Compel Them
by David Diestelkamp
“Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled’” (Luke 14:23).
We know that God, the Master, has prepared a great supper. We know the excuses of those on the A-invitation list. “But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come’” (Luke 14:18-20). They’re not coming. Now what? “So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’ And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room’” (Luke 14:21-22). We don’t even think about the B-invitation list, but they’re out there and they’re to be invited. We need to expand our view to invite those we’ve never thought about or even seen before; the C-invitation list. “Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and COMPEL them to come in, that my house may be filled’” (Luke 14:23-24). There are people out there who need compelling. So, are we compelling? I’m going to warn you that you aren’t going to be comfortable with the definition of this word.
The Meaning Of “Compel”: anangkazoo; “To necessitate, compel, drive to, constrain, whether by force, threats, etc., or by persuasion, entreaties, etc.,” (Thayer). “Denotes to put constraint upon, to constrain, whether by threat, entreaty, force, or persuasion” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words). It’s what Saul of Tarsus did to try to make saints blaspheme (cf. Acts 26:11). This is an uncomfortable word, and it’s supposed to be. The comfort of the “great supper” servants isn’t the point of Jesus’ parable. The will of the Master and the blessing of tasting the supper is everything. It must be accomplished even when compelling is required.
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (II Corinthians 10:4-5). Our weapons are not carnal, but they are compelling. We do not use terrorism, manipulation, violence, or confusion. Certainly, we should try to be thoughtful, kind, considerate, and tactful. But our eternally vital mission should motivate us to prepare to step outside of the comfort zone of ourselves and others to be compelling. Why?
The Message Is Compelling. We must work to improve our ability to be compelling with Scripture. Depending on the situation, we must make compelling arguments from love, grace, history, evidence, etc. All this is centered on the revealed mystery of godliness (cf. I Timothy 3:16). It is the greatest story ever! Paul was humbled to preach this grand message to the Gentiles also. What an exalted privilege and passion. “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 3:8-9). How can it not flow from our hearts to touch everyone and everything around us through our words and actions? If we who are “enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come” (Hebrews 6:4-5) are not more compelling than a TV advertisement or viral video, why would anyone think that what we have is anything special or worthwhile? No wonder the warning of this text regarding those who fall away is so vivid!
The Method Described Is Compelling. We must go “into the highways and the hedges and compel them …” It requires more than a few verses on social media. What if you had to bring someone to the Lord? I think most of us would understand the motivation of being compelled if we were compelled to compel! We would plead, call in favors, and invite even when we expected rejections. We would intentionally create situations where unbelievers would be around believers. Invitations would be visible to everyone. We would get creative and pushy and annoying. We would talk to strangers, create connections, and risk relationships. Some wouldn’t be comfortable with us and wouldn’t want to be around us anymore. Many would laugh and mock and talk about us behind our backs. And some unlikely, unfound people would fill the house of the Master for eternity.
Our Master says, “Compel them to come in.” As servants, we don’t get to say that we aren’t comfortable with compelling or that it won’t work. We just do it. The awkwardness we suffer is “not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). Compel someone today!
Adapted from: Think On These Things, Volume 50, Number 1, January-February-March 2019 (www.thinkonthesethings.com )