An Outrageous Invitation
“Then the owner of the house…ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
“‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’
“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.”
Luke 14:21-23
Jesus loved to tell stories. Many of these “parables” were offered to correct notions about what God was like and who God loved.
One of these stories is known as the Parable of the Great Banquet. It speaks of a lavish love that went beyond all expectation. You can read it in full HERE.
While this account is recorded several times in the gospels, my favorite version of this sort of grace appeared in another source entirely. It’s the Boston Globe's account in June 1990 of a most unusual wedding banquet.
“Accompanied by her fiancé, a woman went to the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Boston and ordered the meal. The two of them poured over the menu, made selections of china and silver, and pointed to pictures of the flower arrangements they liked. They both had expensive tastes, and the bill came to $13,000." (That's nearly 30 years ago, so it would be nearly $50,000 today.)
"After leaving a check for half the amount as a down payment, the couple went home to flip through the book of wedding announcements. The day the announcements were supposed to hit the mailbox, the potential groom got cold feet. 'I'm just not sure,' he said. 'It's a big commitment. Let's think about this for a little longer.'
“When his angry fiancé returned to the Hyatt to cancel the banquet, the events manager could not have been more understanding. 'The same thing happened to me, honey,' she said and told the story of her own broken engagement.
“About the refund, she had bad news. 'The contract is binding. You're only entitled to $1300 back. You have two options: forfeit the rest of the down payment or go ahead with the banquet. I'm sorry. I really am.'
“It seemed crazy, but the more the jilted bride thought about it, the more she liked the idea of going ahead with the party. Not a wedding banquet, mind you, but a big blowout.
“Ten years before, the same woman had been living in a homeless shelter. She had gotten back on her feet, found a good job, and set aside a sizable nest egg. Now she had the wild notion of using her savings to treat the down-and-outs of Boston to a night on the town.
“So it was in June of 1990, the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Boston had a party such as it had never seen before. The hostess changed the menu to boneless chicken (in honor of the groom, she said) and sent invitations to rescue missions and homeless shelters.
“That warm summer night, people who were used to peeling half gnawed pizza off the cardboard dined instead on chicken cordon bleu. Hyatt waiters in tuxedos served hors d'oeuvres to senior citizens propped up by crutches and aluminum walkers. Bag ladies, vagrants, and addicts took one night off from the hard life on the sidewalks outside and instead sipped champagne, ate chocolate wedding cake, and danced to big band melodies late into the night."
What a great story! And what a great illustration of grace.
A Chair at the Table for You
Yet, while we may appreciate what was given to those folks, there’s a transferable truth for us to consider. Because, when you stop to think about it, we are like them.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.” (I Corinthians 1:26)
Utterly undeserving, we were invited to the Master’s banquet table. We weren’t worth of it. We couldn’t merit it.
Yet, out of His grace…because of His great desire that the table be full… we were invited. What a privilege! What a thrill!
We were invited to the Master’s banquet table. We didn’t deserve it. We couldn’t merit it. Yet, out of His grace – because of His great desire that the table be full – we were invited.
A Chair at the Table for Others
As we reflect on that and rejoice in all the implications of it, let’s also remember that the Master’s offer is still open. Moreover, like the servant in the parable, we are tasked to go out and invite in any who will come.
They may not respond. That’s up to them, of course. But many are simply waiting to be told that they are welcome and that there is a chair at the table for them.
Prayer
Lord, I am so humbled by your invitation to me to come to Your table. And I am so thankful that I can indulge in a feast beyond my wildest dreams. May my gratitude prompt me to look for others who might be willing to join me if only they are told they are welcome.
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