September 30th, 20

There’s a Seat at His Table

Today’s readings are Zechariah 10-12, Psalm 126, and Luke 14.  We are reading from the New Living Translation.

 – eventually. But those first recipients of the invitation, valued their own lives above the Master’s, so they had all kind of excuses. I’ve got to tend to this – I just purchased this – this just happened to me. So there was no lack of excuses offered.  In the end, these folks were left out of the party, by their own choosing and doing.  But then, the poor, crippled, lame and blind – those with no self-interest to speak of – responded to the invitation.  The had no excuses.  They had only gratitude.  

Right on the heels of this story, Luke tells us that there were crowds that were following Jesus.  But Jesus tests these crowds. It seems that they, too, were there after their own self-interests.  Jesus had just finished telling the story of people who had gotten caught up pursuing their own self-interests, over God.  Now he has a whole crowd following him.  He tells them that if their following him, is about them looking to promote themselves and their own interests, than they’ve got him all wrong.  One has to hate oneself and one’s own life, like the poor, blind, crippled, lame beggars who were in that story.  They hated their lives.  They came to the banquet, grateful that they were being offered a new kind of life, being seated at a table and honored by the Master.  

This kind of humility is the only requirement to be his disciple and have a seat at the table. So Jesus turns around and tells this large crowd of people who were pursuing their own self-interests – you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own, your self-ambition, your own attempts to save yourself, your past, your addictions, your pride, and your arrogance.  You’ve got to give up everything you own – hate it. When you do that, the power to give up everything that owns you, will be yours.  

When we give up everything we own, we realize that God has given us the power to give up everything that owns us.  There is so much that owns us – our need to be recognized, our pride, arrogance, our past, our shame.  These things can owns us, but Jesus can set us free.  He invites us to the table. He wants us to recognize that we are poor, blind, miserable beggars who’ve just been invited to a banquet! When we respond and come to His Table, all that once owned us will be no more, and we will experience the freedom and power of the Master.  We will be seated with Him, at his banquet, being made new.

May we recognize who we are apart from Him – poor, blind, miserable beggars with nothing. There is an invitation to come join Him at His table, and experience His abundant Life.

You are loved!