Luke 14:15 Commentary and Bible Study

(Synoptics: Luke 14:15-24)This comment is just a pompous piece of pious twaddle from the person who utters it. ‘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.’ What is wrong with this? Why does it prompt such a strong warning from the Lord? The man sits there and he says the first thing that comes into his head. It is flattery, and flattery of God is not the same thing as praise of God, and cannot substitute for it – ‘Won’t it be wonderful when we all get to heaven.’ We are entitled to take this view of these words, because of Christ’s answer. Praise is a true humbling of ourselves before God, and appreciation of his glory. Flattery is a token complement that has not first humbled itself before him. The trouble was that it never entered his head that he probably was not going to be there. He was one of these typical Jews of that time, who, because he had a smattering of religion and was very pleased with himself, was quite sure that one day he would go to heaven; he would be accepted by God. That was the final aggravation. They all presumed that they were acceptable in God's sight. There was terrible presumption in this remark, and when the Lord heard it, he could not leave this man in his ignorance, and so he delivers this weighty parable. ‘Then said he unto him’ – and the whole parable that follows was actually directed to the man who made this comment. Here is Christ who has only come into this world because nobody is going to heaven. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Every man, because of his pride and his selfishness and his rottenness; every man is condemned to die everlastingly and be banished from the presence of God. It is pity and compassion for man that has brought the Saviour down from heaven to earth to do something about the situation. What is he going to do? He is going to go to the cross of Calvary, and God the Father is going to put upon him the agony of the punishment due to all who have sinned, in order that he can pardon and forgive all who come to him. He is here in this world on a mission of amazing mercy and there he is surrounded by bigoted people, proud people, superior people, people who all think in the same way. They don't need mercy; they are sure they are going to make it to heaven without it. They have no time for this kind of message. This man sat there, possibly with his arms folded, so pompous, having no standing in the presence of God, no righteousness, nothing to his credit at all. He sits there and says, ‘Wonderful thing, when we all get to heaven.’ In effect, that is the last straw, and you get this great parable spoken directly to him.