About these posts
These posts grow out of sermons I’ve written for my local church community. You’re welcome to use them—for teaching, small groups, preaching, or personal reflection. If you share them elsewhere, please include a simple attribution. If you’d ever like to share how they’re being used, you’re welcome to reach out through the Contact button. Leader’s Guides for Discussion Questions are available upon request.
*For fun, we started the sermon by reading the passage and singing an old chorus based on the text.
Reader:
12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.
13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’
one vocalist sings with the band the first time—chorus of I Cannot Come[1]
I cannot come, I cannot come to the banquet, Don’t trouble me now, I have married a wife., I have bought me a cow. I have fields and commitments that cost a pretty sum. Pray, hold me excused, I cannot come. [music continues]
Reader: 19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ SING CHORUS—two vocalists [music continues]
Reader: 20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
SING CHORUS—all vocals—music is busier [music continues]
21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ 23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.
[Music stops]
24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’” [team disperses…pastor moves up front]
Jesus tells a story about a banquet in Luke 14. The food is ready. The table is set. The invitations have already gone out. But when the time comes… the guests start sending their regrets. We just sang something that sounds almost humorous…
but it’s actually a little uncomfortable when you listen closely. “I cannot come to the banquet.” In the ancient world, meals, especially banquets, were among the most important contexts for social relations. They were a way to organize society.
Meals were a window into your status.[2] Hospitality is how relationships are formed and strengthened in a community. If you are able, you entertain the people in your social class, and you have a duty to reciprocate as well. When an invitation is given and accepted, it shows that those people can be relied on in public aspects.[3] With a wedding invitation in our era, if you attend, it implies that you will bring a gift of some kind. It’s the same with invitations like these. They carry social implications.
NO invitation is without strings.[4] If you accept an invitation, you obligated yourself –to extend something similar.[5]
The customs of that time, dating all the way back to the time of Esther, would be to offer a double invitation to a banquet like this.[6] The host would send out invitations and receive acceptance. Then the decision is made regarding the food and preparations.
The number of guests would determine the number of animals that would need to be prepared. If it’s just a couple of guests, a chicken or two is good. If it’s a big crowd—30-75 people, some sheep and a calf are probably going to be chosen. Once the countdown starts, it cannot be stopped. At the hour of the banquet, a servant would be sent out…’Come, all is now ready,’ which means…the meat is cooked, and we are ready for you.[7] There is no freezer for leftovers.[8]
Everyone in this story— unanimously[9] make excuses to the servant. It is a suspicious coincidence that every one of the invited guests comes up with last minute reasons they cannot come.[10]
The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ Luke 14:18 NIV
Kenneth Bailey states: This is a bold-faced lie, and everyone knows it. No one buys a field in the Middle East without knowing every square foot of it like the palm of his hand.[11] You have to! Otherwise, you wouldn’t buy it! It would be like someone canceling their dinner plans with you by saying, “I just bought a new house over the phone and I must go and have a look at it and the neighborhood.’[12] It doesn’t add up.
In that time, buying a field was a process that may stretch over a number of years! You could argue that maybe the guy needed to get the title, or maybe he had to go out and do a land survey. But banquets happen when the day is over. He’s not planning to go out of town after dark, at the end of the working day. The land will be there in the morning. And he did already agree to come to the banquet! What is wrong with this guy?[13] Maybe there was a post purchase inspection needed, but his priorities are messed up.[14] Ηe insults the host…basically telling him that the field is more important than the relationship.[15]
Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Luke 14:19 NIV
Sorry, I can’t make it to dinner tonight because I just bought 5 used cars over the phone, and I’m heading down to the lot to find out their age and model and see if they will start.[16] No one is going to do that. They would test the car out. They would test the oxen out. Buyers in that day would hear that a team was being sold, and might come out to watch the animals working, and see how well they go back and forth across the field. If they can’t work well together, they are worthless. The poking, prodding, and watching all happen BEFORE any kind of negotiation.[17] Besides, if you already bought the animals, you could wait until tomorrow to check them out.[18] When the servant comes to announce that dinner is ready, the second guess is civil, but still rude. The animals he is purchasing are more important than the relationship to the host.[19] “Please excuse me. I cannot come,” he says.
Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ Luke 14:20 NIV
In the Greek: I married a wife, and for that reason, I cannot come. Wait. Today? No…because then the wedding feast would have been that same night. Two large banquets like that would not have been held at the same time in an ancient village.[20] One party at a time. Listeners might chuckle at the unspoken hint humor that, like the other two cancellations, the groom needed to ‘try out’ the bride.[21] This guy doesn’t even ask to be excused, though. He boldly suggests, ‘I’m busy with a woman this afternoon, and she is more important to me than your banquet.’[22] J. Duncan Derrett thinks that their excuses are all plausible, but they do involve the risk of social retaliation.[23] Regardless, all the excuses are lame.[24] Moreover, they all seem to be an attempt to ostracize the host.[25]
The people of Israel knew that the fulfillment of God’s promises would be like a joyous banquet.[26] Isaiah writes: On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines. 7 On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; 8 he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken. Isaiah 25:6-8
Kenneth Bailey notes that in Isaiah, the people swallow the banquet, and then God swallows up death. The participants bring nothing with them. And the food is the rich fare of kings.[27] Early Jewish writings had caveats though. The people who should be granted admission to the messianic banquet should not be the lame, blind, deaf, paralyzed, or the tottering old man who cannot keep upright in the midst of the assembly.[28]
According to Jesus, the social values of the kingdom are much different.[29] The kingdom upends the social, political, and economic order[30] of the day. In the parable, Jesus starts by listing only a certain man in verse 16 as the host, who becomes the master in verse 21, and then the head of the household![31] It becomes apparent that this is not just any host. It is GOD!
God is giving a party. Are you going to come?[32]
In the parable, the host gets snubbed. He is justifiably angry. But to his servant he says, Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. Luke 14:21 NIV
The parable presumes that the original guests who were invited were of some financial standing. The average farmer would not be able to buy five yoke of oxen. The invited man would have to own at least 100 acres.[33] Those upper-class guests assume that the banquet cannot go on without them, and so the entire thing will end up being humiliating for the host.[34] But the host will have his feast. The servant is told to bring in the people who live among the community—but are ostracized from community life.
The poor, the lame, the blind and the crippled… are social outcasts.[35] These are people who cannot afford to invite others to big parties, who do not have the social clout to rub shoulders with the important people in town. They would not even consider accepting an invitation like this because in that culture…they couldn’t repay it.
Now, Jewish hosts were known to be considerate towards the poor. But that does not mean that they would be invited to sit at the table. While the more distinguished guests are being entertained, the poor could be fed at the back door.[36] Not this time. The host tells the servant: BRING THEM IN! God is not all about mingling with those who have power and status in this world. He cares about the outcasts. He desires to have a ‘full house’—to gather a people for himself. It’s a theme in both the Old and New Testament.[37]
But when the servant returns with the number of acceptances, there is STILL more room at the table. And so, the host says to his servant, Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled. Luke 14:23
The servant is not necessarily going to invite MORE social outcasts—these are just people who are outside of the community.[38] They may be people who needed access to the city but were not permitted to live in it…like tanners, traders, beggars, various ethnic groups.[39] In Luke, this represents the mission of the church to the Gentiles.[40]
The servant is told to COMPEL the people to come in. This isn’t about forcing someone against their will.[41] In the Middle East, an unexpected invitation like this must be refused, especially if the guest is of a lower social rank. Even if the person NEEDS the food, there is cultural pressure to refuse. In typical fashion, the offer would be given, and the person must refuse as a manner of honor. The outsider would be like, “Me?
