ESOCS Devotional 12 April 2023
MEMORY VERSE: “For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.” Luke 14:24
TEXT: LUKE 14:12-24
12 Jesus also said to the man who had invited Him, When you give a dinner or a supper, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, lest perhaps they also invite you in return, and so you are paid back.
13 But when you give a banquet or a reception, invite the poor, the disabled, the lame, and the blind.
14 Then you will be blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied), because they have no way of repaying you, and you will be recompensed at the resurrection of the just (upright).
15 When one of those who reclined [at the table] with Him heard this, he said to Him, Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!
16 But Jesus said to him, A man was once giving a great supper and invited many;
17 And at the hour for the supper he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, Come, for all is now ready.
18 But they all alike began to make excuses and to beg off. The first said to him, I have bought a piece of land, and I have to go out and see it; I beg you, have me excused.
19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to examine and [c]put my approval on them; I beg you, have me excused.
20 And another said, I have married a wife, and because of this I am unable to come.
21 So the servant came and reported these [answers] to his master. Then the master of the house said in wrath to his servant, Go quickly into the great streets and the small streets of the city and bring in here the poor and the disabled and the blind and the lame.
22 And the servant [returning] said, Sir, what you have commanded me to do has been done, and yet there is room.
23 Then the master said to the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges and urge and constrain [them] to yield and come in, so that my house may be filled.
24 For I tell you, not one of those who were invited shall taste my supper.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
The banquet of life is the feast of the Kingdom; the gathering of the redeemed people to whom the Lord will grant eternal life to live in His presence forever. They would be free from sin and Satan having washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. They would be free from condemnation and eternity in hell. There the redeemed shall see the face of the Lord as He sits on His throne. There shall be no more hunger, sickness, pain, or sorrow for God shall wipe away tears from their eyes.
This banquet of life is Christ Jesus who God gave for the salvation of man. Jesus in John 6 declares plainly: “I am the bread of life”. In Isaiah 55, there is an open invitation to all to come and freely receive this bread of life. But from this parable, we understand that many are rejecting God’s invitation to come to the banquet of life that they may eat the bread of life. Men are full of excuses for not answering God’s call. A look at the reasons given in this text boils all reasons down to the need to maximally exploit the world and enjoy its comfort. The first was concerned with his property, the second with business, and the third was more concerned with marriage and family life. Whatever the reason, Jesus’s statement in verse 24 referring to all who did not heed the call but rather preferred to pursue issues of their private life is instructive and should be taken seriously by all. He said, “I tell you. Not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.” This is not good news to all who will not partake of the banquet; for to miss this banquet is to miss eternal life with Jesus.
- What possible things in today’s world prevent people from dedicating themselves to the Kingdom of God? Enumerate them.
- Why are people influenced by these things?
- Father, keep our hearts and mind from those things that keep us from you. Help us sanctify our lives that we may live for you. Amen.
FURTHER READING: 2 Samuel 23:18-23; Jeremiah 38:1-13; Matthew 27:11-26; Hebrews 13:1-9
Thank you for reading the ESOCS Devotional today. Please share and follow us on all our platforms to contribute to the spread of the Gospel.
ESOCS Devotional 12 April 2023
