Knee Jerk Devotional: November 9, 2020
Luke 14:12-24
Passage:
Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’
“Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’
“Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
“The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
“‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’
“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”
Who gets to come to the party?
The cool kids?
The smart kids?
The rich kids?
All the kids.
I was sitting with a legendary campus ministry leader talking about leading and growing campus movements. He talked about how the first thing that should always be done is to try and convert the quarterback and captain of the cheerleaders. He argued if you could get the most beautiful and best known students on campus then you’d be able to reach the campus with the gospel.
During that conversation I remember thinking, “I’m neither of those things. Yet, I lead well as a student. I am overweight, not an athlete, and really a nobody. Yet, our movement grew while I was leading.” Me being, well, me, basically told him was full of it, rolled my eyes, and checked out. I was such a kind and loving 22 year old.
But, to this day, I think he’s full of it.
This story from Jesus reminds us that the kingdom of God is not focused on the things of this world.
The party that Jesus describes is not the party of the elite. Far from it. The elite thumb their noses at the invitation. But the master of this house didn’t care about the elite. He went out and brought in the “the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.” Then he went out and brought in the country folk too.
Who experienced blessing? Those who came to the banquet.
The banquet is an image of the kingdom of God.
The kingdom of God is experienced through community, connection, and presence.
Who missed out on the kingdom of God? Those who chose themselves.
You see, when we set ourselves aside and focus on the “other,” then we experience the kingdom of God.
I want you to be very careful, the elite were invited. They were asked to come. They were to busy to be bothered with such trivial things such as community, connection, and presence.
There is no favoritism in the kingdom of God.
Who gets to come to the party?
The cool kids?
The smart kids?
The rich kids?
All the kids.
Keep looking for ways to engage in community, connection, and presence. If your people have no desire for it, keep looking.
Perhaps you are the one who is meant to
invite and
invite and
invite and
invite all the kids to the party.
—
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https://anchor.fm/kneejerkdevotional
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