In the middle of this chapter Jesus tells a parable about God’s wedding feast in the
When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the
Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'
"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.'
"Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'
"Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'
"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.'
"'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'
"Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet'" (15-24).
The initial invitees have excuses and don’t come… a probable reference to the Jews who are rejecting the message of Jesus. So the Master (God, the Father) sends servants to scour streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.
Jesus’ message… His servants will scour the area for those who will come. These people were bypassed and rejected by the initial invitees. Luke names these new invitees; the poor, crippled, blind and lame. (Luke’s Gospel champions the underdogs of society.)
Even when these people come, there is still room. Wanting the banquet to be full, the master sends them out again to the roads and country lanes to compel people to come in.
The message it seems is that we, servants of God, are to go far and wide bringing all who come into God’s banquet, God’s kingdom.
This is Luke’s great commission story. Go invite people to come to God. Go near, go far. Invite all, make no distinctions. Invite, invite, invite. If people reject the invitation, move on. Go. Invite…
It is our task to Go and to Invite…
The whisper of God came, “Bill, are you doing this enough? Go, invite, be about filling my kingdom.”
God, I am far more timid that this Jesus teaching suggests. Help me to overcome my fears, inhibitions, what have you and get to Your work. Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment