Daily Reflection – 11/4/2025
Sacred Scripture
One of those at table with Jesus said to him, “Blessed is the one who will dine in the kingdom of God.” He replied to him, “A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is now ready.’ But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, ‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it; I ask you, consider me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen and am on my way to evaluate them; I ask you, consider me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have just married a woman, and therefore I cannot come.’ The servant went and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.’ The master then ordered the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled. For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.’”( Luke 14:15-24)
Reflection
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells a story that should stop us in our tracks. It’s the Parable of the Great Banquet, a tale of a magnificent feast and a shocking series of rejections. A wealthy man prepares a grand celebration and sends out personal invitations. When the time finally arrives, he sends his servant to gather the guests, only to be met with a chorus of excuses.
It’s easy to read this and wonder at the foolishness of those invited guests. Who would turn down such an honor? Their refusal was a profound insult, a clear signal that their own affairs were more important than the host’s generous offer. They made light of a gracious invitation because they were consumed by their own interests. Yet, if we are honest, we might see our own lives reflected in their excuses. We, too, have received an invitation to the most glorious banquet of all—a life of fellowship and joy with God. How often do we RSVP with a polite “no, thank you”?
Jesus highlights three kinds of excuses, which remain just as relevant today. The first guest has just bought a field and must go see it. His work, his business, his new venture, takes precedence. He is so absorbed in his own project that he has no time for the celebration. How often do our professional ambitions or daily tasks consume us, pushing the thought of God to the very edge of our lives? We convince ourselves that our work is too important to set aside, even for a moment of communion with the one who gives us life itself.
The second guest has purchased five yoke of oxen and is on his way to trying them out. His possessions, his new acquisitions, demand his immediate attention. In our own lives, this could be a new gadget, a streaming series, or any number of diversions that crowd out the space for prayer and quiet reflection. We allow the noise of the world to become so loud that we can no longer hear the gentle call to come to the table. Our possessions begin to possess us, and we miss the feast.
The third guest simply states, “I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.” He places his family life, a good and beautiful gift, in opposition to the invitation. God intends for our homes and relationships to be places where He is welcomed, not barriers that keep Him out. We are called to serve God through our relationships, inviting Him into the heart of our family life, not using them as a reason to decline His fellowship.
When the originally invited guests refuse to come, the story takes a beautiful turn. The master, filled with righteous anger, turns his attention to those who would never expect an invitation. He commands his servant to go into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in “the poor, the maimed, the blind, and the lame.”
This is a picture of God’s radical, expansive grace. His invitation extends to the outcasts, the overlooked, the ones who feel they have nothing to offer. It is an unmerited, undeserved favor. But this grace is not without responsibility. It carries a warning for those who would refuse it or treat it lightly. Grace is a free gift, but it is not a cheap one.
The grace offered at the banquet is a costly grace. It costs us our old lives, our misplaced priorities, our self-serving excuses. It calls us to follow Jesus, to reorder our world around Him, and to offer our work, our possessions, and our families back to Him. It costs us everything, yet in return, it gives us the only true life—a seat at the table in the joyful presence of God.
God is still sending out his invitation today. The banquet hall is vast, and there is a place set for you. The call is to respond not with excuses, but with a wholehearted “yes.” This “yes” looks like repentance, a turning away from the things that hold us back. It means reordering our priorities and extending the same hospitality we have received to others. Will you accept the invitation and come to the feast?
Prayer of The Day
Lord, you withhold no good thing from us and you lavish us with the treasures of heaven. Help me to seek your kingdom first and to lay aside anything that might hinder me from doing your will.”
Daily Note
Isn’t it amazing how many people profess to be willing and ready to go to heaven, who say they love God as much as anyone else and yet they continue to turn a deaf ear to the pleading of the Lord to “come and dine.” God is prepared to bless them — to have fellowship with them — to open the windows of heaven for them and yet despite what they say about loving God and wanting to go to heaven they make excuses and go on their way as if they will always have the opportunity to accept His invitation.
