Jesus started His “Parable of the Great Supper” with these words:

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’ (Luke 14:16,17).

It is pleasant to be invited to a special occasion. In fact, it can be downright exciting. In our Lord’s story, though, those who initially were invited rejected the invitation. Following that, an invitation was extended to those in the highways and hedges, a reference to the gospel call going to the Gentiles. The “certain man” who hosted the great supper symbolizes God. His appeal to the invited guests was, “Come, for all things are now ready.” What is the spiritual application?

“Come, for all things are now ready” – Prepared and waiting. God’s arrangement for man’s salvation was ready for man to come and accept it. In the big picture of things, when was that? Before creation, God already had the plan for man’s redemption (Ephesians 3:9-11), and He revealed it partially during the Old Testament era via promises and the prophecies of His messengers. When did it come to fulfillment? When was it that God sent His Son into the world? The Bible says it was “when the fullness of the time had come” (Galatians 4:4). In God’s plan, per His wisdom, when “Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king” (Matthew 2:1), preached the gospel of the Kingdom (Mark 1:14,15), and “bore our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24), all of that was the optimum time for “the feast.”

“Come, for all things are now ready” – At the center of “all things” was the Lamb of God, who came to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). He came that man might have true life (John 10:10) and to make us free from the penalty of sin (John 8:36). He alone is “the way, the truth, and the life” through which we can come to the Father (John 14:6). In Jesus alone can sinners have redemption (Romans 3:23,24).

A second aspect of “all things” is the great gospel of Jesus, a message that is God’s power to salvation (Romans 1:16). It is the message that our Lord wants every person in the world to hear, believe, and obey for his/her personal salvation (Mark 16:15,16).

A third part of “all things” is Jesus’ church, the spiritual body over which He rules as Head (Colossians 1:24). He willingly purchased it with His own blood (Acts 20:28). Through His blood, His church is washed and prepared for eternal glory (Ephesians 5:23-27).

So, the great news for all mankind is, “All things are now ready.” Who said so? God did. Does He know what He is talking about? You know He does! If He said it, then we can count on it.

“Come, for all things are now ready” – The call is for the invited guests to come and enjoy the wonderful spiritual blessings/feast which by God’s grace have been arranged in the Christ (Ephesians 1:3,7).

The appeal to “come” to the feast calls for man to take action. God did wonderful things to bring about salvation for lost people, but we cannot sit passively and expect God to carry us to His blessed feast. The Son invites us to come to Him for rest (Matthew 11:28-30), the Father calls and draws us to Jesus via the gospel message (2 Thessalonians 2:14), and the Spirit revealed the whole plan of redemption in the truth (John 16:13,14).

In order for a person to “come” to the prepared feast of God, he must hear, understand, and receive the invitation. That is what happened on the first Pentecost after Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Peter preached the gospel that day, proclaiming the way of salvation. In response, humble hearers submitted to it by repenting and being baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:36-41).

One who comes to Jesus for salvation must come on the Lord’s terms (Hebrews 5:9). He must come with a noble, honest, and good heart (Luke 8:15). He must come with a heart that is assured completely of Jesus’ Deity (Acts 2:36). He must come with the courage to deny himself, and he must come with the understanding that following Jesus is a daily (Luke 9:23), to-the-end commitment (Hebrews 3:6,14).

Thanks be to God for His grace that prepared a way for us out of darkness and into His loving arms. Have you accepted God’s call to come to His feast? If not, why not decide to do that very thing today?!

— Roger D. Campbell