Our reading this morning is in Luke's Gospel chapter fourteen, where we have recorded the Great Supper. And we'll begin with verse fifteen. Luke chapter fourteen and verse fifteen. Now when one of those who sat at the table with him heard these things, he said to him, Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. Then the Lord Jesus said to him, A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, Come, for all things are now ready. But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused. Still another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So the servant came and reported these things to his master, and the master of the house being angry. And I'm going to leave the reading at that particular point. as we think for a moment of the anger of the Master, the righteous anger at the arrogant rejection of the invitation. All of these things we've noticed yesterday and this morning took place after the meal. As they relaxed at the table, it was always a time for conversation, but it's evident that those who were present knew that the Lord Jesus was not just telling stories. After many of those meals, that, of course, is what happened. You told the latest story you had heard. There might be a visitor from a strange place, and he would share things with you you had never heard before. The Lord Jesus, he's referred to a wedding feast. And then he said to them, Now, don't rush to the first place. They knew there was a lesson in this. Then he talked to them about inviting those who were maimed and poor and blind. And they knew again there's a lesson here for us. That's why the man broke out and said, Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of heaven. They knew there was a lesson there. I was brought up in a home where we often entertained the Bible teachers and the missionaries. Life was more simple then, and you often stayed around the table And I remember, of course, it was the years when children were seen and not heard, so you just sat quietly. And you listen, tremendous education, as you listen to men and women talking about the things of God. I don't mean by that it was always a somber moment. There were times of relaxation, even embarrassment. I had a younger brother, Bill, now with the Lord. He was a real practical joker. And he succeeded in getting one of those glasses like this one with little holes just underneath the rim. And when my mother wasn't looking, he always put it right in front of the preacher. And of course, when he saw the water dribbling down his tie and wondering what had happened, my mother and father and the reason for it, and they would look at Bill. But there was, of course, times of laughter and pranks. But There were good times when we listened and learned from that table talk after the meal was over. Well, the man who made that comment, blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. He knew that the Lord Jesus was teaching lessons as he told them the story. But now you come to the real great story, and it's about a man, a certain man, and he gave a great supper, and he invited many. Now, when we began Tuesday morning, we realized the Lord Jesus was in a great supper. He was invited by the ruler of the Pharisees, probably a member of the Sanhedrin, and he came into that place. There would be many select people there, and the Lord Jesus had joined them for this meal on the Sabbath day. Now with that background, an outstanding personality, no doubt with certain wealth and social standing, and organizing a very special banquet against that background, the Lord Jesus speaks about a certain man, and he will give a great supper and invite many. In other words, there's a contrast here. I don't know how that ruler of the Pharisees felt. He probably thought this is the most outstanding dinner for a long time in this community. But now here's a story about a host, and he is going to prepare a great supper, and many are going to be invited. Only a truly great man could put on a great supper. You had to be a person of standing and of wealth. If you were going to invite many, then you would be an outstanding personality. I don't have any doubts myself that those who listened to the story, in view of all that had gone on before, their minds went right away to the Messiah and to the Messianic banquet. Here is truly a great host, unique, and he's going to put on a great banquet. The reason for that, Israel for centuries had entertained this great desire for the coming of the Messiah. As a matter of fact, in our generation there are still those who believe with all their hearts the Messiah will come. Up in your country, in New York City, just a few years ago, a rabbi nearing ninety years of age died to the sorrow of many of the Orthodox Jews. They really believed He was the Messiah. And they believed it so much. They really kept Him alive artificially for a short time. And some, when He died, were sure He would rise again from the dead. He was the Messiah. They still have that longing. It was a real longing in the times of the Lord Jesus. But it's interesting that the term Messiah only appears twice in the Old Testament. You find it in the book of Daniel. Daniel chapter nine in verses twenty-five and twenty-six. You know, therefore, and understand that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah, the prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks And then you come down to verse twenty-six, and after sixty-two weeks, Messiah shall be cut off. Now that's in the