Bible Study - Luke 14:15-35 Commitment

This Bible Study is about following through on our accepting Christ and commitment.

15 Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!” 16 Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. 17 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ 18 But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ 19 Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 Another said, ‘I now have a wife, so I can’t come.’ 21 “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 22 After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ 23 So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. 24 For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’”25 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. 28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’ 31 “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? 32 And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. 33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own. 34 “Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? 35 Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!”

Questions and thoughts:
Jesus told a story that makes it clear that, amazingly, not everyone who is invited to celebrate a feast with God in heaven accepts the invitation. When the banquet is all prepared, the master sends his servant to tell the guests to come. But they all make excuses. For each one, something else has taken precedence over the only thing that really matters in life: being in God’s wonderful presence. The master quickly replaces these guests with others, who know they need God’s care and understand the great honor of the invitation.

1. When have you accepted an invitation and later wished you could get out of the obligation?

2. What invitation did the master give to his guests? (14:16-17)

3. What had come to preoccupy the guests so that they declined the invitation?
(14:18-20)

4. Whom did the servant invite in order to fill the master’s house? (14:21-23)

5. What was the master’s attitude toward those who made excuses? (14:24)

6. What are some of your distractions from the kingdom of God?

7. What are some of the thoughts behind your not filling your obligations?

PJ