THE SET UP
Someone once said, “Excuses are like noses, everyone has one” (I know, you have a friend who lost a nose in a freak firework accident. But you get the point). I am not good at a lot of things, but one thing I am very good at is making excuses. How about you? Today, Jesus tells a story about people being invited to a banquet and all the excuses they made for not accepting the invitation. The banquet represents God’s kingdom and the excuse makers represent the people who reject it. People have a lot of different reasons (excuses) for not putting their faith in Christ. Some people’s excuse is they don’t have proof of God. Some people don’t want to give up the ‘fun’ they think they will miss if they become a Christian. Some people have other priorities and think they will do it later. Jesus story seems to point out that some people will miss out on the kingdom when it becomes too late, and other, less likely folks will end up experiencing the goodness of God.
PASSAGE TO READ
Luke 14:15-35 (Page 627 in our house bibles)
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
What is the worst excuse you have ever made or heard someone else make?
When people were giving the servants their excuses for not coming to the banquet, what do you think they were really saying?
What spiritual lesson was Jesus trying to teach with this story, in your opinion?
PRAYER IDEA
Pray for 2-3 people who you would like to see say “yes” to Jesus invitation. Pray as specifically for them as possible, especially if you know some of their excuses/reasons for not saying yes to this point.