The offer is generous, but he cannot possibly mean it.” The servant would have to convince the person that this invitation was indeed real,[42] because the host was determined that NO seats will remain vacant. It’s a reminder that ‘there will be surprises at God’s banquet table.’[43] This kind of new practice is grounded in gracious hospitality.[44]
After the table is filled, the host is going to take a dramatic departure from the social system of reciprocity and status preservation.[45] He says: I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet. Luke 14:24
Sometimes, if a person was unable to attend, the host would send out some of the food. Like you might send a piece of cake if someone couldn’t make the birthday party. But this host is determined NOT to send—even a tiny bit of recognition or any returning social favors.[46] If the guests who were first invited felt like they were entitled to anything, they are in for a rude awakening. They will get no future consideration,[47] or any future polite social gestures.[48] There will be no baskets of bread and fish left over for them.[49]
This story in Luke’s gospel turns from a local affair to the banquet of the reign of God.[50] The banquet has turned into Jesus’ banquet. He identifies himself with the host. HE is the agent of God, who is inviting people to participate in God’s salvation feast.[51] Table fellowship with Jesus IS participating in the Messianic banquet.[52] Jesus has already been eating with tax collectors and sinners, which upends the social contexts of the day. God’s work was already taking place in Jesus’ ministry.[53] The meals Jesus had with the outcasts were celebrating the inauguration of the kingdom.[54]
God is giving a party. Are you going to come?
It’s the Table of Invitation. If this was the messianic banquet that Isaiah was speaking of, there would BE no poor, or disabled because all suffering would have ended.[55] There would be no need for health care or relief from poverty.[56] So, the banquet is not just going to happen at the end of time, when evil is finally defeated…God’s table is ALREADY ready![57] There have been a lot of things going on in the Middle East lately, and some of the conversations I’ve observed immediately turn to: ‘Jesus is coming back! That’s what all of this means! I don’t think it’s wrong to wonder, or prepare for Jesus’ second coming, but I want to suggest that maybe those ‘events and predictions and hypothesis are turning our focus to the wrong thing. What if Jesus is already here?
Jesus said that the kingdom is like a banquet. People may come and enjoy the feast NOW![58] The values of the kingdom are lived out among us in the meals of the community.[59] The party that we are invited to is Jesus’ kingdom-movement.[60] Now. The practices of the kingdom — worship, prayer, learning together, breaking bread together — these are not religious chores. THEY ARE THE WAYS WE COME TO THE FEAST. In Jesus’ story, no one rejects the banquet outright. They just have other things going on. Good things. Necessary things. Busy things. And if we’re honest, that can happen to us too. The invitation of the kingdom is always there — to worship, to pray, to sit at the table with God’s people — but the calendar fills up with other things. The question for us is not whether the invitation is good. The question is: What keeps us from the table?
The people who gave excuses in Luke 14 were involved in good things. One had a farm, one had a business, one got married. It shows us that legitimate occupations can become …PRE-occupations.[61] The kingdom of God rarely loses us because we oppose it —more often it loses us because we are preoccupied. We in the Western world have been immersed in a world of Christian tradition. We’ve gotten the invitation to the banquet, and yet we spend time going after money and security, self-help agendas and taking care of our businesses and security for the future.[62] T.W. Manson writes, God gives the Kingdom; but the accepting of God’s gift means the REJECTION of many other things. The Kingdom of God offers the greatest gifts; but it demands exclusive loyalty and whole-hearted devotion. The great feast is a feast and not a distribution of free rations. Those who wish to enjoy it must come in. They cannot have portions sent out for them to enjoy, while they busy themselves with other things.[63]
What are the things that occupy our time and energy? When God asks us to partake—to sit down—to enjoy the kingdom—to sit among our brothers and sisters and be present with HIM—do we? Are we? Will we?[64] We don’t HAVE to go to church or HAVE to go to Bible study or HAVE to join together in prayer…we GET to!
Jesus’ parable reveals a feast bigger and more generous than anyone imagined— a table not limited by status or worthiness. The Kingdom’s invitation goes out to the highways and hedges, preparing us for the extravagant, self-giving love we will soon see at the Table where Jesus offers Himself. We take communion at a table, to be reminded of what Jesus did for us. But Jesus is inviting us to more at his table.
Alastair Roberts writes: It’s at the table where we learn the manners and politics of God’s kingdom. It’s at the table where we learn to act as people of the king. It’s at the table where we learn to put others before ourselves. At the table we begin to extend God’s goodness to those without the power to repay, at the table we learn to live as thankful people and we release people from their debts to us. And then, as these new manners become second nature, they become part of our everyday lives and practice.[65]
God is giving a party. Are you going to come?
