Written by Paul Lane
The Word
15 When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17 And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant[Or bondservant] to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ 20 And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you,[ The Greek word for you here is plural] none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’”
Luke 14:15-24 (ESV)
6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.’”
Matthew 7:6 (ESV)
Reflection
The first thing to understand here is that there are actually two invitations. The first invitation was sent to friends, family, and neighbors to announce the day of the banquet, and people would respond to declare whether they would be able to attend. It was done that way in Jesus’ time, and we do that today too. For weddings, birthdays, and all sorts of celebrations, we send out announcements and ask people to declare whether they would be able to attend. As a host, you would like to know how many people to plan for. If there are any special considerations for guests, you would love to know that as well. It would be to your credit to be known as the one who provided special consideration for an aunt who needed a particular kind of seat, for a child with an allergy no one had ever heard of, or for a friend who needed help getting there. As a gracious host, these special considerations would be a joy for you to be able to address.
In everyday life, these little details might be quite annoying to your friends, but to provide a party like this would be a very special way of showing love to them. It could be one day in which the annoying parts of life had no sway in their pursuit of happiness. This would be a grand gesture indeed. But to accomplish this, it would take a considerable amount of work. Think about the joy it would bring you, thinking of working out all these little details, so that your loved ones might enjoy a day in the sun.
So, after putting in all that work, in the society that Jesus is speaking to, you would send out a second invitation to let everyone know that the preparations are complete and it is time to come to the feast. This is where we pick up the story that Jesus is telling. Examine the excuses that are given. They are excuses from people who had previously said that they would come to the feast. So, each excuse is a decision to go back on their previous commitment. Each excuse is a statement that says, “I have something better to do with my time.”
I think we all know how easy it is to fall into the habit of giving God the last of our time, our activities, and our thoughts. And many are the sermons that we’ve heard about how we end up treating God as our buddy, someone to come along with us to help us make our plans work out. Yet we know that that’s backwards. The relevance of this parable and the ease to which we can generate such excuses should give us pause in our Christian walk. Yes, it should make us feel dirty. But to quote Alistair Begg, “It is the awareness of the fact that we are dirty that makes the bath so attractive. If we did not know that we were dirty, we would not seek the bath.”
Application
In the movie, “The Blues Brothers,” John Belushi plays Jake Blues, who, along with his brother Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) are sent on a “mission from God” to raise money for a charity. In the middle of this crazy movie, Jake Blues is confronted by his fiancée, played by Carrie Fisher (most known for her role as Princess Leia from Star Wars). In this scene she is seeking revenge for being left at the altar, but he talks her out of killing him by first running through perhaps the lamest string of excuses ever to grace the silver screen. My favorite in the list has always been “a friend came in from out of town.”
Perhaps that one sticks out to me because it so clearly doesn’t work. If it is a friend, why wouldn’t they just come to the wedding? In fact, I would think that the same logic would apply to the guy who just got married. Why doesn’t he want to bring his wife to the banquet? If he just got married, shouldn’t he have some empathy for the host?
I think this parable is pushing on a bigger question than teaching you how you should treat your friends and neighbors better. That’s a lesson we should already know. Jesus is telling the leaders of that time that what was offered to them is being taken away because of their refusal to receive what God is offering. We must understand that God is eagerly seeking to shower us with his love and affection, but He will not force us to take it if we are unwilling to receive it. This is not just a question for sinners who need to be saved, but for saints, who need to remember their savior and their need for salvation.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, God of all creation and knower of all truth, work in my life such that pride does not dominate my heart. Teach me to turn my heart to you and help me tend it well. Let me offer to you the first fruits of my time, my efforts, and my desires. Teach me how to desire the right things, in the right way, at the right time, and in the right context. Amen.
City Life Starter 
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