Luke 14: 15-24
When one of those who were reclining at the table with Him heard this, he said to Him, Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the Kingdom of God!
But He said to him, A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many;
and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, Come; for everything is ready now.
But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.
Another one said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.
Another one said, I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.
And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.
And the slave said, Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.
And the master said to the slave, go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.
For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.
Jesus had one more story to tell these dinner guests at the Chief Pharisee's house that day. When one of the guests commented about God's Dinner Party, Jesus replied with a story about all the invited guests who gave excuses to get out of going; they all had something that was more important to them.
Jesus was telling them that the twelve tribes of Israel had the invitation to God's Kingdom, but since they had hardly ever really bought into God's program, then the way would be open for all the imperfect, Gentile and Barbarian and disabled and other non-acceptable people, to come and enjoy God's Reception into His Kingdom.
A lot of people give their own plans a higher priority than they do to God's program. They figure God can take care of His own plans, they have better things to do for themselves.
So anyone; Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, healthy or sick, city-slicker or country-bumpkin; has the opportunity to accept God's invitation, through His servants, the prophets and evangelists, to enter His Kingdom, through His Son, Christ our Lord.
Many today also have their own excuses, and think that they can always come to God later, at a more convenient time. But Scripture says that today, right now is the day of salvation (II Corinthians 6:2); we don't know what tomorrow holds, or even if we will have a tomorrow. We never know when we are in the last day of our life.
Today is the only time we really have; yesterday is gone, and tomorrow may never come. So what would you be doing if you knew that today was your last day? Are you sure of your Eternity? Have you loose threads that need to be tied up in your relationships? Have you debts to pay?
No excuse will stand up for you when you face your Judge at the moment of death. And whenever you do decide to come to Him, you will wish you had done so a long time ago, because you missed out on so much, even in this life.
O my Father, thank You that You have opened the door to Salvation to every person alive. You are so generous and lavish in Your giving! Everyone is loved by You, and You are not willing that any should perish in a forever without You, but that every one of us would come to repentance and faith, trusting You. (II Peter 3:9.)
I know that most people are not willing to turn to You, because they are deceived by the enemy into thinking they don't need to, or have never heard. But, there are also those who do want to, but are putting You off, with their own ideas and plans, not realizing how much better Yours are for them.
I pray for all Your lost sheep, Father; those who haven't found their way to You yet, that You would be the Hound of Heaven to dog them until they turn to You, thay they would have no rest until they rest in You.
Send more workers into Your fields, Father; find them all, draw them all into that One Fold with One Shepherd.
And every knee will bow, every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. And You will receive all the glory and honor and blessing and riches and praise, forever and ever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
