Jonah Albrecht…Trinity 2…June 29^th 2025…Luke 14:15-24…A Banquet You Won’t Want to Miss

When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” ¹⁶ But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. ¹⁷ And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ ¹⁸ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ ¹⁹ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ ²⁰ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ ²¹ So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said 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.’ ²² And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ ²³ And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. ²⁴ For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.'”

To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ: mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you, Amen.

INJ Who leads us into the Kingdom of God by His boundless love, DFR:

It is called “Planned Neglect,” and even if the name doesn’t sound familiar, the concept should. Supposedly, it came from a concert violinist who had been asked about the secret to her success. “When I was in music school,” she explained, “there were many demands on my time. When I went to my room after breakfast, I made my bed, dusted the floor, and did whatever else came to my attention.  Then I hurried to violin practice. I found I wasn’t progressing as I thought I should, so I reversed things. Until my practice period was completed, I deliberately neglected everything else. That planned neglect made all the difference in the world.” Have you planned your neglect? You probably should. It is not a question if we will neglect things. The question is: which things? Modern life comes at us quickly and constantly – so many things need attention, so much information to process, so many activities in the family, that we mainly just react, without ever having a plan.

In effect, that’s what happened in today’s parable. People were invited to a special dinner, but they all had other things that seemed more urgent and important. In the end, they rejected the most critical invitation of their lives. Today, Jesus shows us why this is a banquet you won’t want to miss.

When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!”

The man who made this proclamation was an affluent guest of the Pharisee Simon. The guests at this dinner had seen Jesus heal a man with dropsy, condemn those who would assume seats of honor, and chastise those who invites his friends because they can pay him back, but call one blessed for inviting those who cannot repay the favor – for then his reward will come in the resurrection of the just.

These last comments on the feast of heaven is what prompted the pharisee to exclaim an eagerness to partake of that meal. Assuming he is genuine in his yearning for heaven, why didn’t Jesus just commend him, or agree with him? Because Jesus knew there was a poison that had seeped its way into the hearts of the pharisees and many others. Yes, blessed are those who receive the invitation into God’s kingdom, but woe be upon them for rejecting God’s invitation – Jesus. Many are called, but few are chosen.

But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. ¹⁷ And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

This serves as a great picture of salvation, and in fact, that is what Jesus is illustrating here. It was customary in that part of the world for an invitation to go out twice. The first time was to gather the response of whether the guest would come, and the other was more of a summons that everything was ready. God has accomplished everything necessary for salvation. He has paid the bill in full, there is nothing more to be done except to come and enjoy what He provides for us.

That’s what makes the response of the invitees so frustrating. Instead of rejoicing that God had chosen to save him and pay for his sins, he waves off God’s invitation with an excuse. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ “I would love to come, but it just won’t work out. Thank you, but maybe next time.” This man’s excuse wasn’t belligerent, in fact he was very polite. But he was also very wrong.

When the time came for the invitation to be accepted, the priority of this man’s field was higher than the priority of his relationship with the Master. The problem here, is not with owning property and possessions. The problem was that he rejected God’s gift of salvation.

Our culture today is obsessed with possessions. Jesus warned, A person’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. But the world says just the opposite. Retailers, advertisers, insurance companies, everywhere we turn, society argues that happiness in life is determined by how much we have. We are told to measure ourselves and our lives by what we own and what comforts we enjoy.

That doesn’t mean you have to sell your huge flatscreen or hot tub. Just don’t give them, or any other possession the top spot in your life. Randy Travis wrote in his famous song, Three Wooden Crosses, “It’s not what you take, when you leave this world behind you, it’s what you leave behind you when you go.” There is some truth to that. You can’t take your stuff with you. But also, the stuff you leave behind will remain just that stuff. Ask yourself, is that worth the eternal cost of your soul?

¹⁹ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’

The earliest tractors were not 4-wheel or even 2-wheel drive. They had 4 or 8 legs… one ox pulling solo or two oxen yoked together. And with five teams working in different parts of the field at the same time, just imagine how productive your day could be.

God wants us to be productive, and to work hard, to use our gifts to the best of our ability. But work is not the most important thing in your life. Work at the expense of God’s blessings, like family and friends; work that keeps us from joy and contentment; or work at the expense of your soul – means that work is no longer a blessing but a curse. Being busy all the time draws praise from the people of the world, but not from God. It is a curse if it costs us God’s gifts – especially His greatest gift: the salvation of our souls.

