The Great Banquet

While Jesus was eating with others, one person spoke about the blessing of eating at God’s kingdom feast. Jesus then told a story about a man who prepared a great supper and invited many people.

When the meal was ready, the master sent his servant to tell the invited guests that everything was prepared. But they began making excuses. One said he had bought a field and needed to go and see it. Another said he had bought oxen and wanted to try them out.

A third guest said he had married a wife and could not come. The servant returned and reported these excuses. Then the master of the house became angry.

The master told his servant to go quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in people who were poor, disabled, blind, and lame. The servant did so, but there was still room.

So the master sent the servant farther out, to the highways and hedges, to press people to come in so that his house would be filled. Jesus ended with a warning that those first invited, who refused to come, would not taste the master's supper. Why might Jesus have told this story after someone spoke about God’s kingdom feast?