Text -- Luke 14:15-24 (NET)

The Parable of the Great Banquet

14:15 When one of those at the meal with Jesus heard this, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will feast in the kingdom of God!” 14:16 But Jesus said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many guests. 14:17 At the time for the banquet he sent his slave to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’ 14:18 But one after another they all began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please excuse me.’ 14:19 Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going out to examine them. Please excuse me.’ 14:20 Another said, ‘I just got married, married, and I cannot cannot come.’ 14:21 So the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the master of the household was furious and said to his slave, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 14:22 Then the slave said, ‘Sir, what you instructed has been done, and there is still room.’ 14:23 So the master said to his slave, ‘Go out to the highways and country roads and urge people to come in, so that my house will be filled. 14:24 For I tell you, not one of those individuals who were invited will taste my banquet!’”

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Luk 14:15

¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

² tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Grk “whoever” (the indefinite relative pronoun). This has been translated as “everyone who” to conform to contemporary English style.

⁴ tn Or “will dine”; Grk “eat bread.” This refers to those who enjoy the endless fellowship of God’s coming rule.

⁵ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

NET Notes: Luk 14:16

¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Or “dinner.”

³ sn Presumably those invited would have sent a reply with the invitation stating their desire to attend, much like a modern R.S.V.P. Then they waited for the servant to announce the beginning of the celebration (D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 2:1272).

⁴ tn The word “guests” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

NET Notes: Luk 14:17

¹ tn Grk “And at.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

² tn Or “dinner.”

³ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.

NET Notes: Luk 14:18

¹ tn Or “all unanimously” (BDAG 107 s.v. ἀπό 6). "One after another" is suggested by L&N 61.2.

² sn To make excuses and cancel at this point was an insult in the culture of the time. Regardless of customs concerning responses to invitations, refusal at this point was rude.

³ sn I have bought a field. An examination of newly bought land was a common practice. It was this person’s priority.

⁴ sn The expression Please excuse me is probably a polite way of refusing, given the dynamics of the situation, although it is important to note that an initial acceptance had probably been indicated and it was now a bit late for a refusal. The semantic equivalent of the phrase may well be “please accept my apologies.”

NET Notes: Luk 14:19

¹ tn Grk “And another.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

² sn Five yoke of oxen. This was a wealthy man, because the normal farmer had one or two yoke of oxen.

³ tn The translation “going out” for πορεύομαι (poreuomai) is used because “going” in this context could be understood to mean “I am about to” rather than the correct nuance, “I am on my way to.”

NET Notes: Luk 14:20

¹ tn Grk “And another.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

² sn I just got married, and I cannot come. There is no request to be excused here; just a refusal. Why this disqualifies attendance is not clear. The OT freed a newly married man from certain responsibilities such as serving in the army (Deut 20:7; 24:5), but that would hardly apply to a banquet. The invitation is not respected in any of the three cases.

NET Notes: Luk 14:21

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the preceding responses.

² tn Grk “being furious, said.” The participle ὀργισθείς (orgisqei") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

³ sn It was necessary to go out quickly because the banquet was already prepared. All the food would spoil if not eaten immediately.

⁴ tn Or “town.”

⁵ sn The poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. Note how the list matches v. 13, illustrating that point. Note also how the party goes on; it is not postponed until a later date. Instead new guests are invited.

⁶ tn Grk “and the crippled.” Normally crippled as a result of being maimed or mutilated (L&N 23.177). Καί (kai) has not been translated here and before the following category (Grk “and the blind and the lame”) since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

NET Notes: Luk 14:22

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the order of events within the parable.

² sn And still there is room. This comment suggests the celebration was quite a big one, picturing the openness of God’s grace.

NET Notes: Luk 14:23

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the master’s response to the slave’s report.

² tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

³ sn Go out to the highways and country roads. This suggests the inclusion of people outside the town, even beyond the needy (poor, crippled, blind, and lame) in the town, and so is an allusion to the inclusion of the Gentiles.

⁴ tn The Greek word φραγμός (fragmo") refers to a fence, wall, or hedge surrounding a vineyard (BDAG 1064 s.v. 1). “Highways” and “country roads” probably refer not to separate places, but to the situation outside the town where the rural roads run right alongside the hedges or fences surrounding the fields (cf. J. A. Fitzmyer, Luke [AB], 1057).

⁵ tn Traditionally “force” or “compel,” but according to BDAG 60 s.v. ἀναγκάζω 2 this is a weakened nuance: “strongly urge/invite.” The meaning in this context is more like “persuade.”

⁶ tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

⁷ sn So that my house will be filled. God will bless many people.

NET Notes: Luk 14:24

¹ tn The Greek word here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which frequently stresses males or husbands (in contrast to women or wives). However, the emphasis in the present context is on identifying these individuals as the ones previously invited, examples of which were given in vv. 18-20. Cf. also BDAG 79 s.v. ἀνήρ 2.

² sn None of those individuals who were invited. This is both the point and the warning. To be a part of the original invitation does not mean one automatically has access to blessing. One must respond when the summons comes in order to participate. The summons came in the person of Jesus and his proclamation of the kingdom. The statement here refers to the fact that many in Israel will not be blessed with participation, for they have ignored the summons when it came.

³ tn Or “dinner.”