Who's invited? Luke 14 v I5-24

Have you ever been in a situation where someone says something that sounds innocent enough, maybe even right and good – but you think “Well, that’s me put in my place!” When Jesus was out to dinner with respectable, well-to-do religious types, there was always a bit of tension in the room. This time was no exception. Jesus has already healed someone and it was the Sabbath when “work” – including healing – was forbidden. Then he’s given some free advice about not homing in on the most important seats at a banquet; then he’s talked about inviting the people who can’t invite you back instead of just your rich friends. He says “you’re blessed if you invite the poor, the maimed, the blind and the lame to dinner.”

And someone says “Blessed is he who will eat bread in the Kingdom of God!” At best, is was just sentimental, religious smugness. The speaker clearly thought he would be there. “Won’t it be lovely when we – the righteous – all get to heaven!” And there may have been a sting in the tail. Jesus has said you’re blessed if you care for the poor – but the man says “Everyone who gets to heaven is blessed – so we don’t need to bother too much about the poor.” It’s a challenge.

So Jesus tells a story. That’s a good way of breaking the tension, making people think and hammering home truth. It brings something important out into the open. It’s a story about a well-to do chap who decides to throw a banquet and and when everyone he invited doesn’t turn up, he invites the poorest people.

Now when we look at the parables Jesus told, we need to remember that a parable is not an allegory (or a alligator!) In other words, we are not supposed to look for a meaning in every detail of the parable. A parable has usually one main point. The details are there for local colour: they turn what could be a drab, dull story, into an interesting, imaginative one; and they illustrate the main point. So, what is the one main point in this story? How do the details lead us to that main point?

Firstly, whenever Jesus – or the Jews of his own day – talks about a banquet – he’s talking about salvation, the Kingdom of God. Of course, the Pharisees only thought of future Kingdom, in Heaven. Jesus was thinking about the present as well as the future Kingdom: the “sweet here and now” as well as the “sweet bye and bye”. Okay, so the banquet is the Kingdom, and the Kingdom is a banquet.

Now 2000 years ago without being able to “Create an Event” on Facebook, or even get invitations printed, the normal thing to do was, well in advance, to tell people when and where the party was and that they were invited; then on the day you’d send messengers to tell them everything was ready. But in the story, those who were invited made excuses – and not very good ones: two had bought things – a field, a team of oxen – and “needed to try them out”. The third claimed he had just got married, so he couldn’t come. Maybe his new bride wouldn’t let him out of her sight! Possibly he was thinking about the old law that said a newly-wed was excused military service for a year (that was to make sure the man had an opportunity to father children before putting his life in harm’s way). There is a world of difference between an invitation to a banquet, and call-up papers. So this was another excuse. Basically the same thing applied to all three of them. They didn’t want to go, or had other things that they wanted to do. Their excuses amounted to a plain, blunt refusal to attend.

So the host sends out his servants, to bring in anyone they can find. They are to begin with the broken people inside the city, first of all. For the second time, Jesus mentions four groups of people, “The poor, maimed blind & lame”. (see v 13, 21) Still there are empty places, so the servants are sent out again to find the rough sleepers out in the field. “That my house may be full!” Never mind trying to figure out who these represent. Think rather what kind of picture is painted of the host? He’s got a big heart. He cares about the broken, the outcasts, the people everyone else looks down upon.

The one tough thing the host says is “none of those originally invited will get a taste!” It was common to send portions to people who couldn't get to a banquet – like sending pieces of wedding cake to people who couldn’t get to the reception. The master is in effect saying “I know your excuses are just excuses. If you don’t want to come, you don’t want to eat my banquet – well, nobody’s forcing you, so you don’t eat it. Simple as that.”

So the main point is – our big-hearted, generous God invites everyone to his kingdom banquet. The only way you can eat it is by accepting the invitation; the only way you can be locked out, is by rejecting the invitation.

So are some people God’s “first choice”? And other second choice? That’s not what the parable is saying. Even in Old testament times, God has had a heart for all people in the world: for all nations. Isaiah 45. 22 says “turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth!” The one main point is that God invites everyone, and we only exclude ourselves if we turn that invitation down.

That leaves us with what we do. Basically, we need to hear the heartbeat of God

Firstly, whoever you are, you are invited to the kingdom banquet. Hear the father’s heartbeat. Rich or poor, old or young, male or female, smart or not so smart, you are invited. The banquet is ready. Are you coming? You need to accept the invitation God gives you.

Secondly, if you’re already on the guest list, if you're already enjoying the banquet hear the father’s heart-beat. Can you see around the table, everyone you want to? Can you see around the table, everyone the father wants to? Sometimes we can get a bit smug, a bit lazy, a bit self centred.

Rick Richardson in his book “Evangelism outside the box” describes a childhood experience, going to the beach in a big car with two adults and six kids. Only on the way home, one of the kids noticed that Chris, aged three, wasn’t in the car. Rick says his mum spun the car around and the trip back to the beach was a white-knuckle ride to find the lost kid. An illustration of the father's heart for the lost. God wants his house full!

So does God play the “numbers game?” Right about now, the numbers game is giving the Church in Scotland a wake-up call. Attendance in Scottish Churches is half of what it was thirty years ago. Being bothered about our church’s survival, about keeping the thing going, getting people in so they can pay their tithes and go on the rotas, is not a good motive for mission. Being bothered about our reputation as a lively growing church, is not a good motive for mission. We have lots of good things in our church. We have hard working and generous people of all ages; we have a few families, a worship band, a prayer team, and a relaxed atmosphere. What about all the people we’re not reaching? We can’t be complacent. God wants his house full – so survival, or even growing – is never enough. God wants his house full. But it’s not about the church. The banquet is the kingdom, not the Church. God – quite simply – loves a party. We need to hear the father’s heartbeat. To enjoy the banquet and to take the risk of going to the last the lost and the least “That my house may be full”.

© Gilmour Lilly April 2017