Luke 14:15-24

     Jesus just finished talking of how real generosity is expressed by not inviting those whom you know will be able to repay you on some level. Some of the guests may have been thoughtful at that point, examining their own motives on various matters. Others may have been uncomfortable, not wanting to look at their own interior landscape. Still others may have felt they were being labeled as hypocrites. Whatever else was happening in the minds of the guests at the party, it was probably an awkward moment. The easy flow of conversation whas stopped. One guest, perhaps trying to smooth things over, makes a general comment about how blessed those are who will eat bread in the kingdom of God. This can be seen to follow on Jesus words about the resurrection of the righteous.
      At this point, you have to wonder what was the reaction of the rest of the group. Did they sit back, thinking the awkwardness was eased and Jesus wouldn’t saying anything else? Or, what seems more likely, many of them may have nodded with self-satisfaction, never questioning the assumption that they will be among those chomping down on the divine bread. And what else was going on? Scholars say that it was common at such dinner parties to have a large number of the public present, grouped around the walls, not eating, not reclining as the guests would have reclined (the position then for gracious dining). In a day when there was little entertainment or cultural outlets, the intellectual conversation going on around a dinner of this kind was an attraction alternative for people who would never have been invited otherwise. It was considered acceptable by the host--perhaps the greater number of observers could have been regarded as a status symbol, because the host had thereby acquired a reputation or guest as having the most interesting conversation around his table. With the reputation of Jesus, the number of observers was probably impressive.
     Consider the dynamic. You have the people around the table who were invited and eating their meal. They were the ones who had status, were considered acceptable, and who could join into the conversation. Then there were the uninvited, the silent listeners with little or no status. They went unfed by food but were hungry for things of the mind and soul.
     In today’s world, many couples have begun sending out initial announcements ahead of time for their guests to save a certain date to attend their wedding -- often printed on a magnet so the invited guest can put it on a refrigerator or filing cabinet. The couple may not have put all the arrangements together (where, time of day, etc.) but want to be sure that their friends and family keep that day available. Then, when details are set and it’s closer to the big day, they send out a more formal invitation with a RSVP card.
      Jesus tells a story in which a man has done essentially the same thing, sending out an initial invitation telling people of his impending marriage and the day of the party. The man clearly has wealth and status and has invited a huge number of his friends and associates to share the special day. Then when all is ready and the party is imminent, he sends servants to tell them that it’s ready and now is the time to come. One scholar says that this double invitation was based on a precedent in Esther 5:8 and 6:14. The initial invitation gave guests the opportunity to check whether proper arrangements had been made and whether the right people would be attending the party with them.
      But then we hear a shocking detail. Every invited guest finds an excuse not to come. The excuses are ridiculous. For example, what person buys a field without already inspecting it? The refusal to come also makes no sense. The guests are clearly acceptable, the party promises to be rich and lavish.
      The host is understandably upset. So he sends his servants out to bring in the poor, the crippled and the lame. But the places is still not filled so the master says to go out everywhere else and find people to come in and fill up his house. The initially invited guests won’t eat of the meal.
      Put simply, this parable speaks of everyone getting invited, and when people are excluded, it is by their own choice. It is a parable of “reversal.” Those who considered themselves respectable and wanted by God made excuses. They would have been appalled to see the other guests who sat down at the dinner table. In the same way people of Jesus’ age and in the church ever since, have sometimes patted themselves on the back with the assumption that they are automatically included, acceptable and approved. Under such assumptions, the little excuses, the delays, the wavering of attention go unnoticed or unchallenged by the individual in question.
      Jesus told many stories in which assumptions are perilous things, and inattention to spiritual matters are detrimental. He was uttering a loud wake-up call. Regardless of your beliefs about final judgment, Jesus’ wake-up call is just as important today in a world that has excused itself away from spiritual realities so thoroughly that some folks are starving without any clue where the feast is provided.
      It could be pointed out that Christians and the church are now the servants whose job it is to go out and offer the invitation to the feast. Some traditions are passionate about doing it (though the manner of their invitation frequently turns people away) and others are tentative and simply hope that people will show up. The challenge is to find new ways of being the church, of going out into the lanes and byways without being judgmental or self-righteousness, to offer an invitation that is relevant, meaningful and true to the grace-filled love of God.

What is the hardest thing to you about this parable?
Would you consider yourself one of the seated guests, or one of those standing by the wall listening in?
Have you ever experienced (positively or negatively) someone’s invitation to faith?
Have you ever thought about ways to invite others to faith?