The Lord Christ tells the Parable of the Great Supper in response to the faithful saying, “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.” This is what our Lord Jesus, the second person of the most Holy Trinity, has done: He has come in the flesh and has assumed our humanity to Himself. So that we may eat at the table of the Lord in His kingdom. It is no coincidence that salvation by faith in our Lord is compared to eating, because at this meal, where God Himself is the host, it is the antidote to the curse brought about by the fruit of the tree that man and his wife ate in the garden. They ate what they were forbidden to, and now their children are invited to the Lord’s banquet to eat anew freely of the Lord’s goodness. A banquet purchased and set by Jesus Christ through His cross and suffering. It is out of pure earnestness that God wants all Adam’s children redeemed by His Son to eat with Him. This means that man’s idolatry does not hinder God’s plan to save sinners.
In this parable, God the Father has prepared a feast and now has sent messengers to retrieve those whom he has previously invited to His supper. It is not as if they do not know that the supper is being prepared. The text says they were invited and are now welcomed in. This feast that God provides in the parable is the bread of heaven, which is our Lord Jesus Christ, and all things needful for faith in Him. The bread doesn’t symbolize one thing, but a multitude of things needful for believing in Jesus. The bread is the word of God. The bread is the Holy Spirit. The bread is faith. The bread is holy baptism, the Lord’s supper, and holy absolution. And it is also those things that keep us near to our Lord Jesus Christ, including the fellowship of the Christian brethren, the Lord’s sending of men into the pastoral office, and those trials and sufferings that are needed for us to remain in the one Christian faith. This means that whatever we need to believe in Jesus is graciously given to us by His Father. There is nothing left for you to do but to receive the feast of the Lord’s provision.
And still, we have something more to learn from this parable. Those who were invited did not allow their trust to be found in God alone, but in the things of this world that they believed were more important than the banquet. Therefore, we must heed the warning that each of these guests offers us so that we may be found ever at the table of the Lord.
The first, when he heard that all things were now ready at the master’s table, he responded, “I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it,” and then asked that he may be excused. This man has put his trust in resources that might somehow offer what God cannot. Whenever we try to find the things of God, such as joy, blessing, peace, comfort, love, and forgiveness in people and things that are not God, that is when we sin. Because sin is a trust in things that are not the Lord. So when we take comfort and joy in the things that we have access to, such as our retirement portfolio or innovative science and medicine to cure our diseases. Those things that the Lord has given to us supersede our fear, love, and trust in God.
The second states that “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I must go to test them”, and also must be excused. This one also has misdirected love and trust. He believes that his goods can bring him joy and blessings beyond what the Lord can give. This is simply not true. There are things in this world that God has given for our enjoyment. Yet still, rides on the boat can be relaxing, but only until the boat breaks down. The new set of golf clubs can only bring enjoyment until the body can no longer play. They are called goods because they are excellent for a time until they are no longer any good.
And the last man appeals for an excuse because he has taken a wife and cannot come. All these men make an appeal on the basis of something that has been given to them by the Lord, and this man has asked to be permitted not to come because of a vocation to other people. Yet the Lord has given us relationships and the people in our lives to serve and not to worship; therefore, how can we serve if we do not first receive the things of the Lord? We cannot love truly if we do not know the love of God. Our family and friends need us to be Christ to them in their trials and struggles, and to show them Christ every day, whether they believe in Him or not; they still need us. They still need Jesus. To meet that need, we must receive Christ in His word and in His sacrament.
As those three guests turned down the invitation of our gracious heavenly Father, this doesn’t mean that He is done with the children of Adam. He does not allow this to hinder His plan. The Lord Jesus is not content with an entry hall filled with empty chairs pinned with excuses. As the Father tells His servants to go out to the highways and hedges and to compel them to come in. And God does not tell them to find the most prestigious and elite, but He tells them to go out and find the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Meaning that those who are poor in spirit because of the knowledge of their unfaithful deeds. To find the crippled and lame who have been injured and disabled by the weight of their sins. And to find the blind, those who can only see the darkness of their offenses, and desire to see the light of Christ and His Cross. And God does not send them to ask them if they would like to go to the table, but to compel them. Meaning to bandage their wounds, pick them up, and bring them into the feast. To bring all sinners who have been crushed by the weight of the law that they have sinned against their creator, the giver of all things. And have received the promise of salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ.
The end of this parable is good news for us because it means that God has loved the world in this way: He has given His only begotten Son, and whoever believes, that is, through repentance and faith, receives Him, will not perish but have eternal life. Because of the faith given to you by the Holy Spirit, you and all faithful Christians are those compelled by God to come to His banquet. May we ever be watchful over those things that try to excuse us from Christ Jesus. And may the Lord guide us to His Father’s supper so that the hall may be filled.
St. John's and Grace Evangelical Lutheran Parish 