Unlikely Dinner Guests

WEBVTT 1 00:00:09.630 --> 00:00:16.710 What is the ethic of the Kingdom of God? Another way of asking this 2 00:00:16.789 --> 00:00:23.500 question, how are people like us who claim to be Christians supposed to live? 3 00:00:25.539 --> 00:00:31.420 And once we identify that ethic, that way of life, what is 4 00:00:31.620 --> 00:00:43.570 our motivation after reading this text, which seems a little bit disconnected? I 5 00:00:43.609 --> 00:00:50.079 will admit perhaps those aren't the first questions that come to mind about ethics and 6 00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:57.679 about our motivation for living in ethical life, but hopefully I will convince you, 7 00:00:57.880 --> 00:01:00.880 at least all attempt from the text that this is actually exactly what Jesus 8 00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:08.069 has on his mind, even if no one is asking this evening is we 9 00:01:08.189 --> 00:01:14.670 continue in the parables, we come to a grouping of parables and teaching that 10 00:01:15.189 --> 00:01:21.060 do seem a little bit disconnected. We have this really Awkward Dinner Party, 11 00:01:22.019 --> 00:01:26.299 we have this awkward teaching. Jesus again seems to be trying to make people 12 00:01:26.340 --> 00:01:33.129 mad on purpose, as we have seen before, and we find this strange 13 00:01:33.250 --> 00:01:38.049 parable and it does seem a bit disconnected. I think we can see one 14 00:01:38.209 --> 00:01:44.450 thing that is common throughout, and that's a party. In fact, as 15 00:01:44.530 --> 00:01:49.879 we continue through the next three pair a few parables in Luke, particularly in 16 00:01:49.959 --> 00:01:56.079 Chapter Fifteen, we find that these parables and the next three all are about 17 00:01:56.959 --> 00:02:02.510 parties. We find the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin and 18 00:02:02.549 --> 00:02:07.549 the productal son and Lord Willing, we will be looking at those parables for 19 00:02:07.870 --> 00:02:12.389 the rest of the month of August. We can call it all party August 20 00:02:12.430 --> 00:02:15.310 or something like that. I don't know. I have to come up with 21 00:02:15.389 --> 00:02:20.419 some branding for that. But in the meantime we have before us a party 22 00:02:21.939 --> 00:02:25.219 and we have before us this theme of feasting and partying, but this is 23 00:02:25.259 --> 00:02:31.849 an awkward party. Well, this morning I want to consider this Awkward Party 24 00:02:32.770 --> 00:02:40.129 by first considering this question of ethics, and particularly a kingdom ethic. And 25 00:02:40.210 --> 00:02:45.120 as we look at the beginning, I think we'll find it Jesus is giving 26 00:02:45.199 --> 00:02:51.639 us, and certainly these dinner guests, a picture of what it is to 27 00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:57.479 live according to a kingdom ethic. Let's let's take a look. The first 28 00:02:57.560 --> 00:03:00.150 off that we find in Luke Fourteen for a bit of context, as that 29 00:03:00.270 --> 00:03:07.110 Jesus has joined some Pharisees and particularly particularly has gone to the House of one 30 00:03:07.150 --> 00:03:13.580 of the chief Pharisees on the Sabbath. And for US careful Gospel readers, 31 00:03:13.620 --> 00:03:16.780 we should know that something awkward is about to happen, because whenever Jesus gets 32 00:03:16.819 --> 00:03:23.900 together with Pharisees, something awkward happens, especially on the Sabbath and especially when 33 00:03:23.900 --> 00:03:27.849 there's a sit guy present. And that's exactly what we find here, isn't 34 00:03:27.849 --> 00:03:32.689 it? That Jesus, on this Sabbath, comes and he heals someone with 35 00:03:32.849 --> 00:03:38.009 dropsy, and there's much that we could say about that, other than, 36 00:03:39.449 --> 00:03:45.560 for our purposes this evening, to know that at the beginning of our text, 37 00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:52.159 things all weird, things are awkward. Jesus has questioned the ethic of 38 00:03:52.280 --> 00:03:58.949 those sitting in front of him by healing on the Sabbath. There's tension in 39 00:03:59.750 --> 00:04:10.139 the air and within this tension, Jesus begins with a parable and the specifically 40 00:04:10.180 --> 00:04:15.300 a parable directed at the guests, the text tells us in verse seven. 41 00:04:15.019 --> 00:04:19.180 So what does he say? He says, when you're invited to a wedding 42 00:04:19.220 --> 00:04:26.370 feast, do not sit in a place of honor. That says he noticed 43 00:04:26.449 --> 00:04:29.649 that that's exactly what people were doing. They were sitting in place of honor. 44 00:04:29.689 --> 00:04:31.689 So he says, don't, don't do that. Now I've visited some 45 00:04:31.810 --> 00:04:36.930 of your homes for dinner. I appreciate that and and never has anyone directed 46 00:04:38.050 --> 00:04:43.079 me, you must sit here or move up to this seat here. That's 47 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:46.720 not something that, at least in your home so far, I've found to 48 00:04:46.800 --> 00:04:53.310 be overly common. And our culture we're not super concerned about where you sit 49 00:04:53.350 --> 00:04:59.750 at the dinner table, but that would not be the case here. How 50 00:04:59.790 --> 00:05:04.709 you knew someone's status in a certain group was their proximity to the host of 51 00:05:04.870 --> 00:05:11.100 the party. For those who were most honored at the party, they would 52 00:05:11.139 --> 00:05:15.100 sit at the right and the left hand of the host. For those who 53 00:05:15.139 --> 00:05:19.860 were least honored at a particular party, they would be sitting the furthest away 54 00:05:19.899 --> 00:05:28.290 from the host. You might recall James and John from Mark Ten requesting that 55 00:05:28.689 --> 00:05:30.569 Jesus, when you enter into your kingdom, let us sit at your right 56 00:05:31.050 --> 00:05:36.000 and left hand. And it wasn't just that they liked Jesus company, though 57 00:05:36.040 --> 00:05:41.639 that might be the case. They're asking to be honored, and we know 58 00:05:41.759 --> 00:05:45.439 that by Jesus Rebuke, don't we? He says, that's not how my 59 00:05:45.519 --> 00:05:50.750 kingdom operates. What are you to do? It's those who humble themselves that 60 00:05:50.910 --> 00:05:56.149 will be exalted. Those who even take on the form of a servant, 61 00:05:56.149 --> 00:06:00.709 who would be the least honored at a dinner party. Well, that's what's 62 00:06:00.750 --> 00:06:08.860 going on here. These guests are wanting to honor themselves by moving up to 63 00:06:08.899 --> 00:06:12.939 the front of the dinner table. This whole culture, as we read the 64 00:06:13.019 --> 00:06:17.420 New Testament, is really built to develop on an economy of honor and shame, 65 00:06:17.569 --> 00:06:23.009 and that's so important to understand as we approach these texts, that honor 66 00:06:23.170 --> 00:06:30.930 and shame meant everything in this culture. Now, perhaps we don't quite understand 67 00:06:30.089 --> 00:06:36.519 what it's like to have particularly honorable seats at a dinner table, but I 68 00:06:36.680 --> 00:06:43.959 think we do understand in our culture status. I mean there seems to be 69 00:06:44.199 --> 00:06:53.350 so much that goes on in our economy that speaks of status. Our culture 70 00:06:53.430 --> 00:07:00.470 is full of metrics for being able to judge one's status. These usually have 71 00:07:00.589 --> 00:07:09.740 to do with money or appearance. Big Houses, Nice cars, education level, 72 00:07:10.740 --> 00:07:15.649 expensive clothes, all indicators in our society of how much one is to 73 00:07:15.689 --> 00:07:23.649 be respected. Our culture is full of people who are trying to appear more 74 00:07:23.810 --> 00:07:27.209 successful than they are. We even have a phrase for it, keeping up 75 00:07:27.250 --> 00:07:30.560 with the Joneses, where you do whatever you can to make sure you have 76 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:38.160 an appearance of status that's just a little bit greater than your neighbor. So 77 00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:42.439 we understand this culture, even though it might not be around the dinner table. 