Proverbs 9:1-10; Ephesians 2:13-22; St Luke 14:16-24
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
The Master of the feast made doubly sure that the guests received their invites. He issued two each. The first was to tell each one that he was invited. Not just a save-the-date, but a preliminary invitation. The second, was sent out on the day of the Great Banquet itself - He sent His Servant to say to those who had been invited, “Come, for everything is now ready.”
Already this shows us the nature of the Gospel and the superabundance of God’s grace. Firstly, the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is not so much a command, but an offer; not a demand, but a gift. Come! It is an invitation to share in the unfathomable and unbounded joy of the everlasting kingdom of God.
Second, God in His loving kindness sends His call, the invitation, not once, but again and again. In many and various ways He spoke to His people of old by the prophets. Wisdom called far and wide, in the town and the countryside, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here! Leave your simple ways and live, and walk in the way of insight.” Then Wisdom became Incarnate and God sent His Son, His good and faithful Servant to call to those who had been invited. The meal was prepared by the Lord Himself, there was nothing to do, nothing to bring, nothing to add. Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.
But what do you suppose was the response? Those who has previously RSVP’d they’d be there, all began to make excuses: I have bought a field and I must go inspect it. I have bought five yoke of oxen and I go to examine them. I have married a wife and therefore I cannot come. Please have me excused.
The invitation, the gift of heaven is offered, but men are so preoccupied with the busyness and pleasures of this age that they simply have no time for the joys of the age to come. Even worse, by preferring the pleasures and occupations of this life, they show that they have no real desire for the kingdom of God at all. Nothing must take priority over this invitation. But as it is written, He came unto His own, but His own received Him not, for men loved the darkness rather than the Light for their deeds were evil (Jn 1:11; 3:19).
I know it doesn’t seem as though their deeds are wicked. After all, what’s wrong with buying and selling property? Farming? Getting married? In truth, nothing. Like Mr Dives from last week, its not the wealth or the business or the weddings that are themselves the problem. House, home, land, animals, money, goods, devout spouses, children, etc. these are all First Article gifts and they are incredible and wonderful blessings bestowed by the Lord and Master of the feast. They are not of themselves evil.
But standing behind all those excuses is the reality that men love the darkness. “God, we’ve got more important things to do in our lives right now that to eat Bread with You in Your Kingdom.” Camping, fishing, vacationing. Race cars, baseball, working on my house. Friends, books, Netflix, sleeping. You name it. But it all comes down to this: “God, Your offer isn’t as appetizing to us as the fun of this world.”
So we give our hearts and minds to things temporal, things we are bound to lose one day, things that rust and decay and are moth ridden; choosing to neglect to our unspeakable detriment the things eternal. Such unashamed rejection of the Third Commandment angers God in fatherly disappointment that His gift is squandered.
But the Banquet and Supper of the Lord is a gift. First and foremost. Always. And gifts are offered, not coerced. The Lord offers them in freedom and without compulsion. And we can reject them in freedom, without compulsion. Although our notion of freedom apart from God is really its own form of slavery. Still, God will never force Himself upon anyone. And the invitation does not ring out over a person’s life indefinitely. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste My banquet.
Dr Luther likens our Lord’s Word and promises to a passing rain shower. Take it for granted, misuse it, reject it, and it’ll move on. The sad reality is that if you harden your heart to the Lord’s invitation, in judgment, He’ll harden it even more for you. Everyone is invited. But not everyone comes. The Gospel can be rejected.
But our Lord God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4). And so the parable: the invitation moves from those who had no time, only excuses, to the poor and crippled and blind and lame. The call goes out to the streets and lanes of the city and further, to the highways and hedges beyond the gates. The Gospel invitation for the free and full forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ and His shed blood is sent out into all the world, compelling people to come. As the psalmist writes, Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world (Ps 19:4).
This is the reality St Paul teaches in Romans 10 and here, in his Epistle to the Ephesians. The invitation of the Gospel was rejected by the Jews and their hearts were hardened. But their trespass led to the salvation of you Gentiles. You who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of God. For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the Cross.
And St John writes, To all who did receive Him, who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were begotten, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word - that is Wisdom Incarnate - became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father full of grace and truth. From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace (Jn 1:12-14, 16).
This is the continued superabundance of God’s mercy and loving kindness in Christ Jesus, the Cornerstone. The call, the invitation continues to go out today, again and again. So that even after the poor and crippled, blind and lame were brought in, there was still room! So that after the dregs and outcasts, the rejects of society were welcome, there was still plenty of room for the likes of us! You could not come on your own, nor were you even invited on account of your separation and alienation from God, but, what does the text say, the Master sent His Servant.
The Servant of the Lord, Wisdom from on High, has come down to you. The Psalmist writes, He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. God stoops to make them sit with princes, with the princes of His people (Ps 113:7-8).
