LUKE 14:15–24
THE PARABLE OF THE GREAT BANQUET
BRIEF INTERPRETATION
Text – Luke 14:15–24
15 One of his fellow guests on hearing this said to him, “Blessed is the one who will dine in the kingdom of God.”
16 He replied to him, “A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many.”
17 “When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is now ready.’”
18 “But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, ‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it; I ask you, consider me excused.’”
19 “And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen and am on my way to evaluate them; I ask you, consider me excused.’”
20 “And another said, ‘I have just married a woman, and therefore I cannot come.’”
21 “The servant went and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’”
22 “The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.’”
23 “The master then ordered the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled.’”
24 “For, I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.’”
Historical and Jewish Context
Banquets were a major symbol of fellowship, honor, and joy in the ancient world. Two invitations were customary: one announcing the feast ahead of time and the second saying that everything was ready. For guests to refuse after the second invitation was a serious insult. The excuses offered—a field, oxen, and marriage—represent legitimate concerns, yet in this setting they reveal misplaced priorities. Jesus’ reference to the poor, crippled, blind, and lame reflects Isaiah’s imagery of God restoring His people and welcoming those marginalized. The highways and hedgerows symbolize outsiders—Gentiles and those far from the covenant community.
Catholic Theological Perspective
The great banquet represents the Kingdom of God and the Eucharistic feast. Those first invited symbolize people who received God’s covenant but failed to respond with obedience and love. The excuses illustrate attachments that distract the heart from God. Catholic theology teaches that God continually invites humanity to communion with Him, yet He respects human freedom. Those who accept His invitation often come from unexpected places—those poor in spirit, humble, or previously excluded. The master’s desire for a full house reflects God’s universal salvific will: He wants all to be saved. The warning that some invited will not taste the banquet highlights the consequences of refusing God’s grace.
Parallels in Scripture
Is 25:6 – God prepares a great feast for all peoples.
Is 55:1–3 – Invitation to the Lord’s banquet of life.
Mt 22:1–14 – The parable of the wedding feast.
Rev 19:9 – Blessed are those called to the wedding supper of the Lamb.
Jn 6:35 – Jesus as the Bread of Life, the true banquet.
Key Terms
Great dinner – Symbol of God’s Kingdom and the Eucharist.
Excuses – Attachments or distractions preventing a response to God.
The poor and the lame – Those receptive to God’s grace.
Highways and hedgerows – The universal call to salvation.
Catholic Liturgical Significance
This passage is proclaimed in weekday Masses and teaches the faithful about the nature of God’s invitation to salvation and the Eucharist. It powerfully supports the Church’s mission of evangelization, reminding believers to welcome the poor, the marginalized, and those far from faith. The rejection of the banquet also invites examination of conscience regarding priorities and responsiveness to grace.
Conclusion
The parable reveals God’s generous invitation to share in His Kingdom. Many refuse because lesser concerns dominate their hearts. Yet God continues to call, seeking out the humble and the forgotten, desiring that His house be filled. Acceptance or refusal of this invitation has eternal significance.
Reflection
What excuses keep me from responding to God’s invitation? Am I attentive to the call to deeper communion with Him? Do I welcome others as God has welcomed me? Jesus invites me to say “yes” today to the banquet of grace.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for inviting me to Your banquet of life and love. Free me from excuses and distractions that keep me from You. Give me a heart eager to respond and generous in welcoming others into Your Kingdom. Amen.
DETAILED INTERPRETATION
INTRODUCTION
Luke 14:15–24 presents the Parable of the Great Banquet in response to a pious remark about the blessedness of sharing a meal in the Kingdom of God. Jesus uses the image of a banquet—familiar in Jewish hope as a symbol of the messianic age—to reveal how God’s invitation is received and rejected. Those originally invited make excuses: one has purchased land, another oxen, another has married. Each excuse reflects ordinary life concerns, yet together they reveal misplaced priorities and indifference to God’s call.
The master’s response is decisive and generous. When the invited guests refuse, the invitation is extended to the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame—those normally excluded. Even then, there is still room, so the servant is sent out further, beyond the city, to compel others to come in. The parable reveals both judgment and mercy: refusal has consequences, but God’s desire is that His house be filled. The Kingdom is offered freely, yet it must be received with readiness and gratitude.
