Here's my low down: A guy decided to have a big feast. People knew about it and had been invited prior. When the party was ready for guests, his servant went out to tell everyone it was time to celebrate (they didn't have cellphones to do a massive text or Facebook to post the status "The feast is ready, c'mon over!") People all over knew about this great event, yet for some reason, the people invited were making excuses so they didn't have to go! I don't know about you, but I love food. If you're going to invite me to a feast- there will be no excuses, I'm going! A banquet is a great time, everyone knew that, yet there were some that didn't want to go. Since there were so many that rejected the invitation, the host of the banquet, knowing there was plenty of food and space, asked his servant to go and invite the people of low social status: the blind, lame, crippled and poor. This must have been a huge banquet because after the servant went out to the streets and invited the first round of unpopular people the host asked him to go out and invite the people from the "highways and hedges" and compel them to come that his house would be full. In context, the people from the "highways and hedges" were Gentiles (not belonging to the same religious views as the Jewish people, and were considered by the Jews to be rejected by God.) The text ends with the host saying, "For none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet". I'm thinking that this guy who threw the party was peeved that his invitees didn't come. Wouldn't you be?
This is a picture of the Kingdom of God. Many are invited- but some make excuses why they don't wanna be apart of it. The kingdom of God here, isn't necessarily referring to heaven, but rather God's reign and dominion on earth. People make excuses why they don't want to let God have rule in their life and participate in the banquet of abundant blessing. Are you one of those people that God has invited but are busy making excuses as to why it's not for you? The three examples of people making excuses not to go was because they had something more important to do (one had bought a field and had to go see it, one had bought oxen and needed to examine them and one had just married...and well, you know what comes after that!) But really!? What excuse are you making to not be apart of the Great Banquet that Jesus is having? It's interesting to me (because of other areas God is speaking in my life) that the host goes and then chooses the outcasts of people: the blind, poor, lame, crippled and the Gentiles from outside the city, to invite into his home. Why didn't these people have excuses too? I want you to meditate on this passage and the significance of it. What does Jesus want us to learn from this?
I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
~Leanne~