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The Great Banquet

By: Steve Negley

Posted: February 14, 2022

Category: Daily Devotional

The Parable of the Great Dinner

15 One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, “Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 Then Jesus[a] said to him, “Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. 17 At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets.’ 19 Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.’ 20 Another said, ‘I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 22 And the slave said, ‘Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’ 23 Then the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you,[b] none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.’

This parable definitely causes our mind to be filled with questions:

  • I wonder how it felt to be invited to the dinner?
  • I wonder why some people came and other people didn’t want to attend?
  • Is there a more important gathering than the heavenly banquet?
  • Do we want to claim the place God has reserved for us at the gathering?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, let me remember to keep my priorities straight when it comes to living, loving, and dining in the kingdom. And, thanks for the invite! Amen.