Invitation to a Feast

“A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many.” Luke 14:16

It is always exciting to be invited to special events where we get together with family and friends and eat a good meal. But there is a story in the Bible where the invited guests were not excited. Jesus tells a parable in Luke chapter 14 about a man who prepared carefully for a great feast, but when he sent out the invitations, all he received were excuses why the guests could not make it! The man in his anger, had his servant invite the poor, crippled, the lame and the blind. The people in the alley ways and even behind the hedges all accepted and enjoyed the feast. 

In the Old Testament, we see how God invited the Jews to have a relationship with Him, starting with Abraham, an individual, and then a tribe, then the Jewish nation. They were all invited to the feast as God’s chosen people, His family. Did they accept? Not many did. Instead they crucified the messenger. 

And so, happily, we are the people in the alley ways and behind the hedges. We are invited to the great feast. In Hosea 2:23, we can read, “I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’” Do we accept the invitation or do we too, give excuses? 

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