The Uninvited
Compel them to come
Luke 14:23
In this parable, Jesus is teaching about the lesson of a king who is having a feast and has sent for certain people. Those people, for various reasons, choose not to come. So the King sends people out again telling His servants to gather them from the highways and byways.The parable is preached much on the people who were too busy for the King. What about the compelled ones? Can you imagine? Simply walking along the road and someone approaches you and asks you to come to the Kings feast. At first, you think they are completely mad, so you decline. They say again, “No, really, He wants you to come” So you think, ok, there must be some truth to this but feeling like a fish out of water you, once again, decline.
And then, because the servant obeyed their King they insist, “You really must come!” Please!!.. Hurry.. we must move quickly!!”
The Bible says they came.
We have walking wounded among us every day. That select group of people who are intentionally and unintentionally not invited to functions. Dinner, parties, get-togethers. For various reasons, excluded. In a sense, another form of rejection, another confirmation of ‘not good enough’. So you pretend it doesn’t bother you and you keep walking your highway.
My Bible confirms to me that the KING does, in fact, care about those people. He sends people along to insist we come and dine with Him.
Take comfort in the knowledge that someday you will feel “over-invited”. He will make you feel like the most special, loved a person in the entire world!!
And He’ll do it to us, the leftovers.
“Gather up the fragments that none be lost”.
