Luke 14:15-23 (ESV)

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!” But [Jesus] said to him, “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.

Jesus corrects with a Parable. The one reclining at the table says blessing comes to those that reach a destination. But Jesus has a different direction intended with his message. Blessing does not always come with destination--blessing comes to those eager to receive it. In this Parable we can see the very picture of Jesus trying to relate to people. The master's feast is the forgiveness God intends to bless everyone with. He sends the ultimate servant, his son Jesus, to seek out all the guests he can. However, Jesus finds people occupied with work, possessions, and relationships. People are too busy to accept the gift. So what happens? The master commands the servant to focus on those who will respond--the poor, the blind, and the lame. Sounds like Jesus talks from a familiar frustration. He wants to bless all people now, not in the future; however, people let stuff get in the way of blessings. This passage really speaks for itself. There exists a great feast with room for many to join. We may take the opportunity to know God; but we may never get to the point of knowing him if our possessions own us. It makes me ask the question: Am I master or am I mastered by things?    

 Luke 14: 5

And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?”

According to tradition the Sabbath is met to be a day of rest. Primarily Jesus asks this question to point out hypocrisy, but he also points to the undeniable hold stuff has on people; people give stuff an unnecessary priority. The Pharisees give Jesus a hard time for healing on the Sabbath, saying it isn't rest but work. Basically Jesus says, "Search you hearts, you would make a special exception to save the stuff on your heart! So why give me a hard time for taking care of the stuff on my heart?"  What belongs to Jesus? We belong to Jesus. He will not abandon his family.  While I think about whether or not possessions master me--I think about the heart. What's on my heart? Jesus basically says all humanity is on his heart--we all are his by right. Each person could be marked as "Property of Jesus--bought with blood." 

From Luke 14 I see an undeniable message that Jesus seeks to reconcile people to his Father's will: to establish a kingdom with people that have hearts devoted to doing his will. As God's people we teach, heal, and love one another.  As Christians we need to center our hearts on Jesus, and in turn invite as many others to join in. So one day God may be able to say, "My house is full."