Luke 14:16-24 · Bible study
Luke 14:16-24 Commentary: Great Supper Parable
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore Jesus' parable of the great supper: why invited guests refuse, and how the invitation goes to the poor and outcasts.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The parable shows that God’s kingdom invitation is urgent and generous, but many refuse because of worldly priorities; the invitation then extends to the marginalized and the Gentiles.
- Key words: ἐποίει (imperfect, ‘was preparing’, ongoing preparations); παραιτεῖσθαι (to excuse oneself/refuse); ἀνάγκασον (compel, urgent persuasion, not force).
- Main debate: Whether the command to ‘compel’ (v.23) justifies religious coercion (Augustine/Calvin) or only moral persuasion (most modern commentators).
- Theological theme: God’s gracious initiative, human responsibility, judgment on rejection, and the inclusion of the outcasts.
- Best use: Evangelistic preaching, small-group teaching on priorities, or a Lenten call to respond to God’s readiness.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
16But Jesus replied, “A certain man prepared a great banquet and invited many guests.
17When it was time for the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
18But one after another they all began to make excuses. The first one said, ‘I have bought a field, and I need to go see it. Please excuse me.’
19Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out. Please excuse me.’
20Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, so I cannot come.’
21The servant returned and reported all this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’
22‘Sir,’ the servant replied, ‘what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’
23So the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.
24For I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will taste my banquet.’”
WEB World English Bible 2000
16But he said to him, “A certain man made a great supper, and he invited many people.
17He sent out his servant at supper time to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, for everything is ready now.’
18They all as one began to make excuses. “The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please have me excused.’
19“Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I must go try them out. Please have me excused.’
20“Another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I can’t come.’
21“That servant came, and told his lord these things. 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 the poor, maimed, blind, and lame.’
22“The servant said, ‘Lord, it is done as you commanded, and there is still room.’
23“The lord said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
24For I tell you that none of those men who were invited will taste of my supper. For many are called, but few are chosen.’”
KJV King James Version 1769
16Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:
17And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
18And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
19And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
20And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
21So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. 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.
22And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
23And 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.
24For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
16But he said unto him, A certain man made a great supper; and he bade many:
17and he sent forth his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
18And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a field, and I must needs go out and see it; I pray thee have me excused.
19And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them; I pray thee have me excused.
20And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
21And the servant came, and told his lord these things. 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 maimed and blind and lame.
22And the servant said, Lord, what thou didst command is done, and yet there is room.
23And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and constrain them to come in, that my house may be filled.
24For I say unto you, that none of those men that were bidden shall taste of my supper.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
16and he said to him, `A certain man made a great supper, and called many,
17and he sent his servant at the hour of the supper to say to those having been called, Be coming, because now are all things ready.
18`And they began with one consent all to excuse themselves: The first said to him, A field I bought, and I have need to go forth and see it; I beg of thee, have me excused.
19`And another said, Five yoke of oxen I bought, and I go on to prove them; I beg of thee, have me excused:
20and another said, A wife I married, and because of this I am not able to come.
21`And that servant having come, told to his lord these things, then the master of the house, having been angry, said to his servant, Go forth quickly to the broad places and lanes of the city, and the poor, and maimed, and lame, and blind, bring in hither.
22`And the servant said, Sir, it hath been done as thou didst command, and still there is room.
23`And the lord said unto the servant, Go forth to the ways and hedges, and constrain to come in, that my house may be filled;
24for I say to you, that none of those men who have been called shall taste of my supper.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
16And he said to him, A certain man made a great supper and invited many.
17And he sent his bondman at the hour of supper to say to those who were invited, Come, for already all things are ready.
18And all began, without exception, to excuse themselves. The first said to him, I have bought land, and I must go out and see it; I pray thee hold me for excused.
19And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them; I pray thee hold me for excused.
20And another said, I have married a wife, and on this account I cannot come.
21And the bondman came up and brought back word of these things to his lord. Then the master of the house, in anger, said to his bondman, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring here the poor and crippled and lame and blind.
22And the bondman said, Sir, it is done as thou hast commanded, and there is still room.
23And the lord said to the bondman, Go out into the ways and fences and compel to come in, that my house may be filled;
24for I say to you, that not one of those men who were invited shall taste of my supper.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
16But he said to him: A certain man made a great supper and invited many.
17And he sent his servant at the hour of supper to say to them that were invited, that they should come: for now all things are ready.
18And they began all at once to make excuse. The first said to him: I have bought a farm and I must needs go out and see it. I pray thee, hold me excused.
19And another said: I have bought five yoke of oxen and I go to try them. I pray thee, hold me excused.
20And another said: I have married a wife; and therefore I cannot come.
21And the servant returning, told these things to his lord. 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 feeble and the blind and the lame.
22And the servant said: Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded; and yet there is room.
