Excuses Can Be Costly
The parable which was just read for you is often called “The Parable of the Great Banquet.”
To take in the full flavor of this parable, we must first go back and look at everything which led up to it.
It all started with an invitation which Jesus received from one of the leaders of the Pharisees to eat with him in his house on the Sabbath.
As soon as Jesus arrived “the lawyers and Pharisees” began “watching Him closely” (v. 1) hoping to catch Him in some violation of their Sabbath laws.
There in front of Him was “a man suffering from dropsy” (v. 2).
He had probably been planted there just to see if Jesus would heal him. That is exactly what He did.
Next, Jesus watched as these men who were very proud of their positions began selecting the places of honor for themselves at the table:
a. He then delivered a lesson to them on humility and the need to choose the less important seats.
b. Needless to say, he must have humiliated the guests (vv. 7-11).
Then He told the host that he had invited the wrong guests (vv. 12-14).
His mention of the resurrection of the righteous prompted one of the guests, perhaps in an effort to break the tension, to say, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” (v. 15).
All of this results in the parable before us and the question as to what sort of person will be in the kingdom of God.