One man said at the dining table with Jesus: “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God” (Luke 14:15).
Yes, it is true that everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God is blessed. But it is also increasingly obvious that not everyone really regards God’s salvation banquet as something so wonderful.
In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 14, Jesus is where we would not expect Him to be. He is dining at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees. He is certainly in a place we would not expect, but Jesus invites everyone to the kingdom of God, including those unbelieving Pharisees. But what happens at this dining experience is expected: they are watching Jesus carefully to see if He will again break another Sabbath rule.
So, while Jesus accepts this invitation to dine with leading rabbis, He also invites them to His great banquet, so to speak.
So, Jesus tells them about a man who prepared a great banquet. This was a banquet prepared with no leftovers, not with paper plates, and not with warm pop, but with the finest of food, the richest of wine, the juiciest of steaks, with a host who spared no expense. It was a meal of pure gift. And since the banquet hall was ready, his call went out through his servant: “Come, for everything is now ready!” (Luke 14:17).
In today’s world, we often send out “Save the Date” notices. This is what this servant is doing. He is sending out these “Save the Date” notices, but not for the future. He is saying, “Today is the date! Come, everything is ready!”
The date is set! The banquet hall is ready! The supper of rich food and well-aged wine is ready! (Isaiah 25:6). The supper is lavish! Come, everything is ready!
But they all began to make excuses. One bought a field. Another bought five yoke of oxen. Another just got married. They each said, “Please have me excused” (Luke 14:18, 19). Hey, at least they were polite about it. Well, for maybe the exception of the third who just said, “I cannot come.”
Now, at least two of the excuses matched legitimate reasons from the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy 20:6-7, God’s Word proclaims: “And is there any man who has planted a vineyard and has not enjoyed its fruit? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man enjoy its fruit. And is there any man who has betrothed a wife and has not taken her? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man take her.” So, the guy who bought the field and the guy who had recently gotten married may have good reasons. However, did you catch the caveat? They could only refrain from military service. So, their excuses fall flat. They weren’t going off to war. They just didn’t want to go.
So, under their veneer of civility and polite excuses was a cold-hearted rejection.
Before we get into the Parable of the Great Banquet even more, it is essential to understand the custom of first century banquets. In the Mideast, an unexpected invitation must be refused, especially when one is a foreigner or outcast. So, who would be expected? The rich, the wealthy, the well-to-do. Who would be unexpected? The poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame, the Gentile. So, it is odd that the expected refuse to come and the unexpected later are compelled to come.
Back to the parable. The supper is ready, and no one wants to come. Instead, they make excuses. The first pleads necessity. The second pleads inconvenience. The third pleads pleasure. So, the servant returns and reports these things to his master.
But guess what, today’s parable is not about proper etiquette or first-century manners. It is about the Gospel. It is about the Divine Service. It is about you and me – and the dangerous foolishness of justifying why we refuse the Lord’s gracious invitation.
You see, the Divine Service is a banquet. Yes, today, we are sitting outside, and it looks more like a picnic, but believe me, the Divine Service is a banquet. It isn’t work where you must clock in, or a work that you must perform. It is a banquet. The Divine Service is a feast of grace. This is where God teaches us and where He serves us His grace. He serves us. He gives. And He does not give us table scraps. He gives us His very body and blood. He gives us forgiveness of sins, which begets life and salvation to you as His guests.
As poor, miserable sinners, we don’t often see the Divine Service this way. Yours and my Old Adam often looks at each Sunday morning and mutters: “Do I have to?”
But the problem isn’t with the Divine Service. The problem is with you and me. The problem is with our hearts.
You see, if you view the Divine Service as an obligation, you are already down the path of making excuses. And these excuses are not neutral. They are efforts to justify yourself. Each excuse is saying to God: “God, I’m not the problem here, it’s just that I have more important things to do.”
We are all experts at coming up with excuses. We are all great at justifying ourselves. We are all great at playing the victim. We are all too much like Goldilocks who says, “It’s too hot. It’s too cold.”
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us not justify ourselves by avoiding God’s gifts. That is to say; when we make excuses to justify an absence, we are not only being dishonest – we are insulting the banquet and despising the Host. We are saying, “I have better things to do than to be in the presence of Jesus.” We are saying: “This gift is no gift at all.” We are saying: “The Divine Service is a burden.”
So, when we make excuses like this, it is not because of a scheduling conflict. To be perfectly honest, it’s idolatry. So, when you say, “I’d love to be at church, but …” we are putting God’s gifts on a scale and weighing them against our desires.
And when we do such a thing, we are exchanging the grace of God for the fleeting pleasures of the fallen world.
So, the message of today’s parable is clear: repent. Repent for all those times you have justified your absence from the Divine Service with excuses. Repent for treating the Divine Service like a burden. Repent for despising preaching and His Word. Repent for your apathy and excuses.
But be sure at this: not all excuses are the same. Yes, there are those excuses born of pride, but there are other excuses that are born of sorrow. So, there is a time when “I couldn’t come” is the right thing to say. Perhaps you are sick. Perhaps your work demanded it. Perhaps you are shut-in. Perhaps you didn’t have the strength – then come and contact me. So, you said, “I wanted to be at the Divine Service. I longed to receive Christ’s forgiveness, but I could not.” Now, that is not justification. That is a lament.
You see, a lament says, “Lord, I missed the feast, and I am hungry.” “Lord, I long for Your Word, for Your altar, for Your forgiveness.” You see, a lament is a cry of the soul. It doesn’t justify. It grieves.
So, let there be no confusion. An excuse offered in lament is not a sin, but the groaning of a repentant heart. Justifying excuses despise the gift. Lamenting excuses desire the gift.
So, what is the Master’s response to justifying excuses? He says to His servant, “Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame” (Luke 14:21). He fills the banquet hall with the desperate and hungry. He fills the banquet hall with those who responded positively to the preaching of Jesus. But still there is room for more. The Master sends His servant to the rural areas, into the country lanes and roads not often traveled. The servant calls in people from the far corners of the earth.
Those who were first invited missed their chance. The door is locked, and they will not taste of the great banquet. They refused to hear the preaching of Jesus and now they find themselves excluded.
But thanks be to God that the door is still open, but one day the door will close. Right now, everything is ready. And He invites you to His banquet week after week – not to perform or impress – but to receive. And He does not grow tired of inviting. Sunday after Sunday, Monday after Monday, His call rings out: “Come, for everything is now ready!”
And when you miss a Divine Service in sorrow, He will not rebuke you. He welcomes your lament, and He strengthens your faith through His Word and Sacraments. So, when you are absent from the Divine Service, ask yourself: was my excuse a justification or a lament? If it was a justification, repent, and receive God’s forgiveness won for you on the cross. If it was a lament, bring that sorrow to the Lord.
Here, in the Divine Service, either inside or outside, God gives His best to you – Christ crucified for sinners, risen for your justification, coming in Word and Sacrament for you. So, receive what only Christ can give: forgiveness, life, and salvation. These are His gifts to you. Come, everything is ready! Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +
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