When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; 14 blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” 15 One of his fellow guests on hearing this said to him, “Blessed is the one who will dine in the kingdom of God.” 16 He replied to him, “A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. 17 When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is now ready.’ 18 But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, ‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it; I ask you, consider me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen and am on my way to evaluate them; I ask you, consider me excused.’ 20 And another said, ‘I have just married a woman, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 The servant went and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ 22The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.’ 23 The master then ordered the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled. 24 For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.’”
In Luke 14:13–24, Jesus offers a powerful teaching on humility, divine generosity, and the nature of God's kingdom. In verses 13–14, He exhorts His followers to invite “the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind” to their banquets—those who cannot repay them. This radical reversal anticipates the reward that comes “at the resurrection of the righteous” (v. 14), alluding to God’s justice that exalts the humble (cf. Luke 1:52; 18:14). Verses 15–24 then present the Parable of the Great Banquet, where those originally invited decline the host's offer, prompting him to open his house to the marginalized and outsiders, symbolizing the Gentiles and the outcast of Israel. The parable reflects the rejection by some of Israel of Jesus’ message and the consequent opening of salvation to all who are willing to respond.
This teaching and parable draw deeply from Old Testament imagery that anticipated the coming of God's kingdom as a divine banquet offered to all. Isaiah 25:6–9 foretells a great eschatological feast—a symbol of joyful communion with God at the end of time—where He will destroy death and extend salvation to all peoples. Jesus fulfills this promise by inaugurating the kingdom in which the spiritually hungry are fed. Similarly, Isaiah 55:1–3 speaks of God's generous call to the thirsty and poor to come and receive freely, anticipating Christ’s grace-filled invitation to those who cannot repay, as seen in Luke 14:13. Proverbs 9:1–6 offers another image of divine hospitality, portraying Wisdom’s banquet where the simple are invited to partake and find life—a figure ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, the Divine Wisdom (cf. 1 Cor 1:24), who offers the true banquet of eternal life.
This passage reveals the universal scope of God’s saving plan. The initial invitation rejected by some (Lk. 14:18–20) mirrors the rejection of Christ by many in Israel (cf. John 1:11). Yet God’s will is not thwarted; the invitation extends to the poor, the Gentiles, and to sinners (cf. Acts 13:46–48). The banquet symbolizes the joy of the kingdom and communion with God (cf. Rev. 19:9), a gift offered to all, but only the humble and receptive may enter (cf. Matt. 5:3; Rom. 10:12–13).
During Lent, we are called to examine our attachments—the excuses of the banquet guests reflect the distractions of wealth, comfort, and worldly affairs. Lent invites us to renounce these in favor of Christ’s invitation (cf. Phil. 3:8). It is a time for the spiritually poor to come to the Lord’s feast in repentance, humility, and readiness.
Grace is freely given to those who cannot repay, and salvation is offered to all who believe; yet, as Jesus teaches, many are called, but few respond with the humility and faith required to enter the kingdom (Eph. 2:8–9; Rom. 5:6–8; Rom. 1:16; Gal 3:28; Matt. 22:14).
Merciful and generous God, You have invited us to Your banquet of grace, where the poor are welcomed, the hungry are fed, and wisdom calls us to life. May we answer with humble hearts, ready to receive what You freely give, and share Your invitation with others. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: The Pentateuch. Four Courts Press, 2017
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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