78 00:07:42.480 --> 00:07:47.389 We get it to fail to keep up with the Joneses as to admit 79 00:07:47.709 --> 00:07:54.990 some type of inferiority. Even if we don't quite understand what that inferiority is, 80 00:07:55.389 --> 00:07:59.740 we still know it to be true. Well, that's what's going on 81 00:08:00.300 --> 00:08:05.019 here in this text. Whether rushing for the best seat of the table or 82 00:08:05.139 --> 00:08:09.740 maxing out a spending limit, it may see's status and the appearance of honor 83 00:08:09.620 --> 00:08:18.449 are common to all human societies. We understand it the rat race, climbing 84 00:08:18.529 --> 00:08:24.850 the corporate ladder, keeping up with the Jones is all phrases that encapsulate this 85 00:08:24.050 --> 00:08:33.080 idea of seeking status. Well, this is the common mindset to these dinner 86 00:08:33.159 --> 00:08:39.799 guests. But contrary to this, Jesus presents them with an ethic that's completely 87 00:08:41.000 --> 00:08:46.350 opposite than what they have in their minds. He says everyone who exalts himself 88 00:08:46.389 --> 00:08:54.820 will be humbled, everyone who humbles himself will be exalted. So he says, 89 00:08:56.299 --> 00:09:01.659 instead of going to the best seat, find the worst seat. So 90 00:09:01.779 --> 00:09:03.500 when? When? You won't be embarrassed. No one can tell you to 91 00:09:03.620 --> 00:09:07.059 sit further away. Heck, it might turn out that you get to see 92 00:09:07.100 --> 00:09:13.730 even closer, but the point is that you would walk and humbled, considering 93 00:09:13.850 --> 00:09:20.330 yourself last, and that is the ethic of this kingdom that Jesus presents. 94 00:09:22.450 --> 00:09:28.000 Well, Jesus continues to not only show this ethic for those who are invited 95 00:09:28.120 --> 00:09:33.320 to the party, but to the host himself. It says in verse twelve 96 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:39.509 that Jesus turns his attention to the man who had invited him, and he 97 00:09:39.590 --> 00:09:43.470 explains a very similar principle, doesn't he? He says, when you give 98 00:09:43.509 --> 00:09:50.950 a banquet, do not invite your friends or your family or rich neighbors. 99 00:09:52.580 --> 00:10:00.539 Then, other words, don't invite people that can reciprocate the invitation. Now, 100 00:10:00.700 --> 00:10:03.620 for many of you, these are exactly the people that you invite it 101 00:10:03.700 --> 00:10:07.769 to lunch today. So if that's offensive, I'm sorry. This is just 102 00:10:07.970 --> 00:10:13.370 what Jesus says. So my apologies, but Jesus isn't just getting it hanging 103 00:10:13.409 --> 00:10:18.289 out with people, is he? Again? This is this thought of honor 104 00:10:18.970 --> 00:10:28.320 and shame. These guests, just like this host, are seeking a position 105 00:10:30.039 --> 00:10:35.190 of honor and society and this case inviting people who could invite them to invite 106 00:10:35.190 --> 00:10:41.789 him to a similar banquet. You would get reciprocal invitations and and together you 107 00:10:41.830 --> 00:10:46.549 would be rising the social ladder a first century Palestine. And then that's what's 108 00:10:46.669 --> 00:10:52.419 going on here, isn't it? We have a similar concept in the business 109 00:10:52.500 --> 00:10:56.700 world. You you take someone out to you really want to purchase something from 110 00:10:56.779 --> 00:11:01.460 you or that you want to partner with in business, and you