This parable warns us: do not refuse! If you do, with your ridiculous excuses, others will fill your place, and the banquet will go on without you.[66] There will be no participation from a distance,[67] and the party is not going to be postponed.[68] The opportunity could pass you by. If we are obsessed with our own affairs, we might exclude ourselves from the banquet.[69] If we think we are righteous enough, we might miss out, too. None of us should take attendance for granted. This is not about just making a decision to come, or about belonging to the right group, or having the right schooling, or about participating in enough charitable efforts.[70] It’s not enough to have the invitation. It’s not enough to put it in our calendars until something better comes along, or we don’t feel like it in the moment, either. At our church, (and many of your churches) there are opportunities for Bible Study, for table fellowship, for communion, for worship. Those are the practices that God invites us to be a part of—because HE is there—they are FEASTS where we GET TO experience God’s presence.
God is giving a party. Are you going to come?
The feast of God’s kingdom cannot be enjoyed by people who are too busy to come to the table. When we pray, ‘your kingdom come’, we are asking to be a part of the reality that is present now in the person of Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the mission of the church.[71] The kingdom of God is among you, Jesus said.[72] It’s right in front of you…in Jesus. And our response to Jesus determines entrance to that kingdom.[73]
Those of us who have followed Jesus for any length of time have tasted of the banquet. We have eaten at his table. We have been gifted with the presence of the Holy Spirit in our gatherings. We have participated in the gifts of the church that God has graciously given us. We have been enriched by the Word of God. We have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. And now…it’s our turn to reciprocate. It’s our turn to host[74]—it’s our turn to invite other people to taste the bounty of God’s grace, to experience the presence of Jesus at OUR tables. WE have been invited to participate in giving a party, too. What would it mean to celebrate God’s kingdom in such a way that people at the edges of the social circles would consider it good news?[75] The poor, the immigrant, the lonely, the people who rarely find themselves on the guest list?
This Table of Invitation is one that upends societal norms and expectations. The power structure and values of this world are turned upside down by the reign of God.[76] The expected are absent and the unexpected are present.[77] It’s a scandalous scope of inclusion.[78] Our encouragement—our challenge—this week is to say, ‘yes’ to God’s invitation; to lay down our excuses, hesitations, or the belief that you don’t belong at His table. God’s kingdom is a feast of unexpected grace, offered freely to those who will come — especially the overlooked, the hungry, and the ones who never thought they belonged. Be careful: we may be asked to choose between our social advantages and the call to follow Jesus.[79] But when we accept his invitation, we will find that the celebration is worth it. We get to rub shoulders with the King of Heaven—who invites us to sit at his table, and graciously sits at ours, as we taste of the goodness of God. The table is set, the feast is ready, and the invitation has already been given —the only question left is whether we will come.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are the host who prepares the feast. You set the table long before we arrive, and you send the invitation out. Forgive us for the times we have been too busy to come. Forgive us for the excuses we make, for the ways our lives become crowded with things that keep us from you. Thank you that your invitation still stands. Thank you that your table is wide enough for the poor and the overlooked, for the lonely and the weary, for all who are willing to come. Teach us to say yes to your invitation. Help us to make room in our lives for worship, for prayer, for the fellowship of your people, and for the joy of your kingdom. Holy Spirit, shape us into people who extend that same invitation to others—people who welcome, who share, who open our lives so that others may taste and see that you are good. We pray that your kingdom would come among us—in our hearts, in our church, and in our community—until the day we sit together at your great feast. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who welcomes us and prepares the table for us, and who taught us to pray saying: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Bibliography
- Bailey, Kenneth E. Through Peasant Eyes. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1980.
- Bird, Michael F. A Bird’s-Eye View of Luke and Acts: Context, Story, and Themes. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2023.
- Blomberg, Craig L. Interpreting the Parables, Second Edition. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2012.
- Bock, Darrell L. Luke. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1994.
- Bruner, Frederick Dale. The Christbook: Matthew 1–12. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004.
- Derrett, J. Duncan M. Law in the New Testament. Eugene: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 1970.
- Donahue, John R. The Gospel in Parable. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1988.
- Garland, David E. Luke. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011.
- Green, Joel B. The Gospel of Luke. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997.
- Levine, Amy-Jill and Ben Witherington III. The Gospel of Luke. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018.
