This week, we will look at what Jesus has called us to do as we live on mission with him in this world. He defines and assigns the mission we are to carry out. May we carry it out in obedience and dependence!

Transcript

In the 4th grade, I was invited to a party hosted by one of the most popular girls in the grade. I knew she was cool, but I didn’t know her well, and I didn’t really care too much about it, but when my school friends found out, they were all egging me on to go. I had no idea what I was missing out on, so I tried to convince my parents, but being Hmong, they shut that down pretty quickly. They didn’t realize that was an invitation to gain some 4th-grade popularity cred so I could climb up the cool hierarchy and possibly become somebody, but instead, they wanted me to climb the education hierarchy to be smart and become a doctor or lawyer. Invitations come and go, but occasionally there are significant invitations that are life-changing. Maybe it’s an invitation to a job opportunity or to meet the love of your life. Maybe it’s an invitation to pursue education or to an amazing community. Those are all great invitations, but the greatest invitation we will ever receive comes from being reawakened to the mission of Christ. I’m glad you joined us in our 40 Days of Prayer series to find out what that invitation is, and we’re going to be in Luke 14:16-24 to unpack this.

GOD:

While you turn to the passage, here’s some background info on what’s happening. Jesus is eating with the Pharisees, they are the elite religious leaders at the time. Jesus knows that the Pharisees say they love God and obey what God tells them to do, but there are inconsistencies between what they say and what they do. The Pharisees claim to know God’s desire but abuse their status so Jesus offers a parable to illustrate his point of what God wants, and this is what it says,

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16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ 19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ 21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and 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.’ 23 “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. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”

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In this parable, the host represents God, and the servant represents a person who loves and obeys God. The banquet represents heaven, where God and all his faithful followers will celebrate and enjoy each other’s presence. The parable tells us that God sends his servant to remind all his guests about their invitation to the banquet, but they all decline. The guests who decline the invitation represent the Pharisees. They say that they believe in and love God. They know everything about their religion. They even point out the mistakes and sins in other people’s lives, but when it comes time to do what God asks them to, they all have excuses and don’t follow through.

As of result, the host tells his servant to extend the invitation to the poor, crippled, blind, and lame, and they come! These are the people the Pharisees would consider to be sinful, unclean, and messed up. The Pharisees believe that these individuals might be able to come to the banquet, but only if they become elite like them. But surprisingly, they are invited even though they are nothing like them! As if that’s not shocking, the invitation is extended further to those far out in the country. In the context that this was written in, these individuals on the outskirts of town are considered outsiders. The Pharisees believed that their people group was God’s chosen people, and they were the only people who would exclusively experience God’s blessing. So, when the parable says the servant invites those in the outskirts, it means that God’s blessing and promise is extended to all people, not just the Hebrew people. The servant invited those who should not be invited to this banquet. Not only are they invited, but in verse 23 it says the master told his servant go out and compel them to come. The word “compel” means to make something necessary by force or threats, by plea, by persuasion, or by a humble request. This invitation is not just an afterthought, but the servant is expected to make a case for those on the outskirts to almost beg and plead with them to accept the invitation. The servant needed to do whatever it took so the guest would understand the magnitude of this banquet. The point that this parable makes is this:

Jesus’ mission is to invite everyone to experience God.

You and I we’ve been invited by Jesus to experience God. There shouldn’t be anything preventing us from going or inviting others to experience God. This is an all-inclusive banquet, and our responsibility is to attend and invite everyone.

So what does this mean for you and I?

And I think there are 2 things we can take away.

First, have you accepted the invitation?

• Are you making an excuse(s) not to experience God?

o If so, how come?

And second, have you invited anyone?

• Who do you want to invite to experience God?

• Who should you invite?

• Who do you not want to invite?

All these people are invited to experience God. So invite them in a compelling way. How can we be compelling?

One of my favorite things to watch, but least favorite to experience as a Hmong person, are polite fights. If you’ve never experienced an Asian polite fight, it can be complicated, but in a nutshell, this is what can happen. Whenever it’s time to eat at special gatherings, there is always a polite fight that happens where the host invites the guest to eat, but the guest declines. Even though the host is sincere, the guest does not want to come across as rude or disrespectful. It’s believed that the host needs to invite their guest to eat at least three times when the meal is served to assure the guest that they are truly invited. The host needs to ensure that their guest is special and they really want them to be there for the occasion. Sometimes it gets so bad that the host will drag the guest to the table to show them that that they are truly invited. I’ve engaged in my share of polite fights, and I find them awkward, but once they are over and I give in, there is an incredible feeling of knowing that I am truly invited. Similarly, you and I are invited to God’s dinner table for his banquet. And a part of our invitation is to invite others too, even if we need to compel them by engaging in a polite fight.