Wednesday of Trinity 3

No Excuses

Luke 14:16-24 (ESV) Jesus said, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’ ”

Excuses, excuses. You know what they say about them. Sometimes our excuses are legit, caused by illness or emergency. But often we sinners make up excuses to rationalize or cover up our ingratitude or laziness or mistakes.

In Luke 14, Jesus tells a parable to show how some people reject the invitation to be part of His Kingdom. He tells the story about the excuse-making men because he wants us to understand that God has issued the invitation to be saved through the Gospel, as Jesus says, “Come to Me…and you will find rest for your souls” and “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.” “Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved.”

Jesus and His salvation are more than just one priority among others; they are the most important thing in the entire world. Eternal life and eternal death are at stake. And those who make Jesus and the Gospel a lesser priority—those who place money or work or sex or pleasure above the Lord God—Jesus directs these terrifying words at them: “I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.” Once they rejected the invitation by asking to be excused, there was no way back into His good graces; all that was left for them was hell, eternal darkness, fire, and damnation.

Let us repent and believe the Gospel! Cast away all your excuses and face up to God’s judgment: the excuses you make for your laziness, or addictions, or your lusts, or your lack of desire to come to church and pay careful attention to God’s Word, or your stinginess, or selfishness, or hatred, or your failure to pray regularly and frequently—whatever sins you try to excuse and explain away—God sees right through them.

But take heart! There’s an answer to our guilt: the sufferings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from every sin, the righteousness of Christ that allows one to stand justified before God. And in the Christian Church, Christ invites you to feast at His banquet, to be absolved of your guilt, to find comfort in the Holy Gospel that proclaims your Savior to you, and even to receive His body given and blood shed for the forgiveness of all your sins. He promises you a seat of honor in His Kingdom forever. And through the Holy Spirit, God also promises to help and aid you in your fight against sin and in your struggle to do good works. He promises that through His Word and Sacraments He renews in you the gift of His Holy Spirit to lead and guide you in the paths of righteousness all the days of your life.

Jesus concludes the parable by having the man round up the poor and lame and blind to come to His banquet. God’s Kingdom belongs to the poor in spirit—poor, miserable sinners, who trust in Christ for salvation; it belongs to those who make no excuses before His judgment, but they throw themselves at His mercy and beg for forgiveness and the strength to live a new life, to put to death the old sinful flesh and rise up to newness of life, and finally, when our last hour comes, to be received into His eternal Kingdom in heaven. This is all wrapped up in Christ’s gracious invitation to you: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.” And there’s no excuse for rejecting that wonderful invitation.

Prayer: O Lord, our God, we acknowledge Your great goodness toward us and praise You for the mercy and grace that our eyes have seen, our ears have heard, and our hearts have known. We sincerely repent of the sins of this day and those in the past. Pardon our offenses, correct and reform what is lacking in us, and help us to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Inscribe Your law upon our hearts, and equip us to serve You with holy and blameless lives. May each day remind us of the coming of the night when no one can work. In the emptiness of this present age keep us united by a living faith through the power of Your Holy Spirit with Him who is the resurrection and the life, that we may escape the eternal bitter pains of condemnation. By Your Holy Spirit bless the preaching of Your Word and the administration of Your Sacraments. Preserve these gifts to us and to all Christians. Guard and protect us from all dangers to body and soul. Grant that we may with faithful perseverance receive from You our sorrows as well as our joys, knowing that health and sickness, riches and poverty, and all things come by permission of Your fatherly hand. Keep us this day under Your protective care and preserve us, securely trusting in Your everlasting goodness and love, for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.