“Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.” After the servant had done this, he reported, “There is still room for more.” So his master said, “Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full.” Luke 14:21-23 NLT
Our great and generous God has prepared a feast for all of us. When we accept His invitation and enjoy the mercy and grace of being part of His household, He compels us to share His invitation with others. Our privilege as His servants is to represent our Master well.
He is the host of the great banquet. Jesus’ story (told in Luke 14:15-24) clearly presents the Kingdom of God as a place of welcome to abundant joy and fellowship. Accepting the invitation makes us part of this new community. The host sends his servants out to invite his intended guests; the original invitees make excuses. They prioritize land, possessions, and personal comfort over their master's banquet. The master has a relentless desire to fill his house, so he sends his servants out again to the last, the lowest, and the least, urging them to come to the feast.
As Christians, we are the privileged servants of our Master. He sends us out to the “streets and alleys, the country lanes and behind the hedges.” He specifically assigns us to issue the invitation to those who are aware they have nothing to give in return.
The invitation is to prioritize the marginalized – the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame, anyone we find. The gospel invitation is meant for everyone, especially the last, the lowest. We are called to extend grace to the spiritually poor, the outcast, and the broken. You will never look into a pair of eyes God does not want to share the table with at His feast.
This requires intentionally cultivating humble obedience. Sharing the invitation means sharing the table. We recognize our own poverty and unworthiness, and that we are all at the table because the Master wants us there, not because we deserve it. We extend the invitation enthusiastically to everyone without expecting anything in return.
We, too, must overcome excuses. Just as those in the story made excuses to avoid the feast, we will invite many who neglect or refuse. But we can fall prey to our own excuses. We can allow our schedules and our priorities to distract us from our most important assignment. We must value the invitation and our privilege enough to share it.
- Our Master, the Host of the Great Banquet, has commanded us, “GO. And urge anyone you find to come so that My house may be full.” This requires intentionality, consistent and impartial love, and a willingness to step outside our comfort zones. Who do you know who needs your invitation? It’s our privilege and calling to “make heaven crowded.”