An Important Invitation

An Important Invitation

Read: Luke 14:16-24

“A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests.”

Luke 14:16

“Give me a person who says, ‘This one thing I do,’ and not, ‘These fifty things I dabble in.’”

—Dwight L. Moody

IN WORD God is preparing a great banquet. It will be the most extravagant celebration ever. And we’re invited.

According to Jesus, many who are invited never show up. Why not? If the celebration is so great, why isn’t it more appealing to more people? Perhaps it’s because the invitation is often so plain—it comes from a poor Galilean with a motley assortment of “groupies.” Perhaps it’s because the prelude to the party has often been disguised as a joyless, austere gathering of misfits who are still trying to figure out exactly why they were honored with such an invitation. Or perhaps it’s because many recipients of the invitation think they have more important things to do.

That was the case in Jesus’ parable of the kingdom. A home, a possession, and a relationship were the hindrances mentioned by those who couldn’t squeeze the banquet into their schedule. They assumed that news of the really important banquets would be spread through fancy marketing and the grapevine of the elite. Or maybe they just got so busy that they didn’t have time for banquets at all. Perhaps the intentions were good, but the ability to fulfill them was limited by too many commitments—commitments of infinitely lesser importance.

IN DEED Isn’t that our situation sometimes? We’ve accepted God’s invitation, of course—at least in principle. But we’ve filled our lives with so many other “musts” that we may not have time to dress for the ball. We’re too busy, too committed, too preoccupied with other things. We forget one of the fundamental essentials of discipleship: A person cannot follow Jesus when his or her affections are anchored elsewhere. Our commitment to Him cannot be diluted; when it is, it isn’t a commitment at all.

God’s preparing for a banquet. Make sure you’re preparing for the banquet, too.