Lk 14:15 — “One of his fellow guests on hearing this said to him, ‘Blessed is the one who will dine in the kingdom of God.’”
This verse introduces a response that is sincere in tone but evasive in substance. The fellow guest agrees with Jesus in principle, yet shifts the focus away from concrete action to a pious generalization. By speaking of future blessing in the Kingdom of God, he avoids the uncomfortable implications of Jesus’ teaching on present behavior.
The statement reflects correct belief but incomplete understanding. The speaker affirms the hope of sharing in God’s final banquet, a familiar image in Jewish eschatology. Yet Jesus’ previous words have insisted that participation in that banquet is already being decided by how one lives—especially through mercy, humility, and generosity toward those who cannot repay.
This verse functions as a hinge in the narrative. It sets the stage for the Parable of the Great Banquet (Lk 14:16–24). Jesus will respond by showing that desiring the Kingdom is not the same as entering it, and that many who assume their place may ultimately refuse the invitation.
Historical and Jewish Context
The messianic age was often imagined as a banquet with the righteous.
Pious Jews spoke readily of sharing in this future joy.
Such statements could serve as safe, abstract affirmations of faith.
Catholic Theological Perspective
Hope in heaven must be matched by conversion of life (cf. CCC 1817).
The Kingdom is both future and already present in Christ.
Grace invites response; it cannot remain theoretical.
Key Terms
Blessed — sharing in God’s final joy
Dine — communion and participation
Kingdom of God — reign of God fulfilled in Christ
Conclusion
Lk 14:15 reveals how easy it is to affirm heavenly truths while avoiding their earthly demands. Jesus will now press the listener from admiration to decision.
Reflection
Do I speak readily about heaven while resisting the concrete demands of the Gospel today?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, do not allow my faith to remain only in words. Help me to live now what I hope to enjoy forever in Your Kingdom. Amen.
Lk 14:16 — “Then he said to him, ‘A man gave a great dinner and invited many.’”
Jesus responds to the pious remark about the Kingdom with a parable that exposes the gap between desire and response. The image of a “great dinner” immediately recalls the hope of the messianic banquet. By beginning this way, Jesus affirms the speaker’s language—but He redirects it toward accountability.
The initiative belongs entirely to the host. The dinner is prepared, generous, and expansive. The many who are invited represent those who assume their place in God’s Kingdom by privilege, familiarity, or tradition. The parable will soon reveal that being invited is not the same as attending.
This verse establishes God as the generous host of salvation history. The Kingdom is not earned or improvised; it is prepared. What remains is the response of those invited.
Historical and Jewish Context
Banquets symbolized messianic fulfillment and divine blessing.
Invitations to large feasts were marks of honor and inclusion.
Listeners would naturally associate this image with God’s final reign.
Catholic Theological Perspective
Salvation begins with God’s gracious initiative (cf. CCC 1996).
God desires all to be saved and invites many into communion with Him.
Grace precedes human response, but does not replace it.
Key Terms
Great dinner — abundance of God’s Kingdom
Invited — recipients of divine call
Many — breadth of God’s saving will
Conclusion
Lk 14:16 opens the Parable of the Great Banquet by revealing a God who invites generously. The focus will soon turn to how that invitation is received—or refused.
Reflection
Have I mistaken being invited for actually responding to God’s call?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me recognize Your invitation in my life and respond with readiness and gratitude. Do not let familiarity make me careless with Your grace. Amen.
Lk 14:17 — “At the time for the dinner he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’”
This verse introduces urgency and fulfillment. The invitation, already extended, is now activated. The feast is prepared; nothing more is required. The servant’s message is simple and gracious: “Come.” What was promised is now present.
The sending of the servant underscores that God’s invitation is not abstract. It is announced concretely in time. In salvation history, this points to the moment when the Kingdom draws near in Jesus Himself. The readiness of the feast reveals God’s faithfulness—He completes what He promises.
This verse also heightens responsibility. Delay is no longer possible. The invitation now demands a decision. To hear “everything is now ready” is to stand at the threshold between acceptance and refusal.
Historical and Jewish Context
Large banquets often involved two invitations: one announcing the event, another when all was prepared.
Acceptance of the first implied readiness for the second.
Refusal at this stage was considered a serious insult.
