Luke 14 / August 21 - don't get side tracked!

There should be no question that Jesus is talking the about Jewish nation who were the ones that God had chosen and to whom the Messiah, Jesus Christ, came to first with the offer of salvation through faith or belief in Him.

It is interesting that this parable (or warning) begins with a statement from one of the guests with Jesus. And the statement was true, it would be a blessing to eat at the table in the kingdom. But you see, the people that Jesus was eating with believed that based on their station in life they would surely be the ones who would be eating with God in His kingdom.

The story Jesus tells is one that would not have been lost on them...It just occurred to me that the original statement by the guest with Jesus may have been prompted by Jesus opening statements in this chapter. He may have been feeling like Jesus was attacking him (which He was) and so he wanted to assert his place at the table.

So Jesus says that there is going to indeed be a banquet but when the guests are called they will have what seems like justifiable excuses; wedding, death in the family, I have to do my hair, etc. But the bottom line is that they aren't there, they were too busy, too many more important things to do. So, others are called who come and still more from even farther away come. Why could they come? They didn't have anything better to do. They were hungry. They were thirsty. They didn't have comfortable lives and a packed social calendar. So they came and they filled the house.

What's the moral? Those who thought they were going to eat at the table all had other things to do and so passed on the invite. But God is not going to have an empty table, so the message, call to believe went out to others and they accepted the invitation.

I know you are busy, I know that life is full and there are so many things that could occupy your time and mine, but we must make time for God. Don't miss your opportunity to accept the invitation (faith in Jesus) and so secure your place at the table. Make time for God!