THREE SUPPERS

Luke Chapter Fourteen

And it came to pass, when Jesus went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a Sabbath, to eat bread, they were watching Him. It seems the important item on the menu at this feast was bread, and that seems to be an appropriate way to refer to any feast. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” The preaching of the Word of God, the bread of life, and the reading of that Word of God is essential for spiritual life.

Then notice at this supper they were watching Him; but even though they were watching Him from an ulterior motive, we also can watch Jesus and learn much. At the crucifixion of the Lord, we are told that they sat and watched Him there. While we were not at the actual event of the crucifixion, we also can sit and watch the bleeding form of the Son of God as we sit and watch the panorama of the crucifixion as we observe the Lord’s Supper on the Lord’s Day. They watched Him and again if you watch Jesus you learn about prayer. He went to the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed, “Not My will but Thine be done.” They watched Him. Watch Jesus as He stood before the grave of Lazarus and called him back from the dead. Did you learn anything about Jesus in that event? They watched Him.

Watch Jesus as He is baptized of John in the Jordan. Watch Him as it says, “And Jesus, when He was baptized went up straightway from the water.” What did you learn by just watching Jesus? They watched Him. Regarding His Second Coming, Jesus Himself says, “Watch therefore for ye know not the day or the hour.” They watched Him. There is a gospel song that says, “Watch the Lamb.” Now as they were watching Him, behold there was a certain man before Him who had the dropsy. Sitting right in front of Jesus was this man whose face and body was swollen, puffed up with water under his skin.

Dropsy is a terrible disease. It runs rampant today. Paul speaks of dropsy in the book of Hebrews when he warns, “Neglect not the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is.” Many today have the dropsy. They drop in their assembling together. Dropsy at first does not seem so bad; it is the complications of dropsy that are so deadly. When Christian people get the dropsy it is only natural that they will also drop in the two great spiritual exercises, namely Bible reading and prayer. Dropsy is a deadly disease. The Lord could not miss the pitiable sight, and the Pharisees knew that Jesus in His compassion would heal him, and horror of horrors, Jesus healed him on the Sabbath Day.

At this point Luke tells us that Jesus answering, spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath Day?” He answering said unto them.” They had not said anything, but He answered their thoughts. Jesus knew what they were thinking. He knows what we are thinking. In Hebrews we read how He not only knows the thoughts, but also the intents of the heart. In John we read that He knew what was in man. In Matthew He said, “Out of the heart comes forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witnesses, railings.” In Second Corinthians Paul informs us, “The weapons of our warfare are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds, and casting down of imaginations, bringing every thought unto captivity unto the obedience of Jesus Christ.” The first syllable of imagination is IMAGE. We have images in our minds, and some of those images must be thrown down. The battle rages in our minds, and the Devil wants to control our minds. It is a lonely battle, because no one is watching, and ready to applaud when we win a victory. No one is standing by saying, “Way to go!” But remember, the Lord Jesus knows our thoughts.

At this time the Pharisees could not answer again unto these things, and that is because when Jesus speaks, there is no argument to the contrary that will make any sense. There is a principle Paul refers to in Romans 3:19, “Every mouth may be stopped, and all the world brought under the judgment of God.” On the Judgment Day there will be no argument, no court of appeal on any religious controversies. Every mouth will be stopped, and the word of Jesus is final.

SUPPER NUMBER ONE

Now Supper number one was when He spake a parable unto those that were bidden when He marked how they chose out the chief seats, saying unto them, “When thou art bidden of any man to a marriage feast, sit not down in the chief seat; lest haply a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him,” and he that bade thee, and him come and say to thee, “Give this man place; and then thou shalt begin with shame to take the lowest place.”

Jesus noticed at this supper how some of the guests jostled to have the chief seats, and He began to speak regarding this issue. Jesus always spoke as to what was needed at the moment. This is always good instruction for us preachers today. We need to choose our subjects as to what the people need to hear, and not merely what they want to hear. The choice is simple, either strive to please the people, or please God.

The Lord advises to take the lowest seat that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say to thee, “Friend, go up higher:” Then shalt thou have glory in the presence of all those who sit at meat with thee.

Jesus is the greatest example of His own teaching. When He came into the world, He did by no means take the chief seat. Paul tells us in Philippians 2, “Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of man; and being found in fashioned as a man, He humbled Himself, being obedient even unto death, yea the death of the cross.”

When He went back to Heaven He was given the highest seat; He sat down at the right hand of God. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and gave unto Him the name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things on earth, of things in Heaven, and things under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Our ambition should be to live in such a way that through the grace of God when the Lord comes again he will say to us, “Friend, go up higher.” Then we will go up, up, up, higher than any rocket has ever been as we meet the Lord in the air. In the various trials of life may we say with the psalmist, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” And now for Supper number two.

SUPPER NUMBER TWO

Then said He also unto him that bade Him, “When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen nor thy rich neighbors: lest they also bid thee and a recompense be made thee, but when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind.”