Catholic Theological Perspective
God’s grace reaches fulfillment in Christ (cf. CCC 422).
The proclamation of the Gospel is the servant’s call to “come.”
Salvation requires timely response to grace.
Key Terms
Servant — messenger of God’s invitation
Come — call to active response
Now ready — fulfillment of God’s promise
Conclusion
Lk 14:17 reveals a decisive moment of grace. God’s Kingdom is prepared and proclaimed; what remains is the human response.
Reflection
When God’s call becomes clear and urgent, do I respond—or do I postpone?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, give me a willing and attentive heart. Help me to recognize the moment of Your call and to respond without delay. Amen.
Lk 14:18 — “But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, ‘I have purchased a field and must go to see it; I ask you, consider me excused.’”
This verse marks a dramatic and sorrowful turn in the parable. The long-anticipated banquet is ready, yet those who were invited begin to refuse it. Luke emphasizes the unanimity of the refusal—“one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.” What follows is not open rejection, but polite avoidance.
The first excuse appears reasonable on the surface. Buying a field was a significant undertaking. Yet the excuse collapses under scrutiny: land would have been inspected before purchase. The issue is not necessity, but priority. Possession takes precedence over participation in the feast.
Spiritually, this verse exposes how legitimate concerns can become barriers to grace. The invitation is declined not because the feast lacks value, but because something else has quietly taken first place. Courtesy masks indifference.
Historical and Jewish Context
Property ownership was a sign of stability and blessing.
Land transactions were carefully examined beforehand.
To refuse a banquet at the final hour was socially offensive.
Catholic Theological Perspective
Attachment to possessions can obstruct response to grace (cf. CCC 2547).
Sin often disguises itself as reasonable excuse rather than open rebellion.
Grace invites freedom, but human choice can resist it.
Key Terms
Excuse themselves — deliberate avoidance
Field — material possession and security
Consider me excused — polite rejection of grace
Conclusion
Lk 14:18 reveals the tragedy of misplaced priorities. The Kingdom is refused not out of hostility, but out of attachment.
Reflection
What “reasonable” concerns in my life might be keeping me from fully responding to God’s invitation?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, reveal the attachments that quietly pull my heart away from You. Give me the grace to choose Your Kingdom over every lesser claim. Amen.
Lk 14:19 — “Another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen and am on my way to evaluate them. I ask you, consider me excused.’”
The second excuse shifts from property to productivity. Five yoke of oxen represent substantial wealth and economic ambition. This is not survival work but expansion. The man is busy evaluating his assets—absorbed in efficiency, profit, and future gain. Once again, the excuse sounds responsible, even admirable, yet it masks a deeper refusal.
Like the first excuse, this one collapses under scrutiny. Oxen, like land, would have been examined before purchase. The urgency is self-created. Work becomes the justification for absence. What is postponed is not leisure, but communion. The feast is displaced by preoccupation.
Spiritually, this verse exposes how work and success—good in themselves—can dominate the heart. When productivity becomes absolute, it silences the call of grace. The Kingdom is not rejected outright; it is crowded out.
Historical and Jewish Context
Oxen were essential for agriculture and a sign of prosperity.
Five yoke indicated wealth beyond subsistence.
Economic obligations were often cited as reasons for social absence.
Catholic Theological Perspective
Disordered attachment to work and success can become idolatry (cf. CCC 2424).
Human labor is meant to serve communion, not replace it.
The Kingdom challenges all rival absolutes.
Key Terms
Five yoke of oxen — wealth and productivity
Evaluate — absorption in control and efficiency
Excused — delayed obedience disguised as responsibility
Conclusion
Lk 14:19 reveals how ambition and busyness can exclude God without open defiance. The Kingdom is declined in favor of productivity.
Reflection
Has my work, success, or busyness become an excuse for postponing my response to God?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me order my work and ambitions according to Your will. Free me from the illusion that productivity can replace communion with You. Amen.
Lk 14:20 — “And another said, ‘I have just married a woman, and therefore I cannot come.’”
The third excuse is the most personal and the most revealing. Marriage, a sacred and joyful reality, is presented as a total exclusion from the invitation. Unlike the previous excuses, this one offers no apology and no request for consideration—only a flat refusal. Relationship becomes replacement.
