Share In The Harvest

One of those at table with Jesus said to him, "Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God." He replied to him, "A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many.  When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited 'Come, everything is now ready.'  But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.  The first said to him, 'I have purchased a field and must go to examine it; I ask you, consider me excused.' And another said, 'I have purchased five yoke of oxen and am on my way to evaluate them; I ask you, consider me excused.'  And another said, 'I have just married a woman, and therefore I cannot come.'  The servant went and reported this to his master. 

Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.'  The servant reported, 'Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.' The master then ordered the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled.  For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.'"

The Gospel reading appears to be a biblical version of “The Little Red Hen.”  In that story the little red hen found grains of wheat and asked for help from the other farmyard animals but they all refused.

At harvesting, threshing, and milling the wheat into flour, and then baking the flour into bread, the hen again asked for help from the other animals.  But again she didn’t receive any help.

Finally, the hen completed her task and asked who would help her eat the bread. This time, all eagerly volunteered.  She gave them none because no one helped her with her work. Thus, the hen ate it with her chicks, leaving none for anyone else.

Perhaps the hen should have shared with the crippled, blind, and lame animals.  Nevertheless, this message is clear for us.  Share what we have with those in need.  And, help Jesus plant his seeds and weed his fields; that is, follow his way and not ignore his call for help.

Deacon David Pierce