Now we know that the Lord was not opposed to friends having a feast together when we note that the early church took their food daily from house to house with gladness of heart. But He does expect us to feed the poor. Although feeding the poor is a Christian virtue, again I can see a deeper significance than at first meets the eye. When we have a spiritual feast, who is it that we invite to eat of the bread of life that is presented in the teaching and preaching of the Word of God? Who is it that we invite to join with us to feed on the bread of life? We invite our friends, our kinsmen, and our rich neighbors. Most of the time, we evangelize our own kind; in many cases middle-class white America. It is easier for us to evangelize people who are different from us as long as they are far away, than it is to evangelize people who are different from us close by.

Through this radio ministry, over 10,000 Bibles have been sent to people in jails, and various countries of the world. People who have made this possible will never be recompensed in this world, but Jesus said that they will be recompensed in the resurrection of the just.

As far as the many is concerned, the gospel is for I, myself and me. There is a nursery rhyme that speaks to this situation.

“I had a little tea party this afternoon at three;

Twas very small, three guests in all, just I, myself and me.

Myself ate up the sandwiches, while I drank all the tea;

Twas also I that ate the pie and passed the cake to me.”

Jesus wants to be more than a hometown God. He wants to be more than our own private tribal God. He wants to be the God of all peoples everywhere. The scripture speaks of a great host in Heaven from every tongue and tribe and nation. The confines of our responsibility often times have been narrowed down to the confines of the church lot. Remember, our Lord Himself said, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; he that believeth not shall be damned.”

The last statement Jesus made at the parable of this feast is the reminder that you shall be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. This is a statement that should always be forefront in the thoughts of everyone in whatever we do. There is a life beyond the time when we breathe our last breath. The life we live now in this visible world will continue on in the world that is invisible to us now. The faithful shall be recompensed in the resurrection of the just.

Regarding that statement about the resurrection of the just, there are two contrary views of Jesus in the popular mind; the first is most everyone loves Jesus in his compassionate love of humanity. Even as a young man he was popular in Nazareth. Luke says when He was a boy of twelve that He increased in stature daily and in favor with God and man. As long as He invites all men to come to Him, and find rest for the soul; what a blessed thought it is to think how much Jesus loves us that He died for our sins. But there is another view of Jesus as we remember that He said such things as, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” How about, “He that endureth unto the end, the same shall be saved,” and “Depart from me ye cursed into the eternal fire.”

In view of His statement about the resurrection of the just, we have no other choice than to accept both views of Jesus; His love, and His severity. He loved us so much that He died to save us from torment. Any other view is to believe, and preach a lopsided gospel. And now for Supper number three.

SUPPER NUMBER THREE

And when one of them that sat at meat with Him heard these things, he said unto Him, “Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God.” This statement brought on the Third Supper. A certain man made a great supper and bade many and sent forth his servant at suppertime to say to them that were bidden, “Come for all things are now ready.”

This meal Jesus referred in this parable is referred to as a Great Supper. A supper is what used to be the main meal of the day, after the work of the day was done, and this is appropriate for this Great Supper. The work of redemption was done; God has done everything He can do for the salvation of the souls of men, and now it was time for supper.

Jesus said, “All things are now ready.” God is ready; He gave His only begotten Son. Jesus is ready; He gave the great commission. The Holy Spirit, and the Church are ready; the Spirit and the bride say come. The angels are ready; they rejoice over every sinner that repents. Now, are you ready?

It was a great supper also when we remember that the invitation was sent out to the whole world, many nations, and to every creature. And remember, this parable was brought on by a man who said, “Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God,” and in this Supper also the only food mentioned is bread.

So then it is a Great Supper also as we remember the Lord said in John six, “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” Christ must be so much a part of our lives that He is meat and drink for us. We are reminded of this truth a year later when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, and told the disciples, “Take eat, this is my body.” Jesus said, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto remission of sins.” And then He said, “I shall not drink henceforth of the fruit of the vine until I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” We are blessed now on the Lord’s Day as we eat bread in the Kingdom of God; and by our faithfulness in this life we shall eat and drink it new with the saints at what John called in Revelation, the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.

Finally, the amazing thing about this great feast is the refusal of so many to come. They all with one consent, began to make excuses. Each one said, “Excuse me.” Excuse me; I don’t want to go to Heaven. Do you want to help in a financial way in the support of the gospel? I want to be excused from doing anything like that. Excuse me. What about prayer? I want to be excused from this chore. Excuse me.

Then Luke tells us the Master of the house was angry, and sent the servants out to the streets and lanes of the city to call, others. The servants did so, and said there is yet room. At the Great Supper of the Lord there is always room for one more. There in the baptistery, how many people will it hold? Over a period of time there is room for thousands, and there is always room for one more. There is always room for one more in the church; there is room for one more in Heaven, and don’t forget there is also room for one more in the cemetery, and there is always room for one more in Hell. According to one gospel song, “There is room at the cross for you. There is room at the cross for you. Though millions have come there is still room for one; there is room at the cross for you.”