Marriage itself is not the problem. Scripture honors marriage as God’s gift. The issue is absolutizing even a holy vocation in a way that leaves no room for God. What should deepen communion instead becomes a reason for withdrawal. The invitation to the banquet is not rejected as unimportant, but as incompatible with personal priorities.
Spiritually, this verse exposes the danger of placing even good and God-given relationships above God Himself. When love of family is detached from love of God, it subtly becomes an obstacle rather than a path to the Kingdom.
Historical and Jewish Context
Newly married men were sometimes exempt from certain obligations (cf. Dt 24:5).
Marriage was highly valued and socially protected.
Invoking marriage as an excuse would sound legitimate to listeners.
Catholic Theological Perspective
Marriage is ordered toward holiness, not away from God (cf. CCC 1601).
No earthly relationship can replace the primacy of God.
Discipleship requires ordering all loves rightly.
Key Terms
Married a woman — legitimate relationship elevated to absolute
Cannot come — exclusion of God’s call
Another — completeness of refusal across priorities
Conclusion
Lk 14:20 reveals that even sacred commitments can become barriers when God is no longer first. The Kingdom is refused not by evil, but by disordered good.
Reflection
Have I allowed even good relationships or responsibilities to take precedence over my response to God?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, teach me to love rightly. Help me place You at the center of every relationship and commitment, so that nothing separates me from Your invitation. Amen.
Lk 14:21 — “The servant went and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house in anger ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’”
This verse marks a decisive reversal in the parable. The servant faithfully reports the refusals, and the master responds—not with indifference, but with righteous anger. This anger is not petty resentment; it is the pain of rejected generosity. The feast is ready, the invitation sincere, yet those presumed closest have refused to come.
The master’s command is urgent: “Go out quickly.” Grace will not be stalled by human refusal. The focus now shifts from those who assumed their place to those who never expected one. The poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame—earlier named by Jesus—are now explicitly gathered. Those excluded by society become the honored guests of the Kingdom.
This verse reveals the heart of God: rejection does not cancel His generosity; it redirects it. The Kingdom remains full, but its occupants may be surprising.
Historical and Jewish Context
Streets and alleys were places of the marginalized and destitute.
The listed groups were often excluded from formal banquets.
Inviting them overturned social and religious expectations.
Catholic Theological Perspective
God’s saving will is universal and persistent (cf. CCC 605).
Grace seeks the humble and the needy when the privileged refuse it.
The Church is called to mirror this inclusive mission.
Key Terms
Anger — righteous response to rejected grace
Go out quickly — urgency of divine mercy
Poor, crippled, blind, lame — the excluded welcomed by God
Conclusion
Lk 14:21 reveals that God’s Kingdom advances even in the face of refusal. When the expected guests decline, mercy opens the door wider.
Reflection
Do I presume my place in God’s Kingdom, or do I receive it with humility and gratitude?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, keep me from complacency. Give me a humble heart that welcomes Your grace and a generous spirit that reflects Your mercy to those on the margins. Amen.
Lk 14:22 — “The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.’”
This verse reveals the superabundance of God’s generosity. The servant has obeyed fully; the marginalized have been gathered in. Yet the feast is not complete. The words “still there is room” express both fulfillment and longing. God’s generosity exceeds human response.
The report highlights the faithfulness of the servant and the openness of the Kingdom. No one has been excluded by the host; the emptiness is not due to lack of invitation, but to lack of response. Grace has done its work, yet mercy desires more.
Theologically, this verse underscores that God’s Kingdom is expansive, not restrictive. There is space beyond expectations, beyond categories, beyond boundaries already crossed. Divine hospitality is never satisfied with partial fullness.
Historical and Jewish Context
Banquets aimed at full attendance to honor the host.
An unfilled banquet signaled unfinished hospitality.
The servant’s report shows diligence and obedience.
Catholic Theological Perspective
God’s mercy is inexhaustible and universal (cf. CCC 210).
The Church’s mission continues as long as there is “room.”
Salvation history is marked by ongoing invitation.
Key Terms
Carried out — faithful obedience
Still — persistence of grace
Room — openness of the Kingdom
Conclusion
Lk 14:22 proclaims that God’s mercy is wider than human response. Even after many are gathered, the invitation remains open.
