The Great Banquet

Gospel Reflection for Nov. 4 Luke 14: 15 – 24

One of the most beautiful images of heaven in the scriptures is the royal banquet and the wedding celebration given by the Bridegroom. We have been invited to the most important banquet of all . However, Jesus’ parable of this Great Banquet takes an unexpected twist when “they all alike began to make excuses”. Nobody could come to the great banquet.

Seems preposterous. Why on earth would everyone who had been invited to a great banquet in advance, not drop everything and attend. They knew ahead of time. They had a warning it was coming. Don’t you think that they would be planning their days, weeks even months around this extravagant feast?

AH…… why on earth did they not rush to the feast? It is not as if they were being called to work in the vineyard, they were invited to celebrate. Looks like life on earth got in the way with business transactions for one, goods and possessions for another and family for the third. Life got in the way. Life on earth got in the way, taking precedence over God, over what is unseen at the moment, even when it is a wonderful celebration.

The second part of the story focuses on those who would never have considered getting such an invitation. The “poor, maimed, blind, and lame” represent the outcasts of society — those who can make no claim on the King. There is even ample room at the feast of God for outsiders from the highways and hedges — the gentiles.

Ponder: Well folks, do we stand with the poor, lame and blind, those in need who cannot believe their good luck when God calls us? Even with out prior warning the outcasts rush to attend the feast because they are starving, hungry for the things of God. Or are we the ones who have been invited but are not poor and desperate enough to go and eat with our Heavenly King?

Prayer: God put a deep hunger in our spirits for you, for the things of God and never let us grow complacent.