Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Luke 14:17
And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
17. sent his servant at supper time ] This is still a custom in the East, Pro 9:1-5; Thomson, Land and Book, i. ch. 9: The message of the servant corresponds to the ministry of John the Baptist and of Jesus Himself.
Come; for all things are now ready ] “Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” Luk 10:1; Luk 10:9; Mat 3:1-2.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Sent his servant – An invitation had been sent before, but this servant was sent at the time that the supper was ready. From this it would seem that it was the custom to announce to those invited just the time when the feast was prepared. The custom here referred to still prevails in Palestine. Dr. Thomson (The Land and the Book, vol. i. p. 178) says: If a sheikh, beg, or emeer invites, he always sends a servant to call you at the proper time. This servant often repeats the very formula mentioned in Luk 14:17; Tefuddulu, el ‘asha hader. Come, for the supper is ready. The fact that this custom is mainly confined to the wealthy and to the nobility is in strict agreement with the parable, where the certain man who made the great supper and bade many is supposed to be of this class. It is true now, as then, that to refuse is a high insult to the maker of the feast, nor would such excuses as those in the parable be more acceptable to a Druse emeer than they were to the lord of this great supper.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 17. Sent his servant] Messengers are sent to invite the guests to a Hindoo feast; when not only relations, but all persons of the same division of caste in the neighbourhood, are invited. A refusal to attend is considered as a great affront.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
17. supper-time . . . all nowreadypointing undoubtedly to the now ripening preparations forthe great Gospel call. (See on Mt22:4.)
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And sent his servant at supper time,…. Either John the Baptist, the harbinger and forerunner of Christ, who declared that the kingdom of heaven, or the Gospel dispensation, was at hand; and exhorted the people to believe in Christ that should come after him; or Christ himself, who is God’s servant as man, of his choosing and appointing, and whom he sent in the fulness of time in the form of a servant, as the minister of the circumcision, to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and to call sinners to repentance; or servant may be put for servants, since in Mt 22:3 mention is made of more; and so the Persic version here; which parable bears some likeness to this, if it is not the same; and may design the apostles of Christ, who were the servants of the most high God, and the ministers of Christ, who were first sent by him to preach the Gospel to the Jews, and to them only for a while:
to say to them that were bidden, come: this call, or invitation, was not the internal call, which is a fruit of love, and by grace, and of mighty power; to special blessings, grace, and glory; and is irresistible, effectual, and unchangeable: but external, to outward ordinances: and is often slighted and neglected; and is sometimes of persons who are neither chosen, nor sanctified, nor saved:
for all things are now ready; the Syriac version adds, “for you”: righteousness, pardon of sin, peace, and reconciliation, sin put away by the sacrifice of Christ, redemption obtained, and life and salvation secured; which shows the perfection of the present dispensation, and the large provisions of the Gospel, to which nothing is, or can be brought to be added to them, or qualify for them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
His servant ( ). His bondservant. Vocator or Summoner (Esth 5:8; Esth 6:14). This second summons was the custom then as now with wealthy Arabs. Tristram (Eastern Customs, p. 82) says: “To refuse the second summons would be an insult, which is equivalent among the Arab tribes to a declaration of war.”
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “And sent his servant at supper time,” (kai apesteilen ton doulon autou te hora tou deipnou) “And he sent, directed, or mandated his servant at the hour of the supper,” Luk 10:1-6; Mat 3:1-3; Mat 10:1-15, a custom that was familiar in the middle east, Mat 22:3-4. The man’s (God’s) sent servant was Jesus, preceded by John the Baptist, Mat 3:1-3, Joh 3:17; Joh 6:38; Joh 20:21.
2) “To say to them that were bidden,” (eipein tois keklemenois) “To say to those who had already been invited,” to the Jews first, especially the responsible Jewish rulers and leaders in religious matters, rulers, Pharisees and doctors of the Law.
3) “Come; for all things are now ready.” (erchesthe hoti ede etomia estin) “You all come, if you will, because it is already prepared,” or it is all ready, right now, the feast is spread, on the table, to satisfy your hunger, just what you need. That servant offered:
1) Water forever for the thirsty, Joh 4:14.
2) Food forever for the hungry soul, Joh 6:35; Isa 55:1-3.
