Picking up where we left off last week in Luke’s gospel, Jesus is still at the banquet that we visited. One of the other guests at the feast heard Jesus’ story about places of honor and remarked to him: “Happy are those who will feast in God’s kingdom.” In saying that, Jesus was given an opportunity to share another story about hospitality and God’s kingdom.

“A certain man hosted a large dinner and invited many people,” Jesus began (Luke 14:15, CEB). When the dinner was ready to be served, the host sent a servant to tell the invited guests that they could come now because all was prepared. And the excuses from the invited guests began, one after another:
• “I just bought a new house and I have to go see it. I’m sorry. May I have a raincheck?”
• “I just bought a new car and have to pick it up at the dealer. Please excuse the last minute notice.”
• ‘I just got married; I can’t make it. Sorry.”
Sheepishly the servant returned to report this to the host. Angered by these excuses, the host told the servant to go back out “quickly to the city’s streets, the busy ones and the side streets, and bring the poor, crippled, blind, and lame” to the banquet. (Luke 14:21, CEB). The servant did as he was instructed and returned with many guests from this unexpected round of invitations. When the servant examined the banquet hall, he realized that there were still many seats available. When he reported this to the host, he was instructed, “OK, go back out with more invitations to the highways and back alleys and urge people to come so that my house will be filled. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will taste my dinner.” (Luke 14:23-24, CEB)

And that, Jesus was saying, is what hospitality in God’s kingdom is like. It is about invitations without restrictions. It is about accepting invitations because you know the importance of the host. It is about possibly being surprised at who will be found at God’s banquet table and at who will be excluded. It is about love and acceptance. It is about open arms and hearts.

More than that, though, Jesus was letting us know that as those created and shaped by God, our hospitality also needs to be shaped by the model of divine generosity. Christine Pohl, in her book on Christian hospitality Making Room, reflects on this story of Jesus from Luke’s gospel:
No one would be excluded except those who rejected the host’s invitation because they were too busy to recognize its significance. Just as God would welcome all to the feast in the Kingdom of God, so earthly hosts ought to open their tables to those in need and without ability to repay the kindness. In God’s economy, all would then experience blessing. The character of God’s hospitality frames appropriate earthly behavior.
In the coming week, thank God for your place at the divine banquet and reach out to all God’s children with open hearts and arms that they, too, might find their places at the banquet table.

Something to ponder:
• Who is missing at God’s banquet table today?
• How can we include them?