TUESDAY- 31^st  WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME –B

Gospel: Luke 14:15-24: Go to the open roads and the hedgerows and force people to come in to make sure my house is full.

I Reading: Philippians 2:5-11: Christ humbled himself, but God raised him high.

The Parable of the Great Banquet: The Invitation and Man’s Excuses, Lk 14:15-24

This passage gives a clear picture of the Lord’s great invitation to humankind and the flimsy excuses people give for not accepting His invitation. The scene is known as The Great Supper of God. The Great Marriage Feast of Matthew should be compared with this passage. There are some similarities , but the differences are many ( Mt 22:1-14).

1. Jesus was still at the feast of the chief Pharisee (v.1) v.15

a. A Pharisee’s joy

b. Jesus’ parable: A great supper

2. The invitation to “God’s Great Banquet” goes out to many guests (v.16-17)

3. The invited guests make excuses (v.18-20)

a. Excuse 1: Too involved in business

b. Excuse 2: Too wrapped up in new purchases

c. Excuse 3: Too wrapped with family

4. The Lord becomes angry at the guests who reject (v.21)

5. The Lord sends invitations to outsiders-“quickly” (v.21-23)

a. He has the difficult time filling the kingdom even then

b. He demands a double strenuous effort

6. The guests who rejected are excluded (v.24)

Thought: The people who hear, see, or read the Gospel and who sense a personal invitation to join God at His great feast. The invitation is given more than once; it comes in the future as well as in the past. We need to prepare this invitation by our own repentance and faithfulness to God.

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