whine and 111 00:11:01.620 --> 00:11:07.169 dine them, we say, you show them the nicest dry aged beef at 112 00:11:07.169 --> 00:11:11.049 the nicest to restaurant with the best wine list, so that maybe they will 113 00:11:11.129 --> 00:11:16.250 partner with you. He get them to owe you something so that they might 114 00:11:16.450 --> 00:11:22.799 repay. We understand this concept well. Jesus says, no, that's that's 115 00:11:22.919 --> 00:11:31.600 not how it works in my kingdom. Instead, invite the poor, invite 116 00:11:31.909 --> 00:11:41.389 the crippled, invite the lame, invite the blind, all people with no 117 00:11:43.029 --> 00:11:50.220 social status, all people with no honor to return, people who could never 118 00:11:50.460 --> 00:11:56.980 repay you for your invitation. There's nothing of profit for you to invite this 119 00:11:58.179 --> 00:12:01.850 type of people. And yet Jesus says, this is how my economy works, 120 00:12:03.049 --> 00:12:09.570 this is how the ethic of my kingdom plays out, and he says 121 00:12:09.649 --> 00:12:15.840 this to both guest and host at this dinner party. Everyone at this point 122 00:12:15.879 --> 00:12:24.960 should be equally offended here. He's highlighted everyone. He who humbles himself will 123 00:12:24.960 --> 00:12:33.470 be exalted and he who exalts himself will be humbled. Well, first we 124 00:12:33.669 --> 00:12:43.029 see this ethic and then it moves to another parable and in exclusion, if 125 00:12:43.110 --> 00:12:48.139 you will, and unlikely exclusion. Let's let's see what we mean by that 126 00:12:48.179 --> 00:12:50.299 again. The situation is tense. I keep saying that, but, but 127 00:12:50.340 --> 00:12:54.179 I want you to understand. This is a weird, tense situation, so 128 00:12:54.899 --> 00:13:00.169 tense that that the guests are kind of feeling some condemnation, that that some 129 00:13:00.490 --> 00:13:03.370 guy wants to announce something that will ease the tension. Right, and we 130 00:13:03.490 --> 00:13:07.649 see it here in Verse Fifteen. He kind of says, you know, 131 00:13:07.730 --> 00:13:11.370 Jesus, that's a great teaching we appreciate that. That's that's a lot of 132 00:13:11.529 --> 00:13:13.480 fun. Thanks for being here. But Hey, I want to propose a 133 00:13:13.600 --> 00:13:20.919 toast. Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the Kingdom of God. 134 00:13:22.039 --> 00:13:26.750 You know, it seems as guy really wants to break the tension the well, 135 00:13:26.830 --> 00:13:35.149 his statement gives away two assumptions that the text highlights. One, this 136 00:13:35.470 --> 00:13:41.700 listener is very aware that there is more at stake than dinner etiquette. He 137 00:13:41.860 --> 00:13:48.179 gets that Jesus is talking about the Kingdom of God. He's talking about something 138 00:13:48.259 --> 00:13:54.299 much greater than the dinner that's placed right in front of him. The other 139 00:13:54.539 --> 00:13:58.370 thing that he seems to understand, and perhaps wrongfully so, is that, 140 00:13:58.529 --> 00:14:03.009 despite Jesus Teaching, this guy is pretty certain that he and all the other 141 00:14:03.169 --> 00:14:11.639 guests will be included in this great banquet to come, so much so that 142 00:14:11.799 --> 00:14:16.879 he raises a toast. He says thanks Jesus for that teaching. It's a 143 00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:20.679 little awkward, but hey, here's something we can all agree on. Blessed 144 00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:26.389 is he who, at that feast, will eat bread and the Kingdom of 145 00:14:26.470 --> 00:14:31.429 God, and it's likely that he has in mind the great feast that Isaiah 146 00:14:31.470 --> 00:14:39.100 himself prophesied. Issaiah says in and twenty five that on this mountain, the 147 00:14:39.179 --> 00:14:45.220 Lord of hosts will make for all people's a feast of rich food, a 148 00:14:45.419 --> 00:14:50.820 feast of well aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged 149 00:14:50.980 --> 00:14:54.570 wine, well refined. The sounds like a good meal, doesn't it? 150 00:14:56.529 --> 00:15:00.649 and He, the Lord, will swallow up on this mountain the covering that 151 00:15:00.690 --> 00:15:05.690 has cast over all people's the veil that has spread over all nations. Here 152 00:15:05.769 --> 00:15:13.279 Isaiah prophesies of this great day when the Lord will bring about the consummation of 153 00:15:13.320 --> 00:15:18.399 the eternal kingdom and it will be marked by a feast. But this feast 154 00:15:18.440 --> 00:15:22.429 will not just be for the people of Israel, will it? He says 155 00:15:22.470 --> 00:15:28.549 it will be for all nations, all people's. Isaiah uses the Hebrew word 156 00:15:28.710 --> 00:15:33.029 that as used for to refer to the gentiles, the go yem, all 157 00:15:33.190 --> 00:15:39.340 of the people. The veil will be lifted from their eyes and all will 158 00:15:39.340 --> 00:15:46.500 be invited to this great banquet. The problem is is that, at this 159 00:15:46.779 --> 00:15:50.210 point in history, is Jesus is telling this story, the Jews of the 160 00:15:50.490 --> 00:15:56.730 especially upper class have assumed that that's actually not what's going on. The banquet 161 00:15:56.809 --> 00:16:00.929 is for them, that's for those who have shown themselves worthy to be there, 162 00:16:03.399 --> 00:16:10.600 and this guy who speaks up seems to believe that he will be there 163 00:16:10.639 --> 00:16:15.039 as well as the rest of the guests. Here's something we can all agree 164 00:16:15.120 --> 00:16:18.990 on. It will be a great day when we are all eating bread and 165 00:16:18.629 --> 00:16:26.070 the Kingdom of God. Well, Jesus responds very indirectly. He says, 166 00:16:26.110 --> 00:16:30.110 Oh, that reminds me of a story. He says there was once this 167 00:16:30.190 --> 00:16:34.700 guy who threw a big banquet and he sent out a ton of invitations. 168 00:16:37.820 --> 00:16:41.059 Now, this would be kind of standard protocol at this time in history. 169 00:16:41.179 --> 00:16:48.090 You would send out invitations and people would our SVP and then when the feast 170 00:16:48.210 --> 00:16:51.129 was ready, you would send your servant to ring the dinner Bell to say 171 00:16:51.129 --> 00:16:55.929 hey, it's time. So this is a common practice at this day and 172 00:16:56.090 --> 00:17:00.330 age. People would respond whether or not they could come, and then they 173 00:17:00.330 --> 00:17:04.559 would wait for the servant to come and let the people know that the feast 174 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:07.759 was ready. And that's what we find here. But in this case the 175 00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:15.480 servant goes out to announce that dinner is ready and people start coming up with 176 00:17:15.559 --> 00:17:23.309 excuses, not necessarily bad excuses, but excuses nonetheless. I bought a field, 177 00:17:25.150 --> 00:17:29.869 I need to take a look. I bought five yoke of Oxen, 178 00:17:30.019 --> 00:17:36.420 I need to examine them. I've married a wife, I can't make it 179 00:17:38.619 --> 00:17:45.529 all the people that were invited. The text tells us those that originally responded 180 00:17:45.650 --> 00:17:52.450 to this RSVP are now bowing out for other options. Then this problem is 181 00:17:52.529 --> 00:17:55.809 likely compounding. I mean, no one wants to go to a party that 182 00:17:56.009 --> 00:18:00.519 no one is going too. So as the guest list begins to fall apart, 183 00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:07.319 the guest list begins to fall apart. This would be a great shame 184 00:18:08.240 --> 00:18:15.069 to any host. The Barbecue is going to meet is almost ready and now 185 00:18:15.430 --> 00:18:23.430 no one wants to attend. The host's answer to the problem is interesting. 