The Invitation

In the parable of the marriage feast[1], Jesus tells us of a king who threw a wedding banquet for his son. Those who were invited found every reason in the book to explain why they were just too busy to come: “I have bought a new piece of land, and I must go and see it” says one.[2] Another says, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I need to try them out.”[3] And, still another explains, “I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.”[4] So, the king angrily sends his slave out again to invite “the poor, the blind, the crippled, and the lame,” explaining that “‘none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.’”[5] We are then told that “the wedding hall was filled with guests.”[6]

What is the difference between those who were originally invited (the people of prestige, the affluent and the religious) and those who actually responded to the invitation (the poor, the blind, the crippled, and the lame)? The answer seems to me to be desire. The first group did not have time to be bothered with the king’s silly wedding banquet; they had “important” things to do like check out their investments, tend to their business interests, and consummate their marriages. They failed to see that, even though these things are certainly important, they pale in comparison to the invitation that the King extends to each of us. The second group had no such “important” things to stand in the way of such an awesome opportunity, and so more easily recognized the invitation for what it was: a once in a lifetime opportunity to dine with a king and a prince.

How often do we let the “important” things in our life stand in the way of the invitation to participate in the King’s banquet? How often do we, like seed sown among the thorns, “let the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word”[7] and distract us from embracing the invitation the King has extended to us? My prayer is that each of us may see this invitation for what it truly is. In doing so, I believe that we will inevitably view it as an opportunity too good to pass up, rather than as a distraction from the important things in life.

(Next – The opportunity of an eternity)

[1] Matthew 22:1-14; Luke 14:16-24
[2] Luke 14:18 (All Scripture quotations from New Revised Standard Version unless otherwise noted).
[3] Luke 14:19
[4] Luke 14:20
[5] Luke 14:21, 24
[6] Matthew 22:10
[7] Matthew 13:22