- Manson, T. W. The Sayings of Jesus. London: SCM Press, 1937.
- Snodgrass, Klyne R. Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus, Second Edition. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018.
- Storkey, Alan. Jesus and Politics: Confronting the Powers. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005.
- Wright, N. T. Luke for Everyone. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004.
Website/Article
- Roberts, Alastair, “The Politics of the Table—Luke 14:1; 7–14.” Political Theology Network. August 22, 2016. https://politicaltheology.com/the-politics-of-the-table-luke-141-7-14-alastair-roberts/
—
Going Deeper Questions
Icebreaker
- When you’re invited to a gathering, which one are you most like?
-The early planner
-The last-minute responder
-The person who brings food
-The person who just shows up and enjoys it
Dinner Guest Questions
Imagine you are hosting a large dinner at your home.
You have space for six guests at the table.
If you could invite anyone, who would you invite? Write down their names.
- If these six people were all sitting around the table together, what kind of conversation do you think would happen?
- Now imagine that three of your guests cancel at the last minute. Who might you invite instead?
- Would you invite someone outside your usual circle? Someone who couldn’t repay the favor? Someone you don’t know very well? Why or why not?
In Jesus’ story, the host ends up inviting people who would never expect to be on the guest list at all.
Read Luke 14:15–24 NIV
Scene 1 – The Assumption of the Banquet (v.15)
Someone at the table says:
“Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
- Why do you think the man at the table says this statement so confidently?
- What assumptions about the kingdom of God might the people at that table have been making?
- How do people today assume they are “on the guest list” for God’s kingdom?
Scene 2 – The Invitations and the Excuses (vv.16–20)
- What’s the funniest or strangest excuse you’ve ever heard for someone canceling plans?
- Why do you think Jesus chose good things (land, work, marriage) as the excuses? What makes these excuses sound reasonable at first? Which of the three excuses do you find most relatable?
- What kinds of “respectable excuses” keep people from participating in God’s kingdom today? When do good responsibilities become spiritual distractions?
- Have everyone share the most creative excuse they can invent for why they couldn’t come to dinner tonight.
Examples: “My goldfish is having a birthday party.”
“I just bought a llama and need to see if it can mow the lawn.”
“My sourdough starter has separation anxiety.”
- Have you ever missed something meaningful because your schedule was full of other commitments?
Scene 3 – The Unexpected Guests (vv.21–23)
- In the ancient world, people usually invited those who could repay the favor. Where do we still see that kind of “invite people who can benefit us” thinking today?
- How might people today still assume that wealth, respectability, education, family background, or church familiarity make them more naturally suited for God’s table?
- Why do you think the host invites the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame? What does this reveal about God’s character? Why might the original listeners have found this part of the story surprising?
- Why is it significant that the host does not cancel the banquet when the expected guests refuse to come?
- Who today might feel like they are not “on the guest list” for God’s kingdom?
Scene 4 – The Warning and the Invitation (v.24)
- What do you think Jesus wants his listeners to understand from the host’s final statement?
- Which is more spiritually dangerous: open rejection of God or quiet preoccupation with other things? Why?
- What is the difference between admiring the idea of God’s kingdom and actually participating in it? Why is it not enough just to receive the invitation?
- What are some ways Christians can treat worship, prayer, fellowship, or communion like optional extras instead of ways of entering the feast?
- If the banquet represents life with God, what do you think people are afraid of leaving behind when they choose not to come?
God is giving a party. Are you going to come?
Scene 5 – The kingdom is here
- Why do you think Jesus tells a story where the guest list changes so dramatically? What does this reveal about the nature of God’s kingdom? How might this challenge the way we think about hospitality in our own lives?
- What would it mean for our church—or our own homes—to reflect this kind of surprising hospitality?
- Jesus suggests the kingdom banquet isn’t only a future event—it’s something people can begin to experience now. Where do you see glimpses of God’s kingdom “feast” in your life or in the church?
Personal Application
- Where in your life do you sense God saying, “Come, for everything is now ready”?
- What might God be asking you to lay down right now so that you can say yes more fully to his invitation?
