Luke 14:23

And 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. AND THE LORD SAID UNTO THE SERVANT, GO OUT INTO THE HIGHWAYS AND HEDGES - outside the city altogether. Historically, this denotes the pagan, sunk in the lowest depths of spiritual wretchedness, as being beyond the pale of all that is revealed and saving - "without Christ, strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world" (): generally, it comprehends all similar classes. Thus, this parable prophetically contemplates the extension of the kingdom of God to the whole world; and spiritually, directs the Gospel invitations to be carried to the lowest strata, and be brought in contact with the outermost circles, of human society. AND COMPEL THEM TO COME IN. This is not...

Luke 14:23._Compel them to come in. _This expression means, that the master of the house would give orders to make use, as it were, of violence for compelling the attendance of the poor, and to leave out none of the lowest dregs of the people. By these words Christ declares that he would rake together all the offscourings of the world, rather than he would ever admit such ungrateful persons to his table. The allusion appears to be to the manner in which the Gospel invites us; for the grace of God is not merely offered to us, but doctrine is accompanied by exhortations fitted to arouse our minds. This is a display of the astonishing goodness of God, who, after freely inviting us, and perceiving that we give ourselves up to sleep, addresses our slothfulness by earnest entreaties, and not only arouses us by exhortations, but even _compels _us by threatenings to draw near to him. At

15-24 In this parable observe the free grace and mercy of God shining in the gospel of Christ, which will be food and a feast for the soul of a man that knows its own wants and miseries. All found some pretence to put off their attendance. This reproves the Jewish nation for their neglect of the offers of Christ's grace. It shows also the backwardness there is to close with the gospel call. The want of gratitude in those who slight gospel offers, and the contempt put upon the God of heaven thereby, justly provoke him. The apostles were to turn to the Gentiles, when the Jews refused the offer; and with them the church was filled. The provision made for precious souls in the gospel of Christ, has not been made in vain; for if some reject, others will thankfully accept the offer. The very poor and low in the world, shall be as welcome to Christ as the rich and great; and many times the gos...

Verse Luke 14:23. _COMPEL THEM TO COME IN_] αναγκασον, _Prevail_ on them by the most earnest entreaties. The word is used by Matthew, Matthew 14:22, and by Mark, Mark 6:45; in both which places, when Christ is said, αναγκαζειν, to constrain his disciples to get into the vessel, nothing but his _commanding_ or _persuading_ them to do it can be reasonably understood. The Latins use _cogo_, and _compello_, in exactly the same sense, i.e. to _prevail_ on by _prayers,_ _counsels, entreaties_, c. See several examples in Bishop PEARCE, and in KYPKE. No other kind of constraint is ever recommended in the Gospel of Christ every other kind of compulsion is antichristian, can only be submitted to...

GO OUT INTO THE HIGHWAYS - Since enough had not been found in the lanes and streets, he commands the servant to go into the roads - the public highways out of the city, as well as to the streets “in” it - and invite them also. HEDGES - A hedge is the inclosure around a field or vineyard. It was commonly made of thorns, which were planted thick, and which kept the cattle out of the vineyard. “A common plant for this purpose is the prickly pear, a species of cactus, which grows several feet high, and as thick as a man’s body, armed with sharp thorns, and thus forming an almost impervious defense” (Professor Hackett, “Scripture Illustrations,” p. 174). Those in the hedges were poor laborers employed in planting them or trimming them - people of the lowest class and of great poverty. By his directing them to go first into the streets of the city and then into the highways, we are not to unde...

EXPOSITION LUKE 14:1 _The Pharisee_'_s feast on a sabbath day. The healing of the sick with dropsy._ LUKE 14:1 AND IT CAME TO PASS, AS HE WENT INTO THE HOUSE OF ONE OF THE CHIEF PHARISEES TO EAT BREAD ON THE SABBATH DAY. Still on the same journey; the Lord was approaching gradually nearer Jerusalem. The house into which he entered this sabbath belonged to one who was a leading member of the Pharisee party, probably an influential rabbi, a man of great wealth, or a member of the Sanhedrim "To eat bread on the sabbath day," as a guest, was a usual practice; such entertainments on the sabbath day were very usual; they were often luxurious and costly. The only rule observed was that all the viands provided were cold,, every

AND THE LORD SAID UNTO THE SERVANT,.... A second time; that since the Jews put away the word of eternal life from them, and judged themselves unworthy of it by their contradicting and blaspheming it, he commanded his apostles to turn from them to the Gentiles; see Acts 13:45, GO OUT INTO THE HIGHWAYS AND HEDGES: the Persic version adds, "of the vineyards"; see 1 Chronicles 4:23 and may in general design the mean, base, vile, and sinful state of the Gentiles; who might be said to be "in the highways", because they were without the commonwealth and church of the Jews; were not admitted to civil conversation, nor to religious worship with them; and were left to walk on in their own ways, of their own devising and choosing, in which they delighted: they were not in God's highway, which

Luke 14:7. _And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms;_ This parable was by far the best part of the entertainment of the day: Luke 14:7. _Saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be hidden of him; and he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room._ For, of course, the next room is full, and the next, and the only vacant seat, when the feast has begun, will probably be in the very lowest room of the house. Luke 14:10. But when thou art bidden, go and sit

CHAPTER 14 _ 1. The Man with the Dropsy Healed on the Sabbath. (Luke 14:1)_ 2. The Wisdom of Humility. (Luke 14:7) 3. Recompensed in Resurrection. (Luke 14:12) 4. The Parable of the Great Supper. (Luke 14:15) 5. Conditions of Discipleship. (Luke 14:25 .) Luke 14:1 Again He heals on the Sabbath. In the house of a ruler, a Pharisee, they were watching Him. He had gone there to eat bread. What condescension! They were His enemies, yet He loved

A SABBATH WITH A PHARISEE. A companion picture to Luke 13:10. When in Luke 6:6 Lk. relates the cure of the man with a withered hand (Mark 3:1; Matthew 12:9) he omits the illustrative argument used by Jesus (Matthew 12:11 f.); he brings it in here in a story peculiar to his gospel. Montefiore justly points out that the animals (Luke 14:5; cf. Luke 13:15) are in danger of perishing, whereas the woman and man w