186 00:18:23.549 --> 00:18:29.579 He says, fill the banquet hall, forget them, fill it up, 187 00:18:30.220 --> 00:18:33.940 go and invite everyone, so that there will be no room for those original 188 00:18:33.980 --> 00:18:44.809 guests. and to make matters more awkward, Jesus, it would seem, 189 00:18:45.210 --> 00:18:52.250 has those sitting around him as the aim of what he's talking about, those 190 00:18:52.450 --> 00:18:57.200 people and his parable that were originally invited, all those that he is dining 191 00:18:57.359 --> 00:19:03.359 with, and we know this in verse twenty four Jesus Terms, to the 192 00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:06.960 guests at the Pharisees House, those who assume that they will eat bread in 193 00:19:07.079 --> 00:19:10.950 the Kingdom of God, and he says, for I tell you that you, 194 00:19:11.109 --> 00:19:15.349 as plural we would say where I'm from, for I tell Y'all, 195 00:19:17.190 --> 00:19:25.579 none of those men who are invited shall taste my banquet. That's his response 196 00:19:25.700 --> 00:19:27.619 to the guy who says is want to be great when we're eating, and 197 00:19:27.779 --> 00:19:33.059 the King of God, he says all those folks who have been invited who 198 00:19:33.059 --> 00:19:41.410 didn't show up, they won't be eating in my kingdom. I mean, 199 00:19:41.809 --> 00:19:47.890 this is an unlikely exclusion, isn't it? All those who were once our 200 00:19:48.009 --> 00:19:51.690 SVP to common, and I think we can see here that he's speaking of 201 00:19:51.809 --> 00:19:56.200 the Jews, at least these Jews who are rejecting Jesus, those who are 202 00:19:56.240 --> 00:20:02.039 invited from generations past, called to be part of the Covenant Community, called 203 00:20:02.119 --> 00:20:07.630 to be part of this grace great feast, but now that the king is 204 00:20:07.789 --> 00:20:15.630 here, they're not interested in this kind of King. The dinner announcement is 205 00:20:15.829 --> 00:20:22.380 going out and they're coming up with excuses because Jesus doesn't seem to be the 206 00:20:22.500 --> 00:20:27.819 kind of dinner host that they're interested in. Jesus says, none of those 207 00:20:27.980 --> 00:20:37.049 men who were invited. It shall taste my banquet. Stark words. So 208 00:20:37.250 --> 00:20:41.250 my question that I put before us at the beginning, how is this all 209 00:20:41.329 --> 00:20:47.890 connected? How do all of these stories, this dinner party, this parable, 210 00:20:47.970 --> 00:20:52.200 how does it all come together? This teaching of a kingdom ethic, 211 00:20:52.920 --> 00:21:00.200 now this parable about this exclusion of the Jews. Where's the link? Well, 212 00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:03.430 I think if we look closely together, that Luke himself gives it to 213 00:21:03.589 --> 00:21:10.589 us. Let's let's consider and where I think we find this link is not 214 00:21:11.309 --> 00:21:15.710 in the exclusion but in the inclusion, the unlikely inclusion, and that's where 215 00:21:15.710 --> 00:21:19.539 we will end our time together for the next few moments. If we look 216 00:21:19.619 --> 00:21:26.859 back at the parable after the excuses begin pouring in, what do we find? 217 00:21:26.859 --> 00:21:33.170 Verse Twenty One. So the servant came and reported these things to his 218 00:21:33.369 --> 00:21:37.569 master, that that folks were coming up with excuses. Then the master of 219 00:21:37.609 --> 00:21:41.569 the house became angry and said to the servant go out quickly to the streets 220 00:21:41.609 --> 00:21:48.440 and lanes of the city and bring in who? The poor, the crippled, 221 00:21:49.599 --> 00:21:56.799 the blind and the lame. This dinner hosts, and the parable invites 222 00:21:56.960 --> 00:22:03.309 all the same people using all the exact words that that Jesus told us to 223 00:22:03.430 --> 00:22:08.869 invite. That Jesus told the dinner host and the previous narrative to invite uses 224 00:22:08.950 --> 00:22:12.390 all the same language. That should be a clue whenever we're reading the scripture, 225 00:22:12.390 --> 00:22:15.740 when we see repetition like that, it should cause us to stop and 226 00:22:15.900 --> 00:22:29.099 think. The poor, crippled, blind and lame dinner host invites all these 227 00:22:29.220 --> 00:22:36.650 same people, not the rich but the poor, using these exact same words. 