Daily Devotion

The Jews had a series of ever-recurring conventional pictures of what would happen when God broke into history, and when the golden days of the new age would arrive. One of these was the picture of the Messianic banquet. On that day God would give a great feast to His own people at which Leviathan, the sea monster, would be part of the food. It is of this banquet that the man who spoke to Jesus was thinking. When he spoke of the happiness of those who would be guests, he was thinking of Jews, and Jews only, for the average Orthodox Jew would never have dreamed that gentiles and sinners would find a place at the feast of God. That is why Jesus spoke this parable.

 

In Israel, when a man made a feast, the day was announced long beforehand, and the invitations were sent out and accepted. However, the hour was not announced, and when the day came and all things were ready, servants were sent out to summon the already-invited guests. To accept the invitation beforehand, and then to refuse it when the day came was a grave insult.

 

In this parable, the master stands for God. The originally invited guests stand for the Jews. Throughout all their history, they have looked forward to the time when God would break in, and when He did, they tragically refused His invitation. The poor people from the streets and lanes stand for the tax-gatherers, and sinners who welcomed Jesus in a way in which the orthodox never did.  Those gathered in from the roads, and the hedges stand for the gentiles for whom there is still ample room at the feast of God. As Bengal, the great commentator, said, "Both nature and grace abhor a vacuum."When the Jews refused God's invitation and left His table empty, the invitation went out to the Gentiles.

 

Life Application: What do you think of this Parable? Have you ever really given it any thought?  

Praise/ Prayer: Dear Father, I am so thankful that You included the Gentiles in the invitation to that wonderful dinner in Heaven. Just to think that all people are invited to sit with You in Your kingdom. Only those who refuse to be ready for that day when we will be called Home for this Banquet will miss it. I grieve for them. What love You show to the world. Amen!