prophecy of Daniel. But the concept goes away back before the times of Daniel, even though the word Messiah is not used. There are some interesting cases, even around the times of Daniel, which probably give us some insight. into what Messiah really means, but it does so in a rather alarming, if not shocking way. For instance, Cyrus, who was the supreme leader of ancient Persia, in the times of Daniel, you read about this man, and Isaiah tells us in chapter forty-five, Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, Whose right hand I have held. Now God is speaking. He's speaking about the King of Persia. And he's referred to as the Lord's anointed. And the Lord held him by the hand. He is a man of God's choice. I have raised up one from the north. God is speaking. And he shall come. From the rising of the sun he shall call on my name, and he shall come against princes as though mortar, and as the potter treads the clay." He's talking about this great man Cyrus. He was appointed to the task of accomplishing Israel's redemption, bringing them back again from exile and into the place of blessing in Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord, the holy one of Israel and his maker, ask me of things to come concerning my sons and concerning the work of my hands. You command me. I have made the earth and created man on it. My hands stretched out the heavens and all their hosts I have commanded. I have raised him up in righteousness. and I will direct all his ways. He shall build my city and let my exiles go free, not for price, nor reward, says the Lord of hosts. Now it is strange that someone outside of Israel should be talked about in that way, that God would refer to him as his anointed his servant. God is leading him. He will let the exiles go and come back and build the city of Jerusalem again. He'll also be used against the enemies of Israel, specifically against Babylon. And you read in that portion in chapter forty-seven of Isaiah right down at the end, no one shall save you. This will be a powerful instrument in the hand of the Lord. He gave him authority over the nations. And I like the personal references that God makes. I read some of them to you. I will go before you. The King of Persia. I will break in pieces the gates of bronze. Won't be his strength. It will be the strength of God through him. I will give you the treasures of darkness. The other man in those times who was also called the servant of the Lord was Nebuchadnezzar. And you read in Jeremiah twenty five in verse nine, Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, says the Lord, and Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servants, and will bring him against this land. So men outside of Israel, were referred to as choice servants of God. And these are the characteristics, you see, especially in the King of Persia, one whom God chooses, one who works towards the redemption of God's people, one who will judge the nations, one who will rule over the nations, one through whom God is working. Now, all of those characteristics, they come to beautiful fulfillment in God's Messiah, the one that He sent into the world, the true Messiah. And He arrived as God promised. You go way back into the Old Testament, and you'll remember that Moses said, a servant like me, God will raise up. And with that seed thought, The Israelites long for that day. And Paul says, when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, and born under the law. Then sadly, John tells us he came to his own, to those who waited for the Messiah. He came to them, and his own did not receive him. A modern translation reads, even in his own land and among his own people, he was not accepted. Now, as we read these portions, we can sense the story of the Great Supper. The invitation went out. It was historically accepted, and many were invited, not three, but many were invited. I'm going to suggest to you it is a two-part invitation. First of all, the many are invited. Now, according to those who accept the invitation, then the host knows what he has to do. And there's going to be a lapse of time between the invitation and its acceptance, and then the preparation for the supper. They tell us those who are familiar with the Middle East and especially in times gone by, if you were going to entertain two or three, then you would have two, maybe one or two chickens. That would do for the meal. If you were going to entertain four or six, then you would look for a good-sized duck. Now if you're going farther and you're going to have seven to ten, then you'll look for a kid, a young goat. But if you're going to have a large group up to seventy-five, then you're going to look for a calf. You have to know ahead of time, no refrigeration, no catering services. So you send out the invitation and you wait for the response. And it is implied in the story that the man invited many and the many said yes, and he knew what he had to do. This would be a great supper. And I go back again into history and remember this is the story of the Old Testament. Now let me share with you some things that go back to the times of Moses. In Exodus nineteen you read these words, then all the people answered together and said, all that the Lord has spoken we will do." Now that was a positive response to God's invitation. It wasn't said once. It was said a number of times. Chapter twenty-four. Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the people answered with one voice and said, all the words which the Lord has said we will do. And then the third time, chapter twenty-four and verse seven, then he, Moses, took the book of the covenant and read in the hearing of the people, and they said, All that the Lord has said we will do and be obedient. So the message went out. It begins again with Moses. And I've referred to the words already, but Moses said, The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me, from your midst, from your brethren, him you shall hear, according to all you desired of the Lord your God. Great message, a tremendous response. All that the Lord has said we will do, and we will be obedient. And I would suggest to you that in the historic sense about the Messiah, the message was sent through Moses, confirmed through the prophets, and they yearned for the coming of the Messiah. In that yearning, they were saying, Yes, we want the Messiah. They accepted the invitation. And then you come to the second part of the invitation. And you read in verse seventeen of Luke chapter fourteen, and the host sent his servants at supper time to say to those who were invited, Come, for all things are now ready. Now, I think you can sense the two aspects of the invitation. I repeat again, it goes out and there are many invited. We understand they all responded affirmatively. Then the host went to the task of making this great supper. And when everything was ready, then he calls the servant. Remember, there are no watches. There are no calendars. They said, yes, now the time has come. And he sent a knock on each door and spread the news. Everything is now ready. and you can come to the supper, the invitation of which you have already accepted. And it would be a moment of great enthusiasm in the home. I think there is a theological statement here. The hour of the Messianic banquet had arrived. God had sent His Son right down into the world to the old city of Jerusalem. The hope that was so strong in Israel, the long preparations, the exiles were brought back from Babylon, just a remnant. They rebuilt Jerusalem. They made the preparation for the birth of the Messiah. It had all happened. And now the moment had come, and you have these words from Paul, when the fullness of the time had come, the supper was ready. God sent forth His Son. Now what does that mean? There are at least two basic thoughts about that. The first one is that when He sent His Son into the world, everything in the world was ready for the moment. You've heard the phrase, the past Romana, referring to that great time of material blessing. For instance, there were roads. the world had never seen anything like it. You could travel all around the eastern end of the Mediterranean and far from the Mediterranean on very good roads built by the Romans. They tell us, the scholars and historians, that Paul traveled ten thousand miles in his missionary travels, much of it on foot and most of it on the roads that the Romans had built. There was a transversetation system, and it was easy, comparatively easy, to move around the Roman Empire. Then you had the language, the Greek language. If it wasn't your first language, it would be your second language. That was the great cultural language of the world. So it didn't matter where you came from, you probably had a basic knowledge of the Greek language. One other thing should be mentioned in the pagan world, and it's a harsh term, but I use it, the pagans, they were desperate and weary of the darkness of their superstition. There's evidence of that, not just when you go to a city like Thessalonica and Paul goes into the synagogue and there at the back there's a large group of affluent women and sometimes you would find the men turning their back on the spiritual darkness and the perversion of religion at that time. It was just the right time for God to send His Son into the world, to bring His blessings to men and women. There is also the other possibility, and I share it with you this morning, that viewed theologically, it may be that the time was full because God Himself filled it with meaning. However you take it, you couldn't have thought in ancient history of a better time for the gospel to be born, for the Lord Jesus to come into the world, and for the possibility of extending the news throughout the Roman Empire. It was all ready. The time had come. And then you have that remarkable phrase. I've tried to set the background. They all said yes. They all wanted the coming of the Messiah. And the time is ready. And he comes. And then you read in the story. They all with one accord began to make excuses. The phrase can be translated. They all at once began to make excuses. They said yes. And when the time came all together, not just the three, the many who were invited and accepted the invitation all at once, they said no. Try and put yourself in the place of the host in a situation like that. Everyone in the community would know about it. You would be the laughingstock of your community. The excuses that are mentioned that are only three, one scholar who's been a great help to me in understanding the parables, and I refer to Kenneth E. Bailey, he refers to the excuses and he says they are stupid and insulting. You can't imagine these people doing anything worse than addressing this man who's gone to this great expense of preparing a great supper for many people. And all at once they all say no. The insult would be heard far and wide. It would be a disgrace that the man would carry to make that supper. And everyone said no. Now why