Your Servant King left the kingdom of His Father and came down to you in the invitation of His incarnation. He has taken upon Himself your poor, frail, sin-crippled flesh, and put it to death in His death. In His Cross and Passion He made foolish the wisdom of the world. And now, in the Gospel call of that self-same Cross, He is Himself your Wisdom and Power unto salvation. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
He is superabundantly generous in His grace and Gospel invitation. First though the spoken Word, read and preached, for the forgiveness of your sins and the sins of the whole world. Second through Holy Baptism, through which you have access in one Spirit to the Father, as members of the Household of God. Third, through the Holy Sacrament of the Altar, the Great Banquet, Feast, and Supper of the Lord, readied and prepared by God Himself. Fourth through the Power of the Keys in which peace is bespoken.
Then also in the mutual conversation and consolation of the brethren. As it is written, Do not forsake meeting together as is the habit of some, but encourage one another all the more as you see the Day drawing near (Heb 10:25). For when you miss, not only are you missed within the fellowship of Christ’s Body, but you also miss out on the divine gift of fellowship with Him, together with all His saints, in the Holy Things of the Lord.
For the call, the invitation to come to the Feast of the Kingdom of God is not a one time thing. No one can say, “Oh, I did that years ago.” Coming to Jesus, or rather, being brought to Him by the Spirit in the Word, is a way of life, of dying to sin and arising to righteousness in Christ Jesus, being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
The call, the invitation to the Feast is also a call to repentance, a call to turn from the corruptible things of this world to the eternal gifts of Christ Jesus. It is a call to become different from what you once were. To act differently than we now act, no matter how great, wise, powerful, or holy we may be. To leave your simple ways and live. For here, at this banquet, not one is holy with his own holiness. No one is wise with his own wisdom. The Lord saves a humble people, but the haughty eyes He brings down (Ps 18:2).
Therefore, come! Do not stay away. For the Banquet is prepared, the Feast of the Kingdom of God, the very Body and Blood of the One who is both Host and Meal, Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God and our Righteousness. Fellowship in His Banquet is not merely to recline at Table with Him, but it is to be made full partakers in His divine life and love. To be blessed in the here and now as you eat the Bread that is His Body that is His Kingdom and to be blessed hereafter in the resurrection of the just to sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob the blessed, receiving the Lord’s invitation that His House may be filled.
In the Name of the Father + and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
The Master of the feast made doubly sure that the guests received their invites. He issued two each. The first was to tell each one that he was invited. Not just a save-the-date, but a preliminary invitation. The second, was sent out on the day of the Great Banquet itself - He sent His Servant to say to those who had been invited, “Come, for everything is now ready.”
Already this shows us the nature of the Gospel and the superabundance of God’s grace. Firstly, the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is not so much a command, but an offer; not a demand, but a gift. Come! It is an invitation to share in the unfathomable and unbounded joy of the everlasting kingdom of God.
Second, God in His loving kindness sends His call, the invitation, not once, but again and again. In many and various ways He spoke to His people of old by the prophets. Wisdom called far and wide, in the town and the countryside, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here! Leave your simple ways and live, and walk in the way of insight.” Then Wisdom became Incarnate and God sent His Son, His good and faithful Servant to call to those who had been invited. The meal was prepared by the Lord Himself, there was nothing to do, nothing to bring, nothing to add. Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.
But what do you suppose was the response? Those who has previously RSVP’d they’d be there, all began to make excuses: I have bought a field and I must go inspect it. I have bought five yoke of oxen and I go to examine them. I have married a wife and therefore I cannot come. Please have me excused.
The invitation, the gift of heaven is offered, but men are so preoccupied with the busyness and pleasures of this age that they simply have no time for the joys of the age to come. Even worse, by preferring the pleasures and occupations of this life, they show that they have no real desire for the kingdom of God at all. Nothing must take priority over this invitation. But as it is written, He came unto His own, but His own received Him not, for men loved the darkness rather than the Light for their deeds were evil (Jn 1:11; 3:19).
I know it doesn’t seem as though their deeds are wicked. After all, what’s wrong with buying and selling property? Farming? Getting married? In truth, nothing. Like Mr Dives from last week, its not the wealth or the business or the weddings that are themselves the problem. House, home, land, animals, money, goods, devout spouses, children, etc. these are all First Article gifts and they are incredible and wonderful blessings bestowed by the Lord and Master of the feast. They are not of themselves evil.
But standing behind all those excuses is the reality that men love the darkness. “God, we’ve got more important things to do in our lives right now that to eat Bread with You in Your Kingdom.” Camping, fishing, vacationing. Race cars, baseball, working on my house. Friends, books, Netflix, sleeping. You name it. But it all comes down to this: “God, Your offer isn’t as appetizing to us as the fun of this world.”
