“A man once gave a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time for the banquet he sent his slave to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’ But one after another they all began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going out to examine them. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I just got married, and I cannot come.’” —Luke 14:16–20
Scripture makes it clear—all are invited! Unfortunately, few choose to come. And here we have two difficult doctrines—predestination and free will—living side by side. God’s foreknowledge and man’s responsibility both presented clearly. To deny either doctrine is to not hold to the truth of all of Scripture. The Bible tells us:
“For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him in love. He did this by predestining us to adoption as his legal heirs through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of his will.” —Ephesians 1:4–5
At the same time, the Bible also makes it clear that Jesus died for all and that the invitation to believe in Him and be saved is extended to all. We are held responsible for either our acceptance or rejection of Christ:
“The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects the Son will not see life, but God’s wrath remains on him.” — John 3:36
In our story today Jesus is describing His people, the Jews, who are simply too preoccupied to accept the invitation of the Master of the banquet. Their excuses appear legitimate—a field bought, oxen purchased, and a marriage. And yet these concerns are inconsequential in light of eternity. How often we make similar excuses for not following the call of Jesus. The still small voice that keeps calling out to us we often quiet with busyness and distraction. We are so preoccupied with our responsibilities that we neglect our Savior. The “tyranny of the urgent” creeps in. Before you know it, we have wasted a lifetime!
Become More
In the little two-page book of Haggai God says no less than five times: “Think carefully about what you are doing.” In the very first chapter, He begins with:
“Here then, this is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has said: ‘Think carefully about what you are doing. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but are never filled. You drink, but are still thirsty. You put on clothes, but are not warm. Those who earn wages end up with holes in their money bags.’” —Haggai 1:5–6
The people’s activities are proving fruitless and unsatisfying. Going about business as usual with no consideration or preeminence to God and their relationship with Him, the Israelites give us insight into our own times. How much fruitlessness and dissatisfaction are you experiencing? God’s warning turned the people back to Him. Lovingly, He disciplined them for their good. He does the same with us.
Further Reflection
“For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” —John 3:16