23And the Lord said to the servant: Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
24But I say unto you that none of those men that were invited shall taste of my supper.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Luke 14:16
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree this parable is about God's invitation to the kingdom. The great supper represents the messianic feast (Isa 25:6), prepared for many. The initial guests are the Jews, especially the religious leaders who heard Jesus. They offer excuses that are transparently trivial, a field to inspect, oxen to test, a wife just married, demonstrating that their priorities lie elsewhere. Barnes and Matthew Henry note that these are lawful concerns that become deadly when they crowd out God's call. The servant's invitation to the poor, lame, and blind in the streets, then to those outside the city, signifies the inclusion of the marginalized and eventually the Gentiles. On the command 'compel them to come in,' Calvin and Vincent agree it means earnest persuasion, not physical force. The master's anger shows the seriousness of refusal. The final verse (v.24) solemnly declares that those who refuse will not taste the supper, a warning echoed throughout the Gospels.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Kingdom of God / Messianic Banquet: The feast imagery echoes Isaiah 25:6; the guest's exclamation (v.15) sets this context. Commentators like Matthew Henry read it as the gospel feast for all who believe.
- Jewish Rejection and Gentile Inclusion: Jamieson-Fausset-Brown and Gill see the initial guests as the Jewish nation, especially the Pharisees; the subsequent invitations represent the mission to the Gentiles after Israel's refusal.
What is clear: All agree that the parable teaches that God’s invitation is generous and urgent, that many refuse because of worldly interests, and that the invitation is then extended to the unexpected — the poor, the outcasts, and those far off.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of the 'great supper' | All traditions see it as representing the kingdom of God / the messianic banquet, where salvation is offered freely. | Some (e.g., Matthew Henry) emphasize the feast as the gospel invitation in general; others (e.g., Gill) focus on it specifically as the Jewish rejection of Christ and the subsequent Gentile mission. |
| Identity of the second and third groups invited | They represent the poor, the outcasts, and those outside the original covenant community. | Whether the second group (streets of the city) are Jews only (publicans/sinners) while the third group (highways) are exclusively Gentiles, or whether both groups include all the marginalized without ethnic distinction. |
| Meaning of 'compel them to come in' (ἀνάγκασον) | Commentators agree the word denotes strong persuasion, not physical violence. | Augustine and some Reformed figures (Calvin) cited this verse to support state coercion of heretics; most modern interpreters (Lange, Vincent, Cambridge Bible) insist it means moral and spiritual urgency, not force. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jesus tells this parable at a dinner party hosted by a prominent Pharisee (Luke 14:1). He has just taught about humility and hospitality, inviting the poor rather than those who can repay. One guest, hearing this, exclaims, 'Blessed is he who will feast in God’s Kingdom!' (Luke 14:15). That sentiment was common among Jewish teachers: the righteous would share a banquet with the Messiah. Jesus takes the man's pious remark and turns it into a searching parable.
In the ancient Near East, a formal feast involved a double invitation. First came a general call weeks ahead. Then, when the meal was ready, a servant went to the invited to say 'Come, for everything is now ready', a custom still observed in some Eastern cultures, as Thomson's Land and Book records. The servant's message corresponds to the ministry of John the Baptist and of Jesus himself, announcing that the kingdom was at hand.
The excuses touch three common areas: property (land), work (oxen), and family (a wife). These were not inherently wrong. Deuteronomy 24:5 even excused a newly married man from military service for a year. But here they become reasons to reject God's invitation, and that is the point. The host's anger reflects the gravity of insulting a generous patron. The subsequent invitation to 'the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame' echoes Jesus’ earlier instruction in Luke 14:13 to invite exactly such people. The final command to 'go out into the highways and hedges' signals the mission to the Gentiles, beyond the city of Israel.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note one minor variant in verse 22. Vincent's Word Studies reports that some manuscripts read ‘as you commanded’ (ὡς), but the best texts substitute ‘what you commanded’ (ὅ), giving the servant’s reply: ‘What you commanded is done, and still there is room.’ The difference does not affect the sense. For verse 24, the interlinear and several translations (including the WEB) include the phrase ‘for many are called, but few are chosen,’ though it is absent from some early manuscripts and may be a harmonization with Matthew 22:14. The consulted commentaries do not discuss this variant.
Reception History
This parable has shaped Christian preaching on grace and responsibility. Augustine famously used verse 23 (‘compel them to come in’) to argue that the state may coerce heretics back to the Church, a position that later Protestant Reformers like Calvin also invoked, though they softened its application. In the Orthodox tradition, the parable is read during Lent to stress repentance and the urgency of the kingdom. Protestant hymnody has often drawn on the refrain ‘yet there is room’ (Bengel’s phrase) as an emblem of grace without limits. More recent interpretation, following the Cambridge Bible and modern commentaries, has steered away from coercion and toward the compelling power of love, the image of a table where the poor, the broken, and the outsider are welcome.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- The Generous Invitation, A great supper is prepared by a man who wants his house full. This pictures God’s lavish grace: the feast is ready, the call goes out freely.
