Word@Work Luke235 - Luke 14:22-24
Published: Tue, 11/16/10
Word@Work from BeaconLight
WELCOME AND REJECTION
Luke 14:22-24 "'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.' "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. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.'" (NIV)
Jesus was telling a story about a big-hearted host (representing Father God) whose initial invitations to a banquet were refused - they were the people of Israel. Although disappointed by the feeble excuses, He was not deterred from holding the feast which had been prepared. So He next invited the disreputable people of their society; and then anybody who would believe the invitation and come (they were the Gentiles).
This parable has a sense of urgency and open generosity in the heart of the host. Jesus wanted people to understand that God was not mean or miserly - but open hearted and loving. The problem was that His intended guests refused to believe the significance of the invitation they were refusing. They did not understand that 'welcome' and 'rejection' are opposite sides of the same coin. So, in His parable, Jesus taught that the God, who welcomes those who accept His invitation, is the same God who rejects those who refuse to come when He calls.
It is the same today. God's invitation to eternal life through Jesus is not just for the Jews, but for anyone who will listen and believe that God is speaking to them. The sadness remains that those who refuse to believe and obey the gospel will be actively rejected by Father God and excluded from His heaven. That is why sharing the gospel is always prophetic - it announces heaven to those who will believe and hell to those who will not. So, St Paul says, "Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men," (2 Cor. 5:11). You can only be a follower of Jesus if you have accepted His invitation to salvation: but if that is so, you also have the key to eternal life to share with others. As in the parable, there is an urgency about that task.
Prayer: Dear Lord God. Thank You for Your kindness in offering me an invitation to Your heaven through believing in Jesus as the Way. Please forgive me when I have forgotten the potency of the gospel and my responsibility to pass it on to others. May I be freshly stimulated to offer salvation, through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, to my friends and colleagues and those I meet while travelling or on business. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
Jesus was telling a story about a big-hearted host (representing Father God) whose initial invitations to a banquet were refused - they were the people of Israel. Although disappointed by the feeble excuses, He was not deterred from holding the feast which had been prepared. So He next invited the disreputable people of their society; and then anybody who would believe the invitation and come (they were the Gentiles).
This parable has a sense of urgency and open generosity in the heart of the host. Jesus wanted people to understand that God was not mean or miserly - but open hearted and loving. The problem was that His intended guests refused to believe the significance of the invitation they were refusing. They did not understand that 'welcome' and 'rejection' are opposite sides of the same coin. So, in His parable, Jesus taught that the God, who welcomes those who accept His invitation, is the same God who rejects those who refuse to come when He calls.
It is the same today. God's invitation to eternal life through Jesus is not just for the Jews, but for anyone who will listen and believe that God is speaking to them. The sadness remains that those who refuse to believe and obey the gospel will be actively rejected by Father God and excluded from His heaven. That is why sharing the gospel is always prophetic - it announces heaven to those who will believe and hell to those who will not. So, St Paul says, "Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men," (2 Cor. 5:11). You can only be a follower of Jesus if you have accepted His invitation to salvation: but if that is so, you also have the key to eternal life to share with others. As in the parable, there is an urgency about that task.
Prayer: Dear Lord God. Thank You for Your kindness in offering me an invitation to Your heaven through believing in Jesus as the Way. Please forgive me when I have forgotten the potency of the gospel and my responsibility to pass it on to others. May I be freshly stimulated to offer salvation, through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, to my friends and colleagues and those I meet while travelling or on business. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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