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they all with one consent began to make excuse Lk14:18 As the parable goes, a man made a great supper and invited many. One said, “I have bought a piece of ground and I must go and see to it.” Another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen and I go to test them, have me excused” Another said, “I have married a wife and therefore I cannot come.” So in the parable the master tells the servant “to go quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the lame and the blind.” “For I say unto you, that none of those men which are bidden shall taste of my supper.” The preaching of the gospel is an invitation to receive eternal life. It is an invitation that requires an RSVP. You either accept the invitation or make an excuse. The excuses given in the parable seem genuine and sincere. Taking care of land or home, taking care of oxen that provide food and money, seeing to a husband or wife appear to those who made them valid excuses. Yet Jesus does not see it this way. He has little sympathy for those who choose the world over God, to those who prefer immediate gratification over the long road to eternal happiness. Have you accepted the invitation or are you captured by the world and the flesh? Why did you accept his call? Or What's your excuse? It seems to me that many who have material goods find it more difficult to accept the message. The poor and the maimed, and the lame and the blind don't have anything to lose, in fact, they have much to gain. Yet the truth is, whether rich or poor, healthy or sick, the invitation to partake of the great supper in heaven is worth more than house or home, business or livelihood, or husband and wife. The invitation means that we seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness before we reap any rewards. It is not impossible for those with riches to enter, it just means, like the camel going through the eye of a needle, we have to take them off our back. We have to enter the kingdom like the poor and maimed, the lame and blind. We must know our poverty. We must know that without God it does not matter what we have. When we truly hear the gospel our wealth and status is of no importance. What becomes of vital importance is to get ourselves right with God. Are you right with God? Are your priorities in order? Is what the world has to offer more important to you than your eternal destiny? Jesus is asking you for an RSVP. Either accept the invitation regardless of the cost or make an excuse and decline the offer. The choice is yours. amen |