Aid to anyone attempting to understand the banquet passage in Luke chapter 14:
12 He said also to the man who had invited him,
“When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
Luke 14 ESV
While you could read commentaries, which are helpful, I want to explain in simple language (further below).
First:
Ellicott's commentary: (13) When thou makest a feast.--Literally, as in Luke 5:29, a reception. In practice, it need hardly be said, the form of obedience to the precept must, of necessity, vary with the varying phases of social life, and with the lessons of experience. Relief given privately, thoughtfully, discriminatively, may be better both for the giver, as less ostentatious, and for the receivers, as tending to the formation of a higher character, than the open feast of the Eastern form of benevolence. The essence of the beatitude, as distinct from its form, remains for all who give freely to those who can give them no recompense in return, who have nothing to offer but their thanks and prayers.
-----------
Simple language:
Notice that Christ
didn't say to only invite the poor and disadvantaged to your banquet
and also ignore and stop loving your family and refuse to let them participate.
No. That would be a distortion.
He said that
instead of aiming to just invite your friends and family or rich people, to instead have as your goal to invite the poor, the disadvantaged -- those who cannot pay you back.
Make your banquet
for the poor, the disadvantaged, as the goal.
Make it for them.
He
didn't say stop ever eating with your brothers and sisters in the church, your friends, your family. Not the instruction. That would be a distortion.
He said when you give a banquet, be sure to invite those who cannot pay you back, who are disadvantaged, and such.
If you happen to have friends/family/neighbors that want to come and bring some of the food or such, or help, so that they also can help the poor and disadvantaged, it's perfectly fine to have them come also.
Also, the point isn't to make a big show either.
This instruction is kept if you simply take out someone(s) disadvantaged to lunch or supper, or give groceries even. Those who cannot pay you back. In addition to the benefit of food, you can and should also give your friendliness to them. A banquet or luncheon, or taking someone out to dinner -- these are a nice way to socialize also.