Reflection
Do I believe that God’s mercy still has room—for others and for me?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for the wideness of Your mercy. Keep my heart open to Your ongoing call and make me a faithful servant of Your invitation. Amen.
Lk 14:23 — “Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.’”
This verse reveals the relentless generosity of God’s grace. The invitation now extends beyond the town to the highways and hedgerows—places outside normal social and religious boundaries. These are travelers, outsiders, the socially invisible. The reach of the invitation becomes universal.
The command “compel them to come in” does not suggest coercion by force, but urgent persuasion. Those living on the margins would hesitate to believe such an invitation was meant for them. The servant must convince them that the welcome is real. God’s mercy overcomes fear, hesitation, and unworthiness.
The purpose is explicit: “that my house may be filled.” God desires fullness, not emptiness; communion, not exclusion. This verse expresses the missionary heart of God and anticipates the Church’s mission to the Gentiles and to all who feel far from God.
Historical and Jewish Context
Highways and hedgerows lay outside settled community life.
Those found there were often strangers, migrants, or the destitute.
Inviting them shattered conventional boundaries of belonging.
Catholic Theological Perspective
God wills the salvation of all (cf. CCC 605).
Evangelization involves invitation, witness, and loving persuasion.
The Church is sent beyond familiar spaces to gather all into communion.
Key Terms
Highways and hedgerows — those outside established boundaries
Compel — urgent, loving persuasion
House filled — God’s desire for complete communion
Conclusion
Lk 14:23 proclaims the universality of God’s call. No distance, status, or history places anyone beyond the reach of divine mercy.
Reflection
Do I believe that God’s invitation is truly meant for everyone—including those furthest away?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, expand my heart to share Your longing that all be gathered into Your house. Make me a servant of Your invitation, bringing hope to those who feel unworthy or forgotten. Amen.
Lk 14:24 — “For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.”
Jesus concludes the parable with a solemn and sobering declaration. The tone shifts from invitation to judgment. Those originally invited are now definitively excluded—not because the host withdrew the invitation, but because they freely refused it. Grace rejected becomes opportunity lost.
The phrase “I tell you” adds authority and finality. This is not mere narrative closure; it is a warning addressed to the hearers themselves. Familiarity with God’s promises, religious privilege, or early invitation does not guarantee participation in the Kingdom. What matters is response.
This verse does not portray God as vindictive, but truthful. The banquet is real, the invitation sincere, and the refusal consequential. Salvation is offered generously, but it cannot be forced upon those who persistently decline it.
Historical and Jewish Context
To “taste” a banquet meant full participation and joy.
Exclusion from a feast symbolized loss of honor and blessing.
Such endings were meant to provoke self-examination.
Catholic Theological Perspective
Grace can be resisted and even definitively refused (cf. CCC 1861).
Judgment respects human freedom and responsibility.
The warning serves conversion, not despair.
Key Terms
None — seriousness of consequence
Were invited — privilege without response
Taste my dinner — exclusion from the Kingdom
Conclusion
Lk 14:24 affirms that the Kingdom is not entered by assumption but by response. Invitation ignored becomes communion forfeited.
Reflection
Have I grown comfortable with God’s invitation without truly responding to it?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, awaken my heart to the urgency of Your call. Do not let me take Your grace for granted, but help me respond with faith, obedience, and love. Amen.
CONCLUSION
For believers today, Luke 14:15–24 is a searching examination of our response to God’s invitation. The excuses in the parable are not evil in themselves, but they become obstacles when they take precedence over God. The danger lies in postponement and distraction—allowing good things to crowd out what is ultimate. The Gospel warns that familiarity with religious language does not guarantee participation in God’s Kingdom.
At the same time, this passage is filled with hope. God’s invitation is expansive and persistent. Those who consider themselves unworthy or overlooked are often the most open to grace. The parable assures us that the Kingdom is not reserved for the privileged but for all who respond in humility and trust. Christian life is a response to invitation—a willingness to leave lesser claims and take our place at God’s table.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, You invite us generously into the joy of God’s Kingdom. Free us from excuses, distractions, and delayed obedience. Open our hearts to recognize the urgency and grace of Your call. May we respond with gratitude and readiness, and may our lives reflect the joy of those who have accepted the invitation to Your banquet. Amen.