- What is one way you can intentionally make space for God this week
(worship, prayer, Scripture, gathering with others)? - Is there someone in your life who might feel like they’re not “on the guest list”?
How might you extend hospitality or welcome to them this week?
Closing Prayer
God of the great banquet, thank you for inviting us to your feast. Help us say yes to you and extend that invitation to others. Amen.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW_vdsU_Bb8
[2] Klyne R. Snodgrass, Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus, Second Edition, Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008, 2018, 308.
[3] J. Duncan M. Derrett, Law in the New Testament, Eugene: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 1970, 138.
[4] Derrett, 139, 140.
[5] Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke, TNICNT, Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997, 550.
[6] Kenneth E. Bailey, Through Peasant Eyes. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1980, 95.
[7] Bailey, Through Peasant Eyes, 94.
[8] David E. Garland, Luke. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011, 586.
[9] Bailey, Through Peasant Eyes, 95.
[10] Garland, 586.
[11] Bailey, Through Peasant Eyes, 95.
[12] Bailey, 96.
[13] Bailey, 96-97.
[14] Darrell L. Bock, Luke. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1994, 252.
[15] Bailey 97.
[16] Bailey, 98.
[17] Bailey, 97.
[18] Garland, 588.
[19] Bailey, 98.
[20] Bailey, 98.
[21] Amy-Jill Levine, Ben Witherington III, The Gospel of Luke. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018, 398.
[22] Bailey, 99.
[23] Derrett, 154.
[24] Blomberg, 307.
[25] Garland, 587.
[26] Klyne R. Snodgrass, Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus, Second Edition. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018, 311.
[27] Kenneth Bailey, Through Peasant Eyes, Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1980, 90.
[28] Snodgrass, 301—from 1QSa 2.3-9
[29] Snodgrass, 313.
[30] Michael F. Bird, A Bird’s-Eye View of Luke and Acts: Context, Story, and Themes, Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2023, 108.
[31] Garland, 589.
[32] Snodgrass, 314.
[33] Snodgrass, 313.
[34] Bailey, 100.
[35] Snodgrass, 315.
[36] J. Duncan M. Derrett, Law in the New Testament, Eugene: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 1970, 141.
[37] Snodgrass, 317.
[38] Biley, 101.
[39] Garland, 591.
[40] Baily, 101-107.
[41] Craig L. Blomberg, Interpreting the Parables, Second Edition, Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2012, 307.
[42] Bailey, 108.
[43] Darrell L. Bock, Luke, IVP New Testament Commentary Series, Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1994, 252.
[44] Green, 562.
[45] Joel B. Green, 561.
[46] Derrett, 141.
[47] Derrett, 147.
[48] Derrett, 155.
[49] Levine, Witherington, 400.
[50] Garland, 591.
[51] Bailey, 111.
[52] Bailey, 111.
[53] Snodgrass, 317.
[54] John R. Donahue, S.J., The Gospel in Parable, Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1988, 143.
[55] Levine, Witherington, 399.
[56] Levine, Witherington, 399.
[57] Snodgrass, 316.
[58] Snodgrass, 322.
[59] Donahue, 145.
[60] N.T. Wright, Luke for Everyone, Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001, 2004, 178.
[61] Bruner, 387.
[62] Craig Blomberg: Interpreting the Parables, Downers Grove, IVP Academic, 2012, 313.
[63] T.W. Manson, The Sayings of Jesus, London: SCM, 1937, 130.
[64] Craig Blomberg: Interpreting the Parables, Downers Grove, IVP Academic, 2012, 313.
[65] Roberts, Alastair, “The Politics of the Table—Luke 14:1; 7–14.” Political Theology Network. August 22, 2016.
[66] Bailey, 111.
[67] Bailey, 112.
[68] Bock, 253.
[69] Garland, 583.
[70] Snodgrass, 322.
[71] Bird, 272-273.
[72] Luke 17:20-21.
[73] Bird, 275.
[74] N.T. Wright, 179.
[75] N.T. Wright, 179.
[76] Amy-Jill Levine, Ben Witherington III, The Gospel of Luke, New Cambridge Bible Commentary, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018, 395.
[77] Snodgrass, 322.
[78] Bird, 110.
[79] Garland, 595.
Preach it Sista 