. 2. The freedom of the invitations. Many were bidden, No niggardliness about the invitations. They are scattered so freely that, alas I they are not by many sufficiently prized. 3. The supplementary summons by the faithful, servant. It is not an invitation by ink and pen merely that God sends, but he backs the written revelation by personal persuasion by the mouth of faithful servants. Here is the sphere of the gospel ministry. These true ministers tell what a feast is ready in the gospel, and what their own experience of it has been. 4. The triviality of the excuses. To the invitations sent out by God men make excuses. There is something peculiarly sad and significant in refusals upon insufficient grounds. Our Lord gives us three examples of the excuses men make for refusing salvation and the gospel. (1) 'l'he first man puts a pi.ea of ground before salvation. "Real property" keeps many a man out of the kingdom of heaven. (2) The second puts cattle before salva- tion. Many men are so interested in good " stock," and all the mysteries of breeding and work, as to have no time for their eternal interests. A few chattels keep multi- tudes out. of God's kingdom. (3) The third puts social concerns before spiritual. He bis married a wife, and so cannot attend to the claims of God. Society, its attractions and allurements, is keeping multitudes out of the kingdom above. These are but specimens of the trivialities which are monopolizing men's attention, and preventing their giving good heed to the things of the gospel. 5. The extension of the invitation to those who are sure to accept it. The poor, maimed, halt, and blind represent the souls who feel their spiritual poverty and defects, and who are sure to appreciate God's gracious invitation. When the self-righteous spurn it, the abased and humiliated greedily receive it. 6. The abundant room, and the difficulty in getting the places filled. There is no possibility of any one coming and being refused admittance. There is room for all who care to come. Those who will not taste of the supper are those who thought themselves better employed. In compelling men to come in, we must do our best in persuading them to accept the gospel. Ma.y we leave nothing undone that the D;vine table may be filled.L-R. M. E. Vers. 25-35.-The cost of discipleship. The Pharisee's banquet being over, our Lord continues his journey towards Jerusalem, and, as a crisis is evidently at hand, he has a goodly multitude of expectant followers. Have they any notion of t~e cost of discipleship? Are they/repared for all which it involves? Jesus determmes to make this unmistakable, an so he gives them the admonition contained in the present section. He gives point to his advice by mentioning the folly of beginning to build a tower without calculating the cost of finishing it, or of beginning a war without calculating the reasonable chances of success. Each follower would have a _costly tower to build in the devoted life he must lead, and a costly war to wage m the contest for the faith. It was every way desirable, therefore, that they should go care- fully into the meaning of discipleship, and undertake it intelligently. L NOTHING LESS THAN THE FIRST PLACE IN THE HEART MUST BE OFFERED UNTO JEsus. (Ver. 26.) He insists on being put before father and mother, before ~ife and children before brothers and sisters. All relations are to be put below him. He must b~ more than them all. It is a great demand, and yet a most reasonable one, For: 1. The love of Jesus anticipated allparentallove. In fact, the love of our parents is only the latest expression of his far-seeing and foreseeing love. The generations to whow we owe 80 much have only mediated for us the love of Jesus. 2. The unity of • Of. Gnok'8 'Evangelien-Predigten,' 8. 806. on. xiv. 1-36.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. 89