²⁰ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’

The third man has, what appears on the surface, to be the best reason of all for declining the invitation. He just got married. Even God declared that those recently married were exempted from military service for a whole year. Family-first is a great motto, as long as family is not placed above faith.

Jesus said, “Whoever loves father or mother (son or daughter, brother or sister) more than Me is not worthy of Me.” We are to love our families and see them as God’s gifts, quirks and all. God sets the solitary or “single ones” into families. Families are the foundation of any society. But they are not the most important thing. Rather than family-time taking the place of faith – family-time should begin and end with faith.

I made a comment to my Dad this past week about how every time I go back to where I grew up, I remember how much I appreciate the slower pace of life. He said, “You’re right. Out by you, you are fighting for everything. Fighting for a parking spot, a space on the road, a spot in line…etc.” And he was right. It seems as everything in our life is go, go, go, and we just don’t have enough time in the day to do everything we want to do.

Is that the reason we neglect God’s invitation? Are we too busy to stop and think that maybe, just maybe God is telling me something in His Word, that He might be inviting me to a respite from this crazy life? God isn’t condemning you for your possessions, or your work, or your relationships. He is the one who gave those things to you! What is wrong, however, is when we let those things take precedence over God’s invitation to His kingdom. You might not get a “maybe next time,” or “later on in my life I’ll take the time.” Everything is ready right now! What fools we would be to spurn this wonderful gift of God for such temporary things!

Three predictable excuses brought unfortunate, but predictable results. ²¹ So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said 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.’ ²² And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ ²³ And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.

The religious leaders and many of the Jews of Jesus’ day thought they could ignore God’s invitation that was brought by Jesus. They felt secure enough by their familial connection to God through Abraham, they didn’t need a Savior. But they were wrong. And their rejection of God’s gospel invitation meant that God withdrew it and gave it instead to the Gentiles – the poor, crippled, blind, and lame.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, that is you and me. Martin Luther’s final declaration was written on a piece of paper found in his pocket after he died. It read, “We are beggars.” We are beggars. There is nothing you or I have done to earn or deserve an invitation in God’s kingdom of grace. As a beggar does not earn his wages, but graciously receives with an open hand, the offerings of a generous person, so do we, receive with an open hand, the gracious love and forgiveness of our God. We are blind and lame – people who are unable to find their way to the great banquet feast of God on their own, but must be ushered in.

Jesus is the one who brings us to God’s kingdom. Jesus is the one who accomplished all things necessary so that the invitation could go out. Jesus became flesh and blood so that He could face our temptations for us. He knew the value of possessions, work, and family, and always kept His priorities straight. He fulfilled the Law’s every demand with pinpoint accuracy and perfection so that He could present us with His righteousness as our very own.

And what about our failures? The times we let work become the most important thing? The times when family took precedence over faith? Or all the time and effort we’ve wasted on accumulating things that will be destroyed in the fires of Judgment? He took our failures from us. He suffered, bled, and died so that our mountainous pile of sin would be permanently cast into the depths of the sea. Despite our misfocused lives, He has promised a us a permanent seat at the Banquet Table of heaven.

Are you unsure whether or not you have been invited? Or who else you can share this invitation with? Here is the best part of all: And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’

There still is room. Millions have been saved, but there yet is room. Millions have been invited, and have come, and have gone to heaven, but heaven is not yet full. The mercy of God is not exhausted; the blood of the atonement Jesus gave for your sins has not lost its efficacy; heaven is not full. Wouldn’t that be a sad message if we had to go out and say, “There is not more room – heaven is full – not another one can be saved. NO matter what their prayers, or tears, or sighs, they cannot be saved.”  Thanks be to God that is not the message God sends to us and we bring to the world. There yet is room. Come, taste and see what God has prepared for you.

God’s invitation to heaven – His forgiveness is not exclusive to one group of people. It is for every spiritual beggars like you and me. Are you the most polluted and vile? God’s love earnestly desires to bring you into His banquet and to clothe you in the righteousness of His Son. May God grant us, and all who hear His invitation the faith to accept what He has so graciously given to us. Amen.