A full house
‘Soon the servant said, “Your order has been carried out, sir, but there is room for more.” So the master said to the servant, “Go out to the country roads and lanes and make people come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you all that none of those who were invited will taste my dinner!”’ (verses 22-24)
Read Luke 14:12-24
Most people love parties. Parties are an exciting mix of food and fun. If you advertise a free feast, you guarantee a full house, don’t you?
So it comes as a real shock to hear Jesus tell his story about a man who put on a great feast and invited lots of people, and then everybody turned down the invitation. We know it wouldn’t happen here in Australia, and I don’t think it would have happened in the Palestine of Jesus’ day either.
Jesus intended his story to shock people, especially the suspicious and self-assured Pharisees (14:1) who were at the Sabbath meal with Jesus. He was telling them and us that, while God is a generous host who provides the best for his guests, we have to come to the party to enjoy these things. If we turn down the invitation, we will miss out on the feast, for God is so keen to have a full house that he will bring in ‘the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame’ to take our places.
Generous God, thank you for inviting me to your great feast. Help me to respond joyfully to your invitation. Amen.
by John Vitale, in ‘Guidance for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2002)
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