3) Eternal life, life forever to such as came to Him and ate, Joh 6:37; Joh 6:58; Joh 10:27-29.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(17) And sent his servant.The servant stands in this parable as the representative of the whole order of prophets and apostlesof all who, like the Baptist and the Twelve, had been sent to invite men to the Kingdom. The time of supper is, in the primary application, the time of our Lords coming, when the Kingdom of Heaven was first proclaimed as nigh at hand. All thingspardon, peace, blessednesswere now ready for those who would accept them.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
17. Sent his servant at supper time According to the custom of the East, that after the first invitation a messenger is additionally sent to give notice of the supper time.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
Ver. 17. See Mat 22:3 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
17. ] The is one spirit , one message; but not necessarily, in the three cases, one and the same person . The three messages were delivered (1) by John the Baptist and our Lord; (2) by our Lord and the Apostles; (3) by the Apostles and those who came after. The elder prophets cannot be meant, for was the message, = . . .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Luk 14:17 . : a second invitation according to Eastern custom still prevailing (Rosenmller, Morgenland , ver .192; Thomson, Land and Book , vol. i. chap. ix.).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
servant = bondman.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
17.] The is one spirit, one message; but not necessarily, in the three cases, one and the same person. The three messages were delivered (1) by John the Baptist and our Lord; (2) by our Lord and the Apostles; (3) by the Apostles and those who came after. The elder prophets cannot be meant, for was the message, = . . .
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Luk 14:17. , to say) The successive steps of the gradation are to be observed: Luk 14:17, , to say, , to the called: Luk 14:21, , bring in, , the poor: Luk 14:23, , compel, , i.e. those who are in the highways, etc. The call goes forward to those that are at a greater distance, and by its continually increasing urgency it compensates for the delay previously incurred. [The called are of Israel.-V. g.-) already now. Herein the time of the New Testament is shown to be the present time.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
his: Luk 3:4-6, Luk 9:1-5, Luk 10:1-12, Pro 9:1-5, Mat 3:1-12, Mat 10:1-4, Act 2:38, Act 2:39, Act 3:24-26, Act 13:26, Act 13:38, Act 13:39
Come: Mat 11:27-29, Mat 22:3, Mat 22:4, Joh 7:37, 2Co 5:18-21, 2Co 6:1
Reciprocal: Pro 9:2 – mingled Pro 9:3 – sent Zep 1:7 – he hath Mat 23:37 – and ye
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
THE GREAT INVITATION
Come; for all things are now ready.
Luk 14:17
There are many things that inspire one about this glorious invitation of the Gospel.
I. Its splendid note of confidence.There is too much apologising for the Gospel in these days. The old preachers never apologised for Christianity.
II. There is something touching in the personal invitation.God, Who made you, Who has watched over you from your very cradle, Who knows all about you, He speaks to you by name.
III. There is an intimation of the long and costly preparation.It wanted the Son of God to come down from heaven to earth and live here; it wanted Him to take human flesh; it wanted Him to go through the agony and the bloody sweat and to die upon the Cross; it needed His going back to heaven to purchase the key and unlock, as it were, and let out the greater blessing of God. What are you waiting foryou who care nothing about the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
IV. Underneath all is the pressing note of urgency.Whatever opportunities there may be in the other world, as far as it is revealed to us in the Bible, now is the accepted time and now is the day of salvation.
Bishop A. F. Winnington-Ingram.
(SECOND OUTLINE)
THE SATISFACTION OF THE GOSPEL
When we hear this glorious invitation it makes us ask this question: Has it been justified by results? There are certain things which very much tell against a confident answer. It is something which ought to oppress the soul of every good man and woman, that only eighteen out of every hundred in the great city of London go either to church or chapel. Now, that of itself is something which certainly prevents one from giving a confident answer; but those who can look back over a long experience among the dying, the sick, and the troubled, are able to say that they know that there has been satisfaction found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the mind and for the conscience and for the heart and for the spirit of mankind. The Gospel satisfies
I. The mind.Take the mind first. Do you mean to say you never thought at all why the world was made? Do you never think on a starry night, Who made these blazing suns? And what is the answer? Does any one know? Does any philosopher know? Does any astronomer know? You ask, and they will tell you they know nothing at all of Who made the stars. They can trace the stars in their courses; they can tell you how things gradually came about. But what is the centre of everything? All the old philosophers asked the question: Was there a Person in the centre of the Universe at all? And, as thinking men and women, every day it is a source of intellectual satisfaction to us that we have been told what is at the centre of the world. There is not an insensate force, but a Person, Who has made the world. Herschel said there is a mark of mind on every created atom. And is not there a mark of mind upon the universe? It is just as impossible for the atoms of the universe to throw themselves into shape as for a box of letters to throw themselves into a play of Shakespeare. I find satisfaction for my mind in this. It is the good news. I can tell what is the Centre of the universe, and I thank God on my knees that I know there is a God, a Living Person.