did they do it? Well, let's look at the excuses first of all. One said, and he was involved in a deal of real estate. The first said to him, verse eighteen, I have bought a piece of ground and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused. Now here Bailey has helped me, for he lived in the Middle East for many years and watched the farmers and those who lived in rural areas. And he tells us no one would buy a piece of land if he didn't know it like the palm of his hand, that would take a year or two years. He would walk through the property. He would know exactly how many trees on the property, how many springs, how many wells. He would know about the stone walls. He would know about the rainfall. and it would take a year or two because he'd want to be sure about the yield that would come when the crops were planted. You never, never bought a piece of property unless you really understood everything about it. And here's the man who insults the host by saying, I have bought a piece of ground and I must go and see it. You've all bought homes, I'm sure, over the years. And I'm sure in most cases you've seen a number of homes. You've been taken by the real estate agent and you've looked and you've looked until you found just the right one. Only once in our life did we have that privilege in Santo Domingo. I don't know how many homes we looked at and we never found the right home. And finally, we were advised to build the home ourselves, which in God's grace we were able to do. Don't buy a house lightly. And what happened in this case would be comparable to someone today saying, I have just bought a house and now I must go and see it for the first time. You do not usually do things like that. That would be a very strange situation. Now, if the man had said, I've been watching this property, and I have been in consultations with the owner, and all of a sudden he's sent to tell me, today, we must seal the bargain, and I must go and do that. That would be a plausible excuse. The master, the host, would have understood that. But to say that he'd bought it without seeing it was a blatant lie, and it was an insult to the man. Then the next one is even worse. It's a cattle deal. And this man, he has bought five yoke of oxen, and he never saw them. And he sends to say, I'm going to test them now. Now again, Bailey tells us that these men who had oxen, there were two ways they could sell them. One was take them to the market on the market day. And beside the marketplace there was always a field. And so the oxen could be taken into the field and you could take the reins and you could prove them, you could test them. You could see if the two animals would work together. The other way was to circulate among your friends. I have oxen I want to sell. And you can come on such and such a day, and then they would come to your property. And they would either watch you, or you would take the auction and try them yourselves. You would never buy auction without testing them first. And only a madman would buy five yoke of auction that he'd never seen or tested. This man with the excuse is really telling the master of the house, I'm more interested in the animals than I am in you. Again, the insult is weighty and it must have hit him and hurt him, thinking more of untested animals than the invitation which he had accepted. And now with a flimsy excuse, he is rejecting. The third one, well, he married most of the men here today. We have married, and marriage is good, but to send and say, I've married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. First of all, the marriage did not take place the same day as the Great Supper. Again, we have to remember, we're talking about small villages or towns. No village or town could handle in one day two events like a great supper and a wedding at the same time. It was impossible. So the wedding did not take place on the day of the great supper. This man is just looking for an excuse and he sends and he tells the host, I have married a wife and therefore I cannot come. They are all flimsy, flagrant excuses. And I think Paul picks it up theologically in his writings. When in Romans referring both to the Jews and to the Gentiles, he finally tells us they are all without excuse. He tells us there is no difference. We're dealing with the Jews primarily, but in the sense of the wider world, when God sent his Son into the world. There was one great no. We do not want him. And they rejected the Lord Jesus. The story that comes to mind of the noble man who had a vineyard, he sent his servants and the workers killed him, killed them. And then he sent his son and he said, They will respect my son. So when they saw the son, they said, This is the air. Come let us kill him. And they took him and they cast him out. and they killed him. There was no excuse of any kind. And these three who are mentioned represent the many. There was no reason for it. But let me tell you what I think the real reason was. They didn't like the Messiah, the Lord Jesus sent into the world. Even Peter had a problem with this. The Lord Jesus is with the disciples and He said to them now, I'm going to begin a whole new series of teachings. He began to teach them. That happened after Peter said, you're the Messiah, you're the Christ. And with that confession, the Lord Jesus begins a new series of teachings. It is repeated over and over and over. He spoke it openly, not with parables. in very easy to understand language. And he said, the Son of Man must