Go quickly into the streets
Last week, we focused on the basic premise of the parable and the excuses of the guests. For today's devotional, I'd like to look at the actions of the host of the great dinner and our response.
As I mentioned last week, a quick reading of the parable shows us that God is the one throwing the banquet. There are a couple things worth noting here:
First, we see that the host desires for his guests to attend his lavish party. Yet when they refuse, the host sends out his servant to the streets to bring in all who would come. We are met with the host's graciousness and his severity. We see that God is calling all who will come, to come. We also see that there is a time when He is finished with the excuses.
Second, we must take a moment to pause and think through those who came to the banquet. Look at the verses that precede this parable, "[Jesus] said also to the man who had invited him, 'When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just'" (Luke 14:12-14 ESV).
Brothers and sisters, this parable calls us to celebrate God's kingdom in a way that all people hear the good news of our Lord. When I place myself into this parable, I pray that I am one who was invited in off the street. Coming in the poverty of my spirit to join the feast of the ages. I believe, those of us who find ourselves at the table are quickly turned into servants are asked, "Go quickly into the streets and lanes of the town and bring them in..."
May we celebrate God's kingdom that all people hear the good news!
Pastor John
Come, for everything is now ready
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!” But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 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.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 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.’ And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 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. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’”
This week, I would like to focus on the basic premise of the parable and the excuses of the guests. A basic reading of the story will show us that God is the one throwing the great banquet. The imagery of a meal as an end time celebration of God's people is a standard Jewish and Christian thought. It is time for the celebration and the servant of tell everyone the banquet is ready.
What happens next is designed to be both absurd and pathetic. Look at the excuses:
- I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it.
- I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them.
- I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
What do these three excuses have in common? They are lame. There I said it– lameness is the common denominator.
Now, why would I say this? Let's put the first two in our context:
- I have bought a house, and I haven't seen it yet.
- I have bought a car, and I need to go check it out.
Both of these excuses involved someone buying an item 'sight-unseen'. They are literally saying, "I made a serious purchase and didn't have time to examine what I was buying. Now after the purchase, seeing this item a priority."
None of these excuses are priorities (I'm not saying that marriage is not a priority. In this story, it is not a priority that would keep you from attending the banquet. Why would he not bring his wife with him?).
The question for us at this point in the parable is, "What priorities do you put over the reign and rule of God in your life?"
Take time and think about this question. It is a serious question that deserves serious time.
Now, take a moment to hear from the parable– as important as those items seem to you right now, in the light of the kingdom of God and in the light of eternity, are they really important? Or is there a ring of lameness?
As your pastor, I hope you hear the invitation of the His servant, "Come, for everything is now ready."
Are you going to join in the celebration?
In Christ,
Pastor John
Let the Darkness Fear
Build Your kingdom here
Let the darkness fear
Show Your mighty hand
Heal our streets and land
Set Your church on fire
Win this nation back
Change the atmosphere
Build Your kingdom here
We pray
On Sunday, I walked through a few of these lines. I told you I personally feel as though the darkness is winning when the attacks across the world seem to increase in severity and frequency.
As the body of Christ, we are challenged to sing, "Let the darkness fear." We are not to be afraid, rather the darkness should fear.
As we work through the parables, I would like to remind you of two little parables this morning.
He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”
And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”
–Luke 13:18-21 ESV
These two little parables have some similarities:
- Both of these parables describe the Kingdom of God.
- They are both dealing with very small items in New Testament culture (a mustard seed and yeast).
I know you might be thinking now, "Pastor, I'm not sure how this relates to our current situation? Mustard seeds and yeast?"
I think Jesus' challenge in this parable for us is not to miss the little things. Kingdom work is in the little things.
Take a moment and think about the life of Jesus.
- From the cry of a newborn in a stable
- to men walking away from their boats and nets one morning
- to the touch of a robe by a hurting, lonely woman
- to the words spoken over Jarius' daughter
- to the feet washed in an upper room
- to the One hanging between two criminals
- to the women carrying spices to anoint a body
- to a couple confused guards at an empty tomb
These stories were all technically 'little' things. These 'little' things are some of the most significant stories in our faith- and that is my point.
The Kingdom of God doesn't measure 'little' the way our world does.
God's Kingdom is in the prayers we pray. It is in the tears we shed. It is in the hugs we share. It is in the truth we proclaim.
Lord, build Your Kingdom HERE
Here- in the mess, in the hurt, in the loss, in the tears, in the little things
We pray.
The "Why?" Questions
"And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this."
–Luke 22:14-23 ESV
Most of us have a collection of “Why” questions. Your collection might look like this:
“Why am I going through this?”
“Why do I feel alone?”
“Why am I the only one struggling?”
“Why was I the one downsized?”
“It was his/her decision, why does it effect me?”
All of us deal with the "Why" questions in some form or another. These questions swirl around in our heads, and for many of us, they seem to control our lives.
What if this Holy Week, we could change the question? What if there was one question, if properly answered, could reframe all of our “Why” questions?
When I read the “Why” questions, I hear desperation, loss, pain, loneliness, hopelessness. In the upper room, I hear the answer for a different question.
The question isn’t “Why?”
The question is “For whom?”
In the midst of our confusion and questions, Jesus utters these words, “This is my body, which is given for you.”
For whom did Jesus die? For you– for your questions that seem unanswerable– Jesus died. For the part of your heart that breaks when you think about that situation– Jesus died.
Author David Lose writes, “…we hear in these two words the shocking, unimaginable, and utterly unexpected promise that everything Christ suffers – all the humiliation and shame, all the defeat and agony – he suffers for us, that we might have life and light and hope in his name!”
May our "Why" questions be framed in the knowledge that Christ died for you!
Peter's Denial
–Luke 22:31-34 ESV
If you are like me, I read the story of Peter’s denial with a tinge of hopelessness. “If Peter can’t stand, how can I stand?”
I believe a closer examination of these three verses breathes life into a dark time in Peter’s life. The Greek text reveals something the English translations miss.
The uses of the word you in verse 31 is plural. Here Jesus is speaking to the eleven disciples before Him.
However, Jesus changes the number of the word in the next three verses. Each time you is used, it is singular. Here Jesus is addressing Peter. You will note, that I bolded the singular uses and italicized the plural uses.
Why is this important? Here is a fact we often miss- Satan demanded all of the apostles. Then we read that Jesus prayed specifically for Peter. Look at what Jesus prayed, “I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.”
When I read the stories in the remainder of Luke’s Gospel and in Acts, I think Jesus’ prayer was answered. No where do we read that Peter’s faith failed. We do read that his courage failed in his denial a few verses away.
I know each one of us has a time (or multiple times) where we feel our courage has failed. The important thing is not that your courage failed. The important thing is that your faith didn’t fail.
Do you want to know the incredible thing? Jesus is praying for you that your faith may not fail! Then we hear Jesus give us some instructions for once we realized we have failed, “And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
Jesus is praying for your faith to not fail and this Holy Week, my we rest in that fact that the King of Heaven is praying for you!