THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
21 June Anno + Domini 2009
"Come, for Everything is Now Readyâ€
Luke 14:15-24
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
"When one of those who reclined at table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, 'Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!'â€
At first glance, this sounds like a pious, faithful exclamation. But, there is a problem with it. The man who makes it uses the future tense. He says, "Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!†What he should have said is, "Blessed is everyone who eats bread in the kingdom of God!†After all, he makes this exclamation to Jesus, the Bread of Life Himself, and where Jesus is, there is the kingdom of God. But, he fails to realize this. He thinks the kingdom of God is some far away event in the distant future, that someday he shall partake of it. But, it's not. It is now. Blessed is everyone who hears the Word of God - now. Blessed is everyone whose transgressions are forgiven - now. Blessed is everyone who recognizes in Mary's Son the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world - now. Blessed is everyone who eats bread in the kingdom of God - now. The kingdom of God is a present reality, for where Jesus is, there is the kingdom of God.
To correct this man's misunderstanding and to teach the truth about the kingdom of God, Jesus uses a parable known as The Parable of the Great Banquet. It's about the gracious invitation God extends to all people to eat Bread in His kingdom and, thus, to be blessed. "Come, for everything is now ready,†God says. "I have fulfilled My promise. I sent My Son to live and die in your place. It is finished! He has appeased My wrath with His Holy, Innocent Blood. He has made peace between God and man. He has defeated sin, death, and the devil by His crucifixion. And, He lives! He is risen and has ascended to My right hand to rule over all things. Come and receive the blessings I long to bestow. Come into My House that I may serve you. Come and recline at My Table and eat Bread in My kingdom. Come, for everything is now ready.â€
Everything, that is, but the guests. They have lingering commitments and desires for themselves. God is ready; they are not. So, the excuses. They don't come right out and say that they don't want to come. They just don't want to come now. They have other responsibilities they have to attend to first. There's farming to do, oxen to test, honeymoons to enjoy. They'll respond to God's gracious invitation later. For now, they're just too busy. They have more pressing matters.
We can clearly see the foolishness of such behavior. The excuses people make for rejecting God's gracious invitation to come into His House and be fed by Him are thin and unconvincing. What they're really saying is, "Thanks for the offer, but I have better things to do with my time. Sunday is the only day I get to sleep in. I have things to do around the house. The golf course is calling my name. And, besides that, Church is boring.†They'll make extreme efforts to get to the doctor or to attend a family wedding; they'll wait in line for hours of boredom to take a five-minute ride at an amusement park; they'll rearrange schedules and cancel commitments to make sure they're in their favorite chair to watch their favorite T.V. show, because those things are important to them. But, don't ask too much effort of them to come and be fed by God.
Thus do the proud and arrogant think they can prey upon the generosity and patience of God. What they don't realize is that God views all excuses as the same - thin and unconvincing. He cannot be mocked. People may be able to convince us that they're just too busy for Church, but God knows the truth. He can see into the heart. It is futile to offer Him cheap excuses. People who try are guilty of despising God and rejecting His gracious invitation, just like the men in the parable.
But, beware, O Christian, for the temptation is to say, "Think God we're not like those people.†Really? Which of us is not guilty of making excuses for why we can't accept God's gracious invitation to come and be fed by Him because we're just too busy? Which of us is not guilty of bending over backwards to fulfill our own sinful wants and desires, but won't do the same to serve the Lord? Which of us has not sat in Church and wished the Service were over already? Which of us has not been bored in Church and daydreamed not just of lunch and appointments for the week, not just of fame and fortune and dreams come true, but sat in these very pews and dreamed of evil? Even plotted to sin? We've lusted and coveted, lied and blasphemed even within sight of the altar, while the Word of God was read and His great love proclaimed. It is not just those who are missing who are guilty. We, too, have been guilty of wanting the best of both worlds - the pleasures of the flesh, honor among men, luxuries, freedom, constant amusement AND the joys and peace of heaven. Who is ready to lose his job, his family, his reputation, and his wealth for the kingdom of God? We promised that at confirmation. Did we really mean it?
Repent, dear friends, for this parable is not only about God's gracious invitation, it's also about the urgent need to respond. Do not think that you can enjoy the forbidden fruit now and grasp heaven for cheap when it is more convenient. Hear the warning. God says, "None of those men who were invited shall taste My banquet.†He will not be mocked. Now is the hour of salvation. Tomorrow may never come. Blessed is everyone who eats Bread in the kingdom of God now, not later. God is not fooled by superficial acts and lip-service, by going through the motions. He is not appeased by excuses. Stop playing games with your fate, planning to sin now and repent later. Stop posturing before men and spewing lies like David pretending to be a noble hero for bringing the war-widow Bathsheba into his house. Stop thinking that your sins are reasonable and bring no guilt or that you have some special relationship to God where He indulges your sins. Stop believing that your mere presence in Church guarantees heaven. Repent. Repent now. There is but one case of death-bed repentance in all of Scripture, so that while no man should despair and think it is too late, neither should anyone presume there is time later. The invitation is not for tomorrow. It is for today. It is right now. Everything is now ready!
Far too often, we think like the man who said, "Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God.†We think of the kingdom of God in future terms, failing to realize that it is a present reality. Listen to the words of St. Paul: "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the Blood of Christ . . . so then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone†(Eph. 2:13, 19-20).
Did you hear it? Now, not later, you are citizens of the kingdom of God. You were made citizens of God's kingdom when He Himself gave you His Name and welcomed you into His royal family through Holy Baptism. You were miraculously regenerated and ushered into God's kingdom, washed clean by God's Word combined with the water which flows from Christ's side into the baptismal font. You belong to His kingdom now. You have forgiveness, life, and salvation right now. And, while it is true that you will experience the blessings of God's kingdom in full only when you depart this vale of tears, that joy to come, that glory to be revealed, is already yours now. For you are already God's adopted children, forgiven by Grace, in whom He abides.
And already now, here in this place, He gathers us around Himself and feeds us with Food that money can't buy, with Bread that will not waste, with crucified Flesh and spilt Blood that is not dead, which satisfies righteousness. Already now, here at His Table, we enjoy the Marriage Feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which has no end. Here at this altar, my dear friends in Christ, we confess our sins and receive absolution, for here we are privileged and blessed to dwell in the kingdom of God, for where Christ is, there is the kingdom of God.
Therefore, "Come, for everything is now ready.†Respond to the invitation of Wisdom, who is Christ Himself, who says, "Come, eat of My Bread and drink of the Wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and walk in the way of insight†(Prov. 9:5-6). Everything is now ready. It is all finished. All debts are paid, all sins removed, all shame forgotten in the death Christ died once for all and in the resurrection He rose to bring us home. There is nothing left to do but to receive. Come. Don't delay. Come now, and don't stop coming, for you are in constant need of the nourishment provided you here. Come and be filled by Him. Taste and see that the Lord is good. And, tasting and seeing that the Lord is good, share that goodness with others. Take heed of the urgency in the parable not only for yourself, but for those who do not know Christ. Don't think that there will be time later to share the Gospel with your unbelieving family and friends. Tell them now, for the Day is coming when invitations to the Lord's banquet will no longer be sent. Blessed is everyone who eats Bread in the kingdom of God - now. Blessed are you! May the Lord use you as His witnesses that many more may be likewise blessed. In Jesus' Holy and Precious Name. Amen.
Now the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting. Amen.