suffer and be rejected and die and rise again the next time. The third day. If we had been there and watched the disciples, the shock on their face, I can see Peter speechless, which would be unusual for a man of his temperament, listening to the Lord Jesus. and looking at his fellow disciples, I can see him take him by the arm and move him a few paces over to one side, and he began to rebuke him. Now, we don't know all that he said. Matthew tells us a little bit about it, but I would think the main thrust of his rebuke was, Lord, you've got it the wrong way. The Messiah doesn't come into the world to suffer and die. The Messiah comes into the world to rule, to set up a kingdom, and to be crowned as King of the Jews. You don't understand the role of the Messiah. And the Lord Jesus turned to Peter, and he rebuked him, Get you behind me, Satan. Not that he was possessed of Satan. The Lord Jesus defines that phrase when he says, You don't understand the things that are of God. You only understand the things that are of men. Men, under the influence of Satan, had their own idea about the Messiah. But God had his idea about the Messiah and why he sent him into the world. And the Lord Jesus was born in lowly circumstances, brought up in a town called Nazareth, in a carpenter's shop, No one ever dreamed the Messiah of God would come into the world in circumstances like that, and they didn't like it. And all with one accord, they rejected Him, and they called out their great no, we do not want this man to rule over us. And I think the world is still saying that today. How do they say no? Well, they say no by placing a low value on human life. By the lifestyles, men and women live contrary to the will of God. They say no by the social injustice that envelops the world today. And above all, they say no to the message of the gospel, the message of God's love and grace. But if the world said no, and it came to that great climax at Calvary, where the Romans and the Jews, that is the whole world, looked at God's Son and shouted out one great no, and they rejected Him, and He was crucified, and He died outside of Jerusalem. But in God's heaven, God stood up, and He shouted back, Yes, and He raised Him from the dead on the third day. And the whole world today You have to make the decision. You either stand with those that say no, or you come and you stand with God and you say yes to His Son. The great illustration that comes to mind this morning is that of Paul outside of Damascus. If any man ever shouted, no, with all the strength of His being, it was Saul of Tarsus. He took men and women. into jail. And if he was present when they were tried, he always voted for death. His know was so loud and powerful that it took him outside of Israel, even to foreign cities, where he looked for the Jews that believed that Jesus was the Messiah. Probably in his generation, no one with more energy said no than Saul of Tarsus But it was outside of Damascus when he saw that glory come down from heaven and in the midst of the glory there was a person. He didn't have an idea in the world who he was. He was perplexed at the way that person in the midst of the divine glory was talking to him. And he finally asked the question, Lord, who are you? And the answer that came back shattered his self-made life. For the voice said, I am Jesus, and you're persecuting me. And that day as he looked up into the glory and saw the Lord Jesus, his life crumbled in pieces. And there was born within him that response of faith. And now instead of saying no, He shouts with all the strength of His being, yes, for He knew that Jesus was the Messiah. And He tells us about it when He writes His testimony to the Philippians. He said, What things were gained to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Indeed, I continue to count loss all things that I might gain Christ. And in that verse, he uses that beautiful phrase, For the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord. This was a man who knew finally who the Lord Jesus was. He responded positively. We end now our meditation this morning, going back to the supper. They all said no. They all rejected and insulted the host. and he was filled with anger. But tomorrow, we're going to notice that the energy of that anger was not, first of all, directed against those that said, No. There's a surprise that comes out of the anger of God. Our Father, we thank you for the moments we've spent together this morning, in a sense, going back and sitting or reclining at the table. and listening to the conversation and the stories the Lord Jesus told. And we know that the majority who were there, they did not like the Messiah. He was really there as a curiosity item, an interesting teacher who had done some miracles, but in their hearts they were not following Him. They belonged to the group who had accepted the invitation. The Messiah is coming, and when he came, they rejected him. We thank you for your grace, for we're here this morning, many of us, and we live those years of rejection also. But in your grace, you won us and brought us to your Son, and we have received him as our Savior and Lord. We have said, yes, And we remember it is with the heart that one believes unto righteousness. We thank you for that positive response in our hearts created by your grace when we receive the Lord Jesus as Savior and Lord. Bless us now as we separate and fill this day with your presence and with many good things, for we give thanks in his name. Amen.