No Excuses

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.’”  (Luke 14:15-24)

Excuses.  Jesus disliked excuses.  He would not tolerate them when those seeking to be excused wanted to his escape attention. They would not dine with him.  They preferred to be elsewhere rather than in the Kingdom of God with Jesus.  Perhaps they suspected they would have to dine with the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame. What’s our excuse? 

Today is voting day (unless we have voted already). Will we vote for those who would dine with the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame?  Or, will we vote for those with excuses and who would prefer to dine with the rich, those crippled in spirit, and blind to oppression, racism, and justice?  If the latter, then we will not taste the master’s dinner.

Deacon David Pierce