II. The conscience.Then, is there no satisfaction for the conscience? The character of Jesus Christ not only satisfies the conscience, but educates it at the same time. In other words, in the character of Christ there is something far more perfect than we could have thought possible if we had sat down to think by ourselves. I say that the life of Christ has satisfied the conscience.
III. The heart.What about the heart? In the Gospel there is satisfaction for the heart (see Illustration).
IV. The Spirit.And what about the spirit? I speak to living spiritsyou are spirits. I ask the man who has prayed for years and has been to the Holy Communion, whether he has not come back with what the Prayer Book calls a heart strengthened and refreshed by the Body and Blood of Christ; and whether in answer to his prayers he has not received the peace of God which passeth all understanding?
Then, if the mind and the conscience and the heart and the spirit are satisfied with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, are we not right when, at the end of two thousand years, we as Christian ministers stand before you, and with the same old confidence say, Come; for all things are now ready? This is a true satisfaction for the needs of men. Why are you not coming to the satisfaction of your souls?
Bishop A. F. Winnington-Ingram.
Illustration
The Bishop of London has mentioned a story which illustrates the satisfaction there is in the Gospel for the heart. He was standing one day in his room in Bethnal Green, where he was rector, and he was called away to a particularly sad scene in a working mans home. There were three childrenall ill, and while they were in that room altogether the three children died, one after the other, in an hour. What had the Christian minister to say to the father? What could the clever sceptic say to him? Nothing at all; the sceptic would have had no comfort for that poor man. But, thank God, the Christian minister could tell him of the Good Shepherd Who had taken up the lambs into His bosom and taken them safely to be with Him for ever. That man had comfort in that he believed the message. In the Gospel there was satisfaction for his heart.
(THIRD OUTLINE)
WHY MEN HESITATE
Let us consider why men hesitate to accept this glorious invitation, Come; for all things are now ready.
I. In doubt.I am so much in doubt, says one. My mind is overclouded by doubts, and that is why I do not come. Do you remember what Thomas did when in doubt? Did he leave the Church? Did he go away altogether from the things of God? He stayed with the Church, he stayed with the others, praying for light, and therefore he received a revelation of Christ. If you will stay with the Church, and get some help for doubts and difficulties, you too will receive the revelation from Christ Himself.
II. A wrong conscience.But you say, It is all very well to preach to me; my conscience is wrong. Yes; when are you going to get that conscience so that you have the answer of a good conscience before God? Get your conscience right. God is right enough; there is love enough and grace enough; and, therefore, get the conscience right. Then the conscience will see its ideal in Jesus Christ.
III. The heart is wrong.You say the heart is wrong. I love the world, I love pleasures, I love enjoyment, I have no taste for these heavenly things. But you must have some taste if you are to enjoy the life of heaven. When you are wondering what your future is to be, remember you make your future yourself. We carry heaven and hell with us. Take a man to-day whose whole joy is lust of the flesh and sensual pleasure. Put him in heaven. He would hate it; and therefore we have to train our liking, our hearts and characters here, that we may love the pure joys of heaven when we have them.
Come, then; that is the ending as it was the beginning. Come; for all things are now ready; make a resolution that with clear minds, with true consciences, with liberated hearts and loving spirits you will make another trial of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and you will have this satisfaction, that not only will you live stronger, happier, brighter lives on earth, but you shall sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Bishop A. F. Winnington-Ingram.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
7
Them that were bidden means the Jews to whom the invitation was first given. (See Mat 10:5-6; Act 13:46; Rom 1:16.)
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Luk 14:17. Sent his servant. This was usual in the East (comp. Mat 22:3). As but one servant is spoken of, and but one such invitation, we must understand this as representing Christ Himself, who came to those invited, saying: come, for things are now ready, i.e., the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Mat 4:17). See further on Mat 22:4. The immediate invitation is based on the fact, that preparation had been made. All is to be omitted, but is a correct explanation of the full sense. The gospel, telling of the facts of salvation, repeats this announcement; it is always a message sent through Christ (His servant).