"And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." [Lk 14:23]
In a certain place, where Jesus “marked how they [which were bidden to a certain event] chose out the chief rooms,” [Lk 14:7] He said to them,
“When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him…but when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room…for whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” [Lk 14:8, 10, 11]
The heart of the issue Jesus was putting forth was one which is common to the Scriptures: humility. That we are not to exalt ourselves before or above others, but as it is written, “let nothing be done through carnal ambition or baseless pride; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” [Phil 2:3] It is not just that we ought to take the lowest room, the lowest seat, or the basest thing, but notice Jesus’ words again, “lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden.” The foundation for this type of humility is esteeming others better than oneself. Not just to pick out baser and more lowly things, but doing so because you see others as more deserving, as better, as higher than yourself, and thus are not having your manner of living in a proud, self-centered, and entitled manner. When Jesus says, “whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted,” He brings to our remembrance what is also written, “before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honor is humility;” [Prov 15:33] and, “a man’s pride shall bring him low;” [Prov 29:23] and again, “the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down.” [Isa 2:11] And let us again be careful to notice: the act of humility Jesus is encouraging and commanding must be rooted in this recognition and belief: others are better than ourselves, for if we exalt ourselves to high positions out of a self-deserving spirit, no doubt we shall be abased.
Furthermore, Jesus spoke after this, now to those who held the event and who “bade Him,” saying,
“When thou makest a dinner or supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.” [Lk 14:12-14]
Again, there is a focus on humility. Do not invite and bless those, Jesus says, who can repay you; do not invite those rich friends, brethren, neighbors, etc., who will likely render a due benefit back to you. Rather, invite those who cannot repay, those from whom you can receive nor hope to receive any recompense or benefit, even as Jesus formerly spoke, “if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? For sinners also do even the same…But…lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great.” [Lk 6:34, 35] Those who are proud will not invite those they perceive as lower than themselves, nor those who cannot render them some pleasure or benefit. The world around us touts this as a spectacular virtue of self-love and self-respect, but God condemns it as evil and bitter, a selfish and proud attitude that is deserving not of praise but of the highest rebuke. Those who only ever do good to those who can repay, and those who choose the best for themselves, are proud, being deceived.
The ultimate example of these things, as all good characteristics and qualities, are found in Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. And to that effect, Jesus speaks next in a parable, saying after the first two teachings, “a certain man made a great supper, and bade many,” [Lk 14:16] and whereas those who were first invited “began to make excuse,” [Lk 14:18] and neglected the invite, Jesus says,
“Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” [Lk 14:21-23]
In the parable, the master of the house is God. The various guests invited are us; and whereas some accepted and some rejected, we remember that some accept The Lord’s invitation of salvation and some do not, for the great supper represents the kingdom of heaven, by which men may partake if they are saved. Let us therefore take heart and see the glory of God in that, speaking of the destitute, the lowly, the sinners, the poor, and the like, Jesus says, “the lord said…compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” The word “compel” means, “to drive or urge with force…to constrain; to oblige…” [Webster] Herein we may find great encouragement and “everlasting consolation.” [2 Th 2:16] For even though The LORD is “a Great King,” [Mal 1:14] being “King of kings, and Lord of lords,” [Rev 19:16] yet He has humbled Himself to invite us, those who are poor, blind, maimed, destitute, and sinners. Though He bears all riches and all pleasures in heaven, though His palace is ten thousand times as decorated as any on earth, He invites us still; and He does not just invite us, but compels us. The Lord, in His great love for us and desire for fellowship, urges us with force: “now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation[!]” and, “come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest;” and once more, “turn unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” [2 Cor 6:2, Mt 11:28, Isa 45:22] Our great God has not just casually invited us into His home, to eat of His bread and drink of His wine, to enrich our souls with the pleasures of His presence and of His Son’s graces, but He has compelled us, urged us!
Is there any king upon earth who has urged such lowly beggars to rise up to such heights? Hardly! But our Great King, our loving God, our Father, and His Son Jesus Christ, have urged us with force, be ye saved! And praise God that He has done so with such force; for had He not, we might be today sitting in hell, in the darkest and lowest pit. But thanks be to God, yes a thousand thanks be to His precious Name, that He has, as it says, “delivered [our] soul from the lowest hell;” and, “by the blood of [Christ’s] covenant [He has] sent [us] forth…out of the pit wherein is no water.” [Psa 86:13, Zech 9:11]
Let us see too that we cannot repay The Lord for what He has done, nor does He require us to. As Jesus commanded we ought to do, so He does Himself, “but when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee…” [Lk 14:13-14] Jesus and The Father have invited us free of charge; for we are the blind, the maimed, the poor, and the lame. We are those who cannot repay. We have nothing to give, for we are poor, as Christ says, “blessed are the poor in spirit.” [Mt 5:3] But God has not required anything back from us, but our love and our fellowship. We have not been called unto salvation and given such an offer because we could do anything for God or repay Him any amount; no, but He has saved us out of love, because He is gracious and merciful. As it is written, “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us;” [Titus 3:5] and, “for by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” [Eph 2:8-9] We are as Mephibosheth who though He was “lame on both his feet,” [2 Sam 9:13] yet David sought to “shew the kindness of God unto him,” [2 Sam 9:3] by inviting him into his home, saying, “thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.” [2 Sam 9:7] For again, as it is written,
“He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: He taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy.” [Psa 147:10-11]
May we rest in God’s love for us, who has invited us to the feast without expectation of repayment. Our God is abundant in His mercy and grace, having compelled us through His love, having drawn us into His fellowship, having called us unto eternal life. “What shall [we] render unto The LORD for all His benefits toward [us]? [Let us] take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of The LORD.” [Psa 116:12-13]
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