15 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.” 16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
One of the great things about Christ’s parables is the nuance. Whenever Christ speaks in parables, the deeper meaning is profound, and this parables no different. First, let’s tackle the comical toast of one of the patrons. This is most likely a Pharisee, who is toasting his own blind walk toward God. Christ doesn’t even acknowledge it. He plows right into a parable designed to give insight to the Pharisee. In Jesus’ day, it was a big deal to be invited to a banquet. It would be done in advance, but in tradition, the time would not be known until the day of the banquet. Many people accepted the invitation long before the banquet, but as we will see, those who accepted the invitation found excuses not to attend when the time finally came.
18 “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.’ 19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
The first two excuses are material excuses. They are preoccupied by their own lives and cannot find time to devote to the banquet. You’ll notice that the land and animals were bought before, and the excuse to check them is nothing more than an excuse. We do this in our lives all the time. We forget about the priority of the banquet and instead make excuses not to accept it. The third excuse is one of priority. He’s just gotten married, so he’s putting his new family ahead of the invitation. He doesn’t give a lame excuse, but dismisses the offer completely.
21 “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.’ 22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ 23 “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. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”
When the master get the information, what is his response? Round up people who want to come to the banquet! Find the people who, instead of selfishly accepting but really not accepting, truly want to be part of the banquet.
Of course, the parable is easy to understand when we apply it. God’s invitation of salvation is for all. He wants to invite you. And many of us accept the invitation. but when the time comes to attend, to stand up and declare and follow, many of us choose not to devote the time, the focus, and the energy it requires. We instead default to our lives, often claim we don’t have the time or have other priorities. The message is clear: God wants those who desire to be in union with him.