When you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you

 Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.  But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."

Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"  Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.'  But they all with one accord began to make excuses.  The first said to him, 'I have bought  a piece of ground, and I must go and see it.  I ask you to have me excused.'  And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them.  I ask you to have me excused.'  Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'  So that servant came and reported these things to his master.  Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.'  And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.'  Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.'"

- Luke 14:12-24

In yesterday's reading, we read that as Jesus went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely.  And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy.  And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"  But they kept silent.  And He took him and healed him, and let him go.  Then He answered them, saying, "Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?"  And they could not answer Him regarding these things.  So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them:  "When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.  But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.'  Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.  For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 Then He also sad to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.  But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."    My study bible tells us that this "story of God's compassion toward the poor appears only in Luke.  To share hospitality with the needy is to imitate God's love which welcomes the lowly into the banquet of His Kingdom."  But elsewhere we read of a similar idea of exchange:  in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus says to someone has has already followed all the commandments of the Law, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven."  Elsewhere, He teaches, "When you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."  There is a kind of exchange that occurs in His way of thinking, and at all times this exchange is at work, so that we who keep in mind this Kingdom of heaven, are always at work somehow within it and within its sphere and influence.  In this kind of exchange, the things we do for others -- particularly for those who are left outside, who cannot do for themselves -- are loved by God.

 Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"  My study bible tells us, "This is an inspirational, although little-known, beatitude.  The purpose of life is to join in the sharing of bread in the kingdom of God, a partaking of the eternal love of God."  The theme continues of the power and the immediacy of this kingdom, the promise of the eternal life that intersects worldly lives through faith.

Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.'  But they all with one accord began to make excuses.  The first said to him, 'I have bought  a piece of ground, and I must go and see it.  I ask you to have me excused.'"  My study bible says of this parable that it "exemplifies God's Kingdom, imaged in the ministry of Christ and later in the Church. The Kingdom is filled with outcasts and Gentiles, while the unresponsive privileged guests shut themselves out with their excuses."  In this first example, we note the busyness of the world, the things with which we are occupied, what we put first.  If it "blots out" the urgencies of the kingdom, the things which we are to keep in mind through all things in our lives, then we err in our own judgments and priorities.

"And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them.  I ask you to have me excused.'"  Again, it is business that takes priority over what we put first, here.  It reminds us of Jesus' comparison regarding healing on the Sabbath, and the value put on the farm animals over human beings, in yesterday's reading, and also the reading from Tuesday.  We consider our values, what we place value on, and how we prioritize.

"Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'"  This example is also about worldly affairs, but those of the social sphere, worldly relations and institutions -- even that of family does not come first.  It doesn't mean that we don't do all these things, that we aren't concerned with them:  but it means that the priority of the Kingdom in fact gives us a higher consideration, one that places all else in relationship to it.

"So that servant came and reported these things to his master.  Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.'  And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.'  Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.'"   Here, as my study bible put it, is the denouement of this parable:  "The Kingdom is filled with outcasts and Gentiles, while the unresponsive privileged guests shut themselves out with their excuses."  The message is very clear:  what we think we have, what worldly position would tell us, is in fact something that can get in the way of our ultimate good, a true understanding of life in all its facets -- including its most important ones.  The "poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind" are those who haven't put all the worldly things first, who haven't got the concerns and obligations of those with more possessions and worldly affairs; they are all those who are in some way "without" in a worldly sense.

Again, we see the "exchange" of the Kingdom.  Those who haven't got worldly affairs and obligations that get in the way of the things of God are rewarded in a much greater way through this exchange.  But I feel that we cannot take these passages out of context; we must view them in the context of the Gospel, and especially that which comes before it.  So let us take a look at Jesus' continual pleas in this Gospel:  repeatedly we have heard Him ask what is lawful on the Sabbath:  "To do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"  He compares the value put on farm animals, those things which generate wealth, to the apparent lack of value, in practice, put on the healing (and unbinding) of human beings.  So we have to take these parables into the context of the Lord's doing, the things of God:  and healing takes on more cosmic proportions.  We heal ourselves, and our society, through putting this Kingdom first.  The worth God sees in the poor and the maimed, the lame and the blind -- those who in His immediate time and place of the Incarnation, and also in most of the world today, cannot generate wealth and worldly possessions on an equal basis to those who are not in some way doing without -- is repeatedly emphasized by Jesus.  This is God's vision.  It's not about what we have, it's not about what the world prioritizes, but to see with God's sight is to put a proper value on all things and on our fellow human beings, and what this community should be in God's sight.  The message is that if we have our priorities straight, we will come to view life in a light that teaches us different things than a worldly outlook would dictate; the bottom line is what we value and the skewed priorities that a material outlook create.  Who has what, and what calamities or misfortune may befall others, are all misleading ways to see and to judge in a total sense.  The healing comes from our priorities in God's Kingdom, what comes first.  It's a plea for the true value of human beings, and the capabilities inherent in faith, that would teach us right-relatedness in all things. 

Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!

Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."

Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!" Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.' But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.' Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in her the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.' And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.' Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.'"

- Luke 14:12-24

In Saturday's reading, Jesus healed a man (with dropsy) on the Sabbath, in spite of the Pharisees' presence at table. He then told a parable of "good manners" - the behavior of humility at a wedding feast, not assuming that one will be in the most exalted place, lest we be moved to a lower. But rather, assuming a lower place so that one may be moved to a higher. "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just." A note in my study bible reads, "This story of God's compassion toward the poor appears only in Luke. To share hospitality with the needy is to imitate God's love which welcomes the lowly into the banquet of His Kingdom." I think that it's not only illustrative about God's compassion, as my study bible notes, but of a whole array of elements of the nature of God. There is also a kind of important sense of justice and judgment here. The reward comes to us in other ways, when we do not "play the game" for worldly reward. This is a very important aspect of what we might call the "karma" (a popularly used word) of the Gospels. As we pray to our Father who is in the secret place, so the things we do in secret will be rewarded by that Father. It is an important sense of exchange and dependent on humility (as illustrated in yesterday's reading). We must be humble enough to receive a reward others may not necessarily see, and act in ways others may not necessarily appreciate - to benefit those who cannot pay us back directly.

Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!" My study bible notes, "This is an inspirational, although little-known, beatitude. The purpose of life is to join in the sharing of bread in the kingdom of God, a partaking of the eternal love of God." An important emphasis continues here on the centrality of life in this Kingdom, and how it must impact on us in our daily lives and choices. It must be alive to us and in us as we take our place in the world of our daily lives, work and practices. Looked at in this way, life can be a constant feast of celebration of that life in the Kingdom - just as we understand the angels always to celebrate as we celebrate the liturgy.

Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.' But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.' Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in her the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.' And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.' Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.'" My study bible says: "This parable exemplifies God's Kingdom, imaged in the ministry of Christ and later in the Church. The Kingdom is filled with outcasts and Gentiles, while the unresponsive privileged guests shut themselves out with their excuses (v. 18)." The language in this story parallels that of a parable in the Gospel of Matthew about a king's wedding feast for his son - see Many are called but few are chosen. Luke's meaning here may imply the same message, but gives us glimpses of other facets of God's nature and that of God's kingdom that we may find in context. Coming after the teaching on helping those who cannot directly pay us back, and the "quiet" beatitude about eating the bread in the kingdom of God, it reinforces the idea that we are to make time daily - midst our worldly lives - to keep this kingdom and this feast paramount in our hearts and minds. We must make room for it, make time for it, pay attention as we live our lives.

Jesus has taught the two greatest commandments as follows, "'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' " When we put God and God's kingdom first and foremost in our hearts and minds, this becomes the central place from which we live our lives in the world, and the direction by which we then extend that kingdom - and ALL that goes with it - to our neighbor, in "right-relatedness." There are many, many reasons for the commandments and their order of importance. Placing that Kingdom first - with its feast, its celebration of love and mercy, its understanding of justice, and so much more about the nature of God - gives us a template through which we are to view the world and our relationships in it. This is essential because so much can go wrong if we are simply focused on "the group" (no matter what group that is) and our work in the world as the sole place we seek God. Justice demands (as illustrated in today's reading) that we recognize those who are unseen. Justice demands that we see the injustice that exists in this world that will pick out scapegoats and those who are left out of its favors. We cannot do this from a worldly framework alone - there will always be those whom we miss. This is the unfortunate nature of a fallen world. Jesus' death on the Cross, as scapegoat, while the crowds are spurred to cheer His death, exemplifies why we put thoughts of the feast in that Kingdom first, why we love God first - because there are times when we will have to stand out from the crowd in order to exemplify that love and that justice and mercy - that compassion for the hidden, and the ones who cannot pay us back. How do you put God - and the great feast in that kingdom of God's love - first, today? Midst our daily lives, I think it's important to dwell on that feast, to celebrate this Kingdom and this love, and to cherish it in our hearts first before all things. Thus we may feed those who need feeding, and do the things that need to be done, in the eyes of our Father who is in the secret place.