So we give our hearts and minds to things temporal, things we are bound to lose one day, things that rust and decay and are moth ridden; choosing to neglect to our unspeakable detriment the things eternal. Such unashamed rejection of the Third Commandment angers God in fatherly disappointment that His gift is squandered.
But the Banquet and Supper of the Lord is a gift. First and foremost. Always. And gifts are offered, not coerced. The Lord offers them in freedom and without compulsion. And we can reject them in freedom, without compulsion. Although our notion of freedom apart from God is really its own form of slavery. Still, God will never force Himself upon anyone. And the invitation does not ring out over a person’s life indefinitely. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste My banquet.
Dr Luther likens our Lord’s Word and promises to a passing rain shower. Take it for granted, misuse it, reject it, and it’ll move on. The sad reality is that if you harden your heart to the Lord’s invitation, in judgment, He’ll harden it even more for you. Everyone is invited. But not everyone comes. The Gospel can be rejected.
But our Lord God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4). And so the parable: the invitation moves from those who had no time, only excuses, to the poor and crippled and blind and lame. The call goes out to the streets and lanes of the city and further, to the highways and hedges beyond the gates. The Gospel invitation for the free and full forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ and His shed blood is sent out into all the world, compelling people to come. As the psalmist writes, Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world (Ps 19:4).
This is the reality St Paul teaches in Romans 10 and here, in his Epistle to the Ephesians. The invitation of the Gospel was rejected by the Jews and their hearts were hardened. But their trespass led to the salvation of you Gentiles. You who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of God. For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the Cross.
And St John writes, To all who did receive Him, who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were begotten, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word - that is Wisdom Incarnate - became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father full of grace and truth. From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace (Jn 1:12-14, 16).
This is the continued superabundance of God’s mercy and loving kindness in Christ Jesus, the Cornerstone. The call, the invitation continues to go out today, again and again. So that even after the poor and crippled, blind and lame were brought in, there was still room! So that after the dregs and outcasts, the rejects of society were welcome, there was still plenty of room for the likes of us! You could not come on your own, nor were you even invited on account of your separation and alienation from God, but, what does the text say, the Master sent His Servant.
The Servant of the Lord, Wisdom from on High, has come down to you. The Psalmist writes, He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. God stoops to make them sit with princes, with the princes of His people (Ps 113:7-8).
Your Servant King left the kingdom of His Father and came down to you in the invitation of His incarnation. He has taken upon Himself your poor, frail, sin-crippled flesh, and put it to death in His death. In His Cross and Passion He made foolish the wisdom of the world. And now, in the Gospel call of that self-same Cross, He is Himself your Wisdom and Power unto salvation. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
He is superabundantly generous in His grace and Gospel invitation. First though the spoken Word, read and preached, for the forgiveness of your sins and the sins of the whole world. Second through Holy Baptism, through which you have access in one Spirit to the Father, as members of the Household of God. Third, through the Holy Sacrament of the Altar, the Great Banquet, Feast, and Supper of the Lord, readied and prepared by God Himself. Fourth through the Power of the Keys in which peace is bespoken.
Then also in the mutual conversation and consolation of the brethren. As it is written, Do not forsake meeting together as is the habit of some, but encourage one another all the more as you see the Day drawing near (Heb 10:25). For when you miss, not only are you missed within the fellowship of Christ’s Body, but you also miss out on the divine gift of fellowship with Him, together with all His saints, in the Holy Things of the Lord.
For the call, the invitation to come to the Feast of the Kingdom of God is not a one time thing. No one can say, “Oh, I did that years ago.” Coming to Jesus, or rather, being brought to Him by the Spirit in the Word, is a way of life, of dying to sin and arising to righteousness in Christ Jesus, being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
The call, the invitation to the Feast is also a call to repentance, a call to turn from the corruptible things of this world to the eternal gifts of Christ Jesus. It is a call to become different from what you once were. To act differently than we now act, no matter how great, wise, powerful, or holy we may be. To leave your simple ways and live. For here, at this banquet, not one is holy with his own holiness. No one is wise with his own wisdom. The Lord saves a humble people, but the haughty eyes He brings down (Ps 18:2).
Therefore, come! Do not stay away. For the Banquet is prepared, the Feast of the Kingdom of God, the very Body and Blood of the One who is both Host and Meal, Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God and our Righteousness. Fellowship in His Banquet is not merely to recline at Table with Him, but it is to be made full partakers in His divine life and love. To be blessed in the here and now as you eat the Bread that is His Body that is His Kingdom and to be blessed hereafter in the resurrection of the just to sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob the blessed, receiving the Lord’s invitation that His House may be filled.
In the Name of the Father + and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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