Daily Bread 2011 - Luke 14
Daily Bread 2011 – Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011 Luke 14
The Parable of the Great Banquet
15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” 16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ 19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ 21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ 22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ 23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”
What Does This Mean?
In the Middle Eastern culture preparing a banquet was a very big deal, especially in how you prepared for and treated your guests. By analogy Jesus is using this metaphor for the kingdom of heaven, and the great banquet there will for those who answer the invite. We see in this parable that an invitation was sent out, but many of those invited gave excuses for not coming.
Though the excuses seemed legitimate enough, this didn’t satisfy the servant’s master who ordered his servant to go out the streets and alleys and bring the poor and lamb. When that didn’t fill up the party, the master told his servant to go the roads and country lanes and “compel” them to come in. The idea here is one of strong persuasion. The story ends with a stern warning to those who were originally invited for their refusal.
What Does This Mean For Us?
The bottom line for the master is that he wanted his banquet hall full. Though he had a guest list, when those guests had better things to do with their time, he made sure everyone even from the most remote areas got an invitation.
Often this parable is interpreted to mean that the Jewish people who Jesus was sent to rejected him, so the Gospel was offered to the Gentiles. But we also see in many in Jesus’ interactions with others, he wasn’t afraid to offer salvation to the least and the lost in the society. He offered the kingdom to those on the margins including: the lame, the lepers, the prostitutes and tax collectors.
Someone once said, “90% of life is showing up!” And in this case showing up was very important. The question for today is what excuses do we make to put God’s invitation in our lives down at the bottom of our priorities? God invites us to participate in the kingdom, but will go elsewhere if we refuse to invest ourselves for the sake of the lost being found. May we be aware of even the little opportunities we have to usher in God’s kingdom this week in our work, families and personal relationships!
Jesus thank you for the invitation to the banquet, which you offer all of us regardless of our background or location. Help us to clear our calendars to make room for what you want to do in our lives so we won’t miss bringing more people to the feast which has no end. Amen.
The Parable of the Great Banquet
15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” 16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ 19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ 21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ 22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ 23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”
What Does This Mean?
In the Middle Eastern culture preparing a banquet was a very big deal, especially in how you prepared for and treated your guests. By analogy Jesus is using this metaphor for the kingdom of heaven, and the great banquet there will for those who answer the invite. We see in this parable that an invitation was sent out, but many of those invited gave excuses for not coming.
Though the excuses seemed legitimate enough, this didn’t satisfy the servant’s master who ordered his servant to go out the streets and alleys and bring the poor and lamb. When that didn’t fill up the party, the master told his servant to go the roads and country lanes and “compel” them to come in. The idea here is one of strong persuasion. The story ends with a stern warning to those who were originally invited for their refusal.
What Does This Mean For Us?
The bottom line for the master is that he wanted his banquet hall full. Though he had a guest list, when those guests had better things to do with their time, he made sure everyone even from the most remote areas got an invitation.
Often this parable is interpreted to mean that the Jewish people who Jesus was sent to rejected him, so the Gospel was offered to the Gentiles. But we also see in many in Jesus’ interactions with others, he wasn’t afraid to offer salvation to the least and the lost in the society. He offered the kingdom to those on the margins including: the lame, the lepers, the prostitutes and tax collectors.
Someone once said, “90% of life is showing up!” And in this case showing up was very important. The question for today is what excuses do we make to put God’s invitation in our lives down at the bottom of our priorities? God invites us to participate in the kingdom, but will go elsewhere if we refuse to invest ourselves for the sake of the lost being found. May we be aware of even the little opportunities we have to usher in God’s kingdom this week in our work, families and personal relationships!
Jesus thank you for the invitation to the banquet, which you offer all of us regardless of our background or location. Help us to clear our calendars to make room for what you want to do in our lives so we won’t miss bringing more people to the feast which has no end. Amen.
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