The Second Sunday after Trinity

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Our Lord’s Parable of the Great Supper is a parable about wisdom. A man hosted a great supper and invited many people. But when dinner time came, the guests made excuses and refused to come. So, the master sent out his servants to invite anyone and everyone so that his house might be filled. This parable illustrates the kingdom of God. For the Lord desires His great and eternal supper in the new creation to be filled with guests. Even though some have rejected His invitation, still He sends out servants to extend the invitation to anyone and everyone. This parable shows us the wisdom of God—which is an eternal wisdom. Even though some reject His invitation, still His heart yearns to see His house filled. But this parable also shows the wisdom of men—which is a short-sighted wisdom. Worldly priorities always seem to get in the way of the things of God. Therefore, today we will consider how: Godly wisdom is different than worldly wisdom.

In the verse immediately preceding today’s reading, a man says to our Lord:

“Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!” (Luke 14:15).

Yes, such a person is blessed, indeed! For this is the goal of life in this world—that we might be given the crown of life and dine at the Lord’s banqueting table for eternity. But not everyone shares this man’s eternal perspective. Not everyone is focused on attaining eternal life. Our Lord’s parable reveals this truth.

He tells of three men who made excuses when the final call went out to come to the supper. The first man said:

“I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused” (Luke 14:18).

This excuse centers around the earth—its potential, its goodness, and man’s desire to explore and cultivate it. The second man said:

“I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused” (Luke 14:19).

This excuse centers around possessions—the acquiring and enjoyment of them and the productivity they can bring. The third man said:

“I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come” (Luke 14:20).

This excuse centers around relationships—both companionship and pleasure.

Notice what all these excuses have in common—they are all grounded in good gifts of God. The earth is a wonderful place, blessed by God. It is a place to explore, to create, and to bring order out of chaos. Likewise, possessions are a good gift of God. He gives them to us, and He desires that they be protected—so much so that He instituted the Seventh Commandment. Likewise, relationships are good gifts of God. The Lord God gave the first man his wife, for it is not good for man to be alone. The joys of relationships and the pleasures of marriage are good gifts from God.

But while these excuses are grounded in good things, our Lord is clear that these excuses are not valid. The men who make excuses have their invitations revoked. Their place at the table is filled by someone who will not spurn the invitation:

“For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper” (Luke 14:24).

Dear friends in Christ, this parable is a warning for us, lest our thinking be shaped by this kind of worldly wisdom. There is a certain amount of wisdom to the first man’s statement. He has just made a purchase. If he does not go and make the fullest use of his investment, then why did he make the purchase in the first place? The same is true of the second and third man. The second man ought to make the best use out of his purchase, making sure that the oxen are able to perform at an adequate level to justify the purchase. And the third man’s excuse makes some amount of sense too. If you are going to be married, then you need to invest in your relationship. Whether it is productivity or enjoyment, the excuses of these three men are grounded in a worldly wisdom. And yet, Christ’s parable condemns this wisdom. And His parable is a warning for us.

How often are we tempted to make these same kinds of excuses? The Lord lays before us a great Supper—His Body and Blood given and shed for the forgiveness of our sins. And this great Supper strengthens us in our faith and life so that we might attain to the eternal Supper in the new creation. But how often do we make the same kinds of excuses? “I need to enjoy the earth! The gardening has to get done while the weather is right.” “Camping season is so short—I have to take advantage when I can!” “I have a hobby, and Sunday mornings are the only time I have to enjoy it!” “I’m so behind on work, and this is my only chance to catch up.” “I need some family time.” “My spouse and I need to get away for the weekend for some ‘us’ time.” The excuses never end. And as with the men’s excuses in our Lord’s parable, our excuses for missing church are usually grounded in good gifts of God. And yet, our excuse is inexcusable. Why? Because there is something better and more important than the things of this world.

This is what worldly wisdom will never comprehend. The world understands rationality, productivity, and pleasure. The world does not understand eternity. If we were forced to spend the whole week snacking on a limited amount of crackers and cheese, and then once a week a free, all-you-can-eat buffet was opened—filled with the most delicious and highest quality food that you could imagine—if this was the case, people would wait in line for hours to eat of this food. The fact of the matter is, in His infinite wisdom, Christ offers something far greater than earthly food here in the Divine Service. He gives us a foretaste of the eternal feast to come. But the empty pews throughout this room testify to the discrepancy between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of the world. If the Church gave out earthly food, people would flock here. And this reveals what we think is real and what truly matters to us. We want our bellies to be filled. We want to be productive. We want to have nice things. We want to enjoy the company of others and the pleasure of marriage. But our Lord warns us to be ware, lest these things take us away from the great Supper which He offers.

The famous Proverb, which we heard in today’s Prophecy, says:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10a).

The essence of Godly wisdom is that we would learn to submit ourselves to Him. The men who made excuses in our Lord’s parable thought they knew what was best for them. But it is the Lord alone who has our best interests in mind. We are so quick to make decisions based on the present alone. Were this not true, there would be a lot less debt in the world, grocery stores would not display junk food so prominently, and storage facilities would not be in such high demand. But God’s wisdom is greater than ours. He invites us to set aside the excuses and to receive from Him.

Dear friends in Christ, we all need to stop making excuses to skip church, to neglect reading the Bible and prayer, and to skip family devotions. What feels like law—something I must do—can sometimes be more than it appears. Stop making excuses. Come to church every week. Read your Bible every day. Pray regularly and frequently. When you do these things, you will find that what seems like work is actually just receiving from God. He is the one who provides the great Supper of His Body and Blood. He is the one who gives us His Spirit through the Scriptures. He is our Father who is more ready to hear than we are to pray and who desires to give more than we either desire or deserve.

The tragedy of our Lord’s parable of the Great Supper is that far too many people fail to see the goodness of what Christ offers to us in His Word and Sacraments. They begrudge it as something not worth their time. May God the Holy Spirit grant each one of us eyes to see the goodness of the Lord’s gifts in Word and Sacrament. May He grant us hearts to desires these gifts. And may He grant us His wisdom which supersedes the wisdom of the world.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.