Luke 14:20

And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

And {G2532} another {G2087} said {G2036}, I have married {G1060} a wife {G1135}, and {G2532} therefore {G1223}{G5124} I cannot {G3756}{G1410} come {G2064}.

Still another said, ‘I have just gotten married, so I can’t come.’

Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, so I cannot come.’

And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

Luke 14:20 is a pivotal part of Jesus' Parable of the Great Supper, illustrating various human responses to God's divine invitation.

Context

This verse features the third of three guests who offer excuses for not attending a magnificent feast prepared by a generous host. Jesus tells this parable in Luke 14, following a discourse on humility and the proper way to host guests, emphasizing the importance of inviting those who cannot repay (the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind). The parable itself serves as a profound allegory for God's invitation to His kingdom, and the various ways people reject or delay their response.

Key Themes

  • Prioritizing Earthly Affairs: The guest's excuse, "I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come," highlights how even legitimate and good things—like marriage—can become an obstacle to responding to God's call if they are given ultimate priority. This isn't a condemnation of marriage itself, but a critique of allowing any earthly commitment to supersede a divine invitation.
  • The Nature of Excuses: This excuse, like the others in the parable (buying land, buying oxen), seems reasonable on the surface. However, the parable suggests that these are not true impossibilities but rather reflections of a heart unwilling to leave its current comforts or commitments for something greater. It reveals a lack of spiritual discernment and urgency.
  • The Urgency of God's Invitation: The host sends his servant out when the supper is ready. This implies an immediate, pressing invitation to which a timely response is expected. The excuses demonstrate a failure to grasp the significance and immediacy of the opportunity.

Linguistic Insights

The phrase "I have married a wife" (Greek: egamēsa gynaika) is a simple statement of fact. The crucial part is "and therefore I cannot come" (Greek: kai dia touto ou dynamai elthein). While the guest states an inability ("cannot come"), the context of the parable suggests it is more a matter of unwillingness or a misplaced priority, rather than a physical impossibility. In ancient Jewish culture, a newly married man was exempt from military service for a year (Deuteronomy 24:5), but this exemption did not extend to social obligations like attending a feast, especially one of such importance. The excuse is therefore thin, revealing a deeper disinterest.

Practical Application

Luke 14:20 challenges believers today to examine their own priorities. What "good things" in our lives—family, career, hobbies, even ministry activities—might inadvertently become excuses that prevent us from fully embracing God's call or serving Him with undivided attention? The verse serves as a powerful reminder to seek first the kingdom of God, ensuring that our deepest commitments align with His will and His eternal invitation. It prompts us to consider if we are truly ready to participate in the great spiritual banquet, or if we are allowing earthly attachments to hold us back from the richness of God's fellowship and purpose.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Deuteronomy 24:5

    ¶ When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: [but] he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.

  • 1 Corinthians 7:33

    But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please [his] wife.

  • Luke 18:29

    And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,

  • Luke 18:30

    Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.

  • Luke 14:26

    If any [man] come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

  • Luke 14:28

    For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have [sufficient] to finish [it]?

  • 1 Corinthians 7:29

    But this I say, brethren, the time [is] short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;

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