228 00:22:36.730 --> 00:22:38.410 And I think here it is that we find the link to what seems 229 00:22:38.450 --> 00:22:45.200 to be a bit of a disjointed passage. What we find here is that 230 00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:48.480 Jesus is exactly the kind of dinner host who invites all the wrong people. 231 00:22:51.880 --> 00:22:56.039 He's the kind of guy who doesn't consider what his guests can give him in 232 00:22:56.160 --> 00:23:03.109 return, but invites people who could never reciprocate, and not only the poor 233 00:23:03.309 --> 00:23:06.710 and the crippled and the blind in the lane. But it goes on, 234 00:23:06.910 --> 00:23:11.390 doesn't at the servant comes back after inviting all these people and says there are 235 00:23:11.509 --> 00:23:17.059 still seats left. And what does the master say? Go out to the 236 00:23:17.099 --> 00:23:23.259 highways, go out to the hedges and compel people to come in, that 237 00:23:23.539 --> 00:23:29.970 my house may be full. Most commentators agree that this is a reference to 238 00:23:30.049 --> 00:23:34.609 the inclusion of the gentiles. Not only are the Jewish rejects invited, but 239 00:23:34.690 --> 00:23:40.569 he's going to all nations and he's saying, fill my banquet with people from 240 00:23:40.769 --> 00:23:47.680 all tongues and from all tribes and from all nations. This host wants a 241 00:23:47.920 --> 00:24:02.670 huge party. The seemingly disconnected passage tells us that Jesus himself follows the ethic 242 00:24:02.789 --> 00:24:06.950 that he teaches. We know this to be true. He's consistent. Right 243 00:24:07.430 --> 00:24:14.220 when he invites people to his end times feast, he does not invite those 244 00:24:14.579 --> 00:24:18.900 that can repay. He goes out to the highways and the hedges, to 245 00:24:18.059 --> 00:24:22.099 the poor houses, to the prisons, to the prostitutes through the Publicans. 246 00:24:22.339 --> 00:24:26.450 Those are the kind of people we found when we've read the parables, isn't 247 00:24:26.450 --> 00:24:33.450 it? To the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lane who 248 00:24:33.490 --> 00:24:40.000 have no way of returning the favor of his invitation, and he compels them 249 00:24:40.079 --> 00:24:44.480 to come and enjoy the feast. But but this is not the only thing 250 00:24:44.960 --> 00:24:52.160 that this parable tells us. If this is all true, if this unlikely 251 00:24:52.279 --> 00:24:56.950 invitation is true, if this is how Jesus Works, then it tells us 252 00:24:56.029 --> 00:25:02.990 something about ourselves, doesn't it? It tells us that those who are included 253 00:25:03.069 --> 00:25:08.539 in his kingdom, those who call themselves Christians, are the poor, the 254 00:25:08.700 --> 00:25:17.660 crippled, the blind and the lane. We are the social and ethnic outcasts. 255 00:25:18.740 --> 00:25:21.970 We all those from the highways, in the hedges, from the poor 256 00:25:22.130 --> 00:25:27.970 houses, from the prisons, the prostitutes, in the Publicans. That's who 257 00:25:29.170 --> 00:25:33.369 makes up this party. We are the sinners that Christ invites to his feast 258 00:25:37.720 --> 00:25:41.920 and to make this whole thing finally connect, I hope it is only when 259 00:25:41.960 --> 00:25:47.000 we understand that that's who we are the poor, the crippled, the lay 260 00:25:47.039 --> 00:25:52.750 and the blind, that we have any ability to then follow the ethic that 261 00:25:52.869 --> 00:26:00.549 Christ gives us. Would we understand who we are, that we are those 262 00:26:00.630 --> 00:26:07.539 of no social standing, that we could never repay Jesus for his invitation? 