Eating at the Table

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE

EATING AT THE TABLE

Luke 14:15-24

15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God." 16 Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' 18 "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.' 19 "Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' 20 "Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.' 21 "The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.' 22 "'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.' 23 "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.'" 

NIV

Now that we have considered being blessed because we are eating at the table in the kingdom of God, we should look at this parable. It is a straightforward look at the Jews who Jesus came to first, and all their excuses not to see him as their Messiah. Therefore, Jesus sends out the invitation to all the Gentiles all over the world. We know that was God's plan all along because he knows all things, as well if we are to take the words given to John about how God so loved the world, which means that included from the being, all mankind, that he sent Jesus to be the sacrifice for the sins of mankind, so that whosoever believes should not perish, but have everlasting life. that is us, we are the ones on the roads and country lanes, and we are now in the house of the Master. There is one more way we could look at this, which might be stretching it a bit. This idea of making excuses could relate to all the community of faith. We could make an excuse not to do that which God has called us to do. We think sometimes that we have our plan as to how we will live in the community of faith rather than sit at the table with Jesus. When we accept the invitation to come to the banquet, it is not a carry-in, so to speak. That is we cannot bring what we want to bring to the table, we must eat the food the master has offered us. To personalize this, I when I entered the kingdom of God I brought my skills, my talent as a photographer, and my insight into visual communication, but Jesus had something else on that table for me to eat. He said to leave your skills and talents, outside, I want you to eat from the table of verbal communication, I am making you into a preacher. This is where we get the words of a song that says, “Break me, melt me, mold me, and fill me”. When we accept to come to the banquet, we need to eat from the table what Jesus has prepared and placed before us. We cannot make any excuse, but to consume, and devour, the call upon our lives. So there you go, that is the other look into this parable. Let us praise our Lord because we are eating at the table.