Storyteller - Day 25

Welcome to Day 25 of this series, where I'm blogging through "Storyteller", the latest free online Bible study from Sarah Koontz at livingbydesign.org.

Today, we're reading Luke 14: 15 - 24, The Parable of the Large Banquet, or the Invitation ... When one of those who reclined at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “The one who will eat bread in the kingdom of God is blessed!” Then He told him: “A man was giving a large banquet and invited many. At the time of the banquet, he sent his slave to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’ “But without exception they all began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. I ask you to excuse me.’

“Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m going to try them out. I ask you to excuse me.’ “And another said, ‘I just got married, and therefore I’m unable to come.’ “So the slave came back and reported these things to his master. Then in anger, the master of the house told his slave, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in here the poor, maimed, blind, and lame!’ “‘Master,’ the slave said, ‘what you ordered has been done, and there’s still room.’ “Then the master told the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and lanes and make them come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will enjoy my banquet!’” This is the Good News.

This is the Gospel in a nutshell: "Jesus Christ has extended an invitation to all people — in all places at all times — to join Him in His everlasting Kingdom" (Sarah Koontz).

In today’s parable, Jesus was verses speaking to the fact that many in Israel, including the leaders and other important people, didn’t have time for Jesus. Why didn’t they have time? Because they were caught up in their earthly lives with  finances and possessions (the first two examples are of people  who are relatively well off), and family (with getting married and the responsibilities of family life).

They were so immersed in this life that they rejected His call to the kingdom banquet.

This parable is very interesting for one particular reason, namely that the excuses the characters in the story give are ridiculous!

The first person makes an excuse about buying a field, the second makes an excuse about buying more oxen for his herd, and the third makes an excuse about being married ... in reality, all they are doing is sending a clear signal that they've changed their minds and just don't want to come! The guests at the feast with Jesus would have known the excuses for exactly what they were, and would have immediately recognized the foolishness behind them.

They would have been thinking, “You can't attend the banquet because of a business deal or because of your family? That's crazy, go to the feast!” But here’s where today’s parable gets personal ...

God is always inviting us to His table, because He loves and longs to spend time with us. But, sometimes (oftentimes?) we're distracted by all kinds of things. They're not necessarily bad things, but we can so easily give them the wrong priority in our lives.

God wants me to be a guest at this banquet - the question this parable causes me to ask is: 'Is there something in my life that has become an “excuse” for not accepting God’s invitation to His banquet? Is there anything I do with my time, my resources and my abilities rather than being in His presence and serving Him?'

The meal (the gift of time in the Lord’s presence, and in His Word, and in deep, personal relationship with the King of Heaven) is ready, but are we?

Am I prepared to stop doing the things that I think matter, or stop doing the things that I know are worthless but such up so much of my time anyway, in order to choose Him? (I'm looking at you, Facebook ;) )

Where are our priorities? Do we want to enter the kingdom where God reigns or do we prefer to follow our own self-centred agenda?

Many reasons exist for rejecting Christ’s invitation, but three explicit examples are given in today’s parable: 1. Materialism (vs 18): Concern for possessions or material wealth and physical comfort, especially to the exclusion of spiritual or intellectual pursuits. 2. Misplaced Priorities (vs 19): something given or meriting attention before competing alternatives. 3. Matrimony (vs 20): an act of marrying or the rite by which the married status is effected. The excuses given to the host in this parable are flimsy and foolish, yet they represent some of the key reasons people drift away from their faith. (Sarah Koontz)

The second part of today's parable is even more challenging (if you don't already feel personally challenged!) - and it certainly would have been so to Jesus's Jewish listeners.

When those who were expected to attend the feast (the Jewish nation, in the original context), the master of the banquet opens up the invitation to society’s maimed and downtrodden.

This is an important detail. These new invitees were the types of people that the Pharisees considered “unclean” and under God’s curse (see John 9: 1 - 2, 34) - in other word, not worthy of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus, however, rocked their boat by teaching that the kingdom was available even to those considered “unclean”!!

Here was a Messiah who got involved with tax collectors and sinners, touched lepers, and "lowered Himself" to converse with women!

This brought condemnation from the Pharisees, but it showed the extent - the height, the width, the depth - of God’s grace (see Matthew 9: 10 - 11).

In the context of the New Testament, the "scandalous" fact that the master in the parable sends the servant far and wide to persuade everyone to come to the feast shows that the offer of salvation was now extended to the Gentiles and “to the ends of the earth” (see Acts 1: 8).

Here's the challenge, if you think that the church (and thus the Kingdom) is for "nice people", for "good people, for people like me:

Jesus’ really wants His house to be full (v. 23).

The ultimate reference is to the final day and the great feast when the Church is with the Father in Heaven. But for now it refers to local churches, the community of Believers, to all who celebrate the Lord’s supper, as an anticipation of that final feast.

Jesus wants every seat filled on that day, and every seat filled among His congregations who await that day.

This means that we need to stop resting comfortably in our pews, and stop judging who's worthy of a seat, and get to work!!

Our job as Believers is to invite people to the banquet. We are the servant in this story. And as His servants, we must “go out.”

The reality is that the lame and the blind (spiritually, I man) probably aren't in your church building on a Sunday. They're in the "streets and lanes" - in the mall, in your school, at your next family gathering ...

Those who most need the invitation most likely won't just come to our church building, if we keep to ourselves. We have to go out to them.

And we have to keep on inviting, even if those we most expect to respond reject the invitation, or don't accept it the first time.

Although it's a grace-filled invitation, it's also an urgent one. We don't know when the Master will return, but there's a strong sense that His time is near - we are to urge people to come and receive the blessings of the banquet that Jesus is giving!

Father, forgive me for procrastinating away so many opportunities to serve You with wholehearted passion.

Let me hear You calling me, gently but insistently, out of my comfort zone, and make me an inviter of people.

In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.