- The Trivial Refusals, Every excuse is a legitimate activity turned into a reason to miss the blessing. The guests do not openly reject the feast; they simply prioritize something else.
- The Broadened Invitation, The master goes to the streets, then to the highways. No one is beyond reach. The servants report 'yet there is room', a line Bengel called 'Grace no less than Nature abhors a vacuum.'
Five-Point Outline
- The Feast Ready, God’s salvation is prepared; the moment of decision arrives.
- The Unanimous Excuses, 'With one consent' (ἀπὸ μιᾶς) they all beg off. United in rejection.
- The Master’s Anger, Not spite, but the hurt of love rejected. He is serious about filling the house.
- Three Rounds of Invitation
- City streets: the local poor and disabled.
- Surrounding countryside: those outside the city walls.
- Highways and hedges: the farthest reaches.
- The Final Judgment, None who refused will taste the supper. The door closes, but only after every avenue has been explored.
Illustration Hooks
- A wedding invitation arrives; you plan to go, but a work deadline, a minor repair, and a social engagement soak up the evening. By the time you look at the clock, the meal is over.
- A restaurant that overbooks and then calls the waitlist, 'We have a table for you right now.' But you are already five minutes into a movie you didn't really want to see.
- Grief over a child who was raised in church but now says they are 'too busy' for faith. The ache of the master's anger is familiar to many parents.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- 'Am I making excuses without realizing it?'
- 'Is it too late for me, or for someone I love, to accept the invitation?'
- 'What does it look like to 'compel' others to come in without being pushy?'
Leading a Discussion
This passage confronts us with a generous God and a roomy table. The guests who first said 'yes' later said 'no, and not because the meal was bad, but because something else seemed more pressing. Are we any different? As you work through these questions, stay honest about the everyday distractions that quietly displace the kingdom.
Discussion Questions
- Read the parable aloud. What stands out to you about each of the three excuses? Which one seems most 'reasonable' to you, and why does the master reject all of them?
- The host sends his servant 'at supper time' to announce that everything is ready. Why does the timing matter? What does this say about the urgency of God's call?
- Twice the servant reports that 'there is still room.' Why does the master insist on a full house? What does that tell us about God’s heart?
- The people brought in from the streets are described as poor, crippled, blind, and lame. How does this connect to Jesus’ teaching earlier in Luke 14:12-14 about whom to invite?
- The final command says 'compel them to come in.' How do you understand 'compel' here? How does this shape the way we share our faith?
- In what ways do you see your own life reflected in the invited guests, or in the servant who goes out?
- What is one 'excuse' you need to name before God this week? How can the group pray for you about it?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Proverbs 9:1 | Wisdom has built her house. She has carved out her seven pillars. |
| Proverbs 9:2 | She has prepared her meat. She has mixed her wine. She has also set her table. |
| Song of Solomon 5:1 | I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride. I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Friends Eat, friends! Drink, yes, drink abundantly, beloved. |
| Isaiah 25:6 | In this mountain, Yahweh of Armies will make all peoples a feast of choice meat, a feast of choice wines, of choice meat full of marrow, of well refined choice wines. |
| Isaiah 25:7 | He will destroy in this mountain the surface of the covering that covers all peoples, and the veil that is spread over all nations. |
| Isaiah 55:1 | “Hey! Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters! Come, he who has no money, buy, and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. |
| Isaiah 55:7 | Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to Yahweh, and he will have mercy on him, to our God, for he will freely pardon. |
| Jeremiah 31:12 | They will come and sing in the height of Zion, and will flow to the goodness of Yahweh, to the grain, to the new wine, to the oil, and to the young of the flock and of the herd. Their soul will be as a watered garden. They will not sorrow any more at all. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke insists that "compel them to come in" means urgent persuasion, not any form of force. He points out that the same Greek word is used elsewhere for Christ commanding his disciples, with no violence implied. Any other kind of compulsion, he argues, is antichristian and produces only hypocrites.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes stresses how trivial the excuses are that sinners offer for rejecting the gospel. He notes the urgency of the invitation and that God earnestly commands his servants to compel the poor and outcasts to come, because heaven still has room and the feast is ready.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin interprets the command to compel guests as a picture of God's urgent, persistent grace toward the unwilling. God does not merely invite but uses earnest exhortations and even threats to rouse our spiritual sluggishness, gathering the lowest outcasts rather than accepting the ungrateful.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator stresses that each excuse reveals a willful rejection, not real necessity. The phrase "have me excused" shows the invitee knows his reason is merely an excuse. The final "I cannot" is a polite mask for "I will not," exposing the heart's true resistance.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill reads this parable as tracing the historical spread of the Gospel: first offered to the Jews, who refused with worldly excuses; then to the spiritually impoverished among them; finally to the despised Gentiles, brought in not by force but through persuasive preaching, until God's house is filled.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley sees the three excuses as revealing a common spiritual failure: each person perishes not by sin but by something in itself lawful. He insists the command "Compel them to come in" means only the violence of love and the force of God's word, never physical coercion.