263 00:26:08.420 --> 00:26:11.740 It is much easier to walk into the banquet and sit in the back row, 264 00:26:11.859 --> 00:26:17.500 isn't it? We don't need to put up ourselves in a place of 265 00:26:17.660 --> 00:26:23.170 honor. We're just glad to have gotten in because we're not worried about that 266 00:26:23.289 --> 00:26:29.369 economy anymore. We know where the outcasts will take, whatever sea you'll give 267 00:26:29.410 --> 00:26:36.640 us. The power to be able to fulfill that ethic is and knowing who 268 00:26:36.680 --> 00:26:42.920 Jesus invites, sinners like us and at the same time, when we understand 269 00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:48.990 that we are in not by our own merit or social standing or ability to 270 00:26:48.230 --> 00:26:57.670 repay, we are free to invite others who are poor, crippled, blind 271 00:26:57.950 --> 00:27:06.299 and lame, those with no social standing, those ethnic outcast, those from 272 00:27:06.299 --> 00:27:11.420 the highways, the hedges, the poor houses, the prisons, the prostitutes 273 00:27:11.500 --> 00:27:18.730 and the Publicans, people just like us, and is much easier to invite 274 00:27:18.089 --> 00:27:25.650 those people when we know that that's just who we are. No longer do 275 00:27:25.769 --> 00:27:30.599 we have to attempt it climbing our way up some social ladder in the Kingdom 276 00:27:30.640 --> 00:27:37.480 of God by holding this reputation, by associating with the right people. We 277 00:27:37.640 --> 00:27:41.920 can associate with the kind of people that Jesus associated with, because that's who 278 00:27:41.960 --> 00:27:51.750 we are, sinners redeemed. We have no need to maintain or increase our 279 00:27:51.829 --> 00:28:02.420 position in his kingdom, because our position and our invitation is sure not based 280 00:28:02.460 --> 00:28:07.539 on all credentials, but on those of Christ Jesus, who purchase us with 281 00:28:07.779 --> 00:28:14.529 his own blood, who signed our invitation with. It is finished. You're 282 00:28:14.609 --> 00:28:22.289 in, and because of that we no longer have to maintain a reputation and 283 00:28:22.529 --> 00:28:30.079 order to get in. This is the motivation for a Christian ethic, for 284 00:28:30.200 --> 00:28:37.599 a kingdom ethic of self giving for the sake of others, because we have 285 00:28:37.759 --> 00:28:44.109 no need any more to make something of ourselves. Christ does that for us. 286 00:28:45.069 --> 00:28:52.029 We are freed from the slavery of salvation by status. You are free 287 00:28:52.069 --> 00:28:56.019 to love, to live and to give our lives for the sake of others, 288 00:28:56.099 --> 00:29:03.259 because he first loved and lived and gave his life for our sake. 289 00:29:04.819 --> 00:29:08.779 If you are here today and you believe that Christ died for your sins. 290 00:29:10.690 --> 00:29:15.250 You are in and you are free, and this banquet is for you. 291 00:29:18.130 --> 00:29:21.210 You are one who, Jesus himself says, don't sit in the back, 292 00:29:22.329 --> 00:29:26.160 comes in on my table because you're an honored guest at my feast. That 293 00:29:26.480 --> 00:29:30.799 is who we are, and because of that we can be free to honor 294 00:29:30.960 --> 00:29:37.000 others by giving of ourselves. Oh the death of the riches and wisdom and 295 00:29:37.119 --> 00:29:42.910 knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments, how inscrutable his ways, 296 00:29:44.029 --> 00:29:48.549 that his son would die and rise again for you, for me, that 297 00:29:48.710 --> 00:29:53.220 we might be invited to his feast. Amen. Amen, let's pray together. 298 -->