Last week we heard the sad tale of Lazarus the poor beggar who was passed by each day by the rich man. Yet he was comforted in eternal life. This week we hear this good news that those who are poor, crippled, lame and blind are the ones who ARE invited to the feast prepared by the rich man. But this time the rich man is not just some guy with a lot of money, it is the Lord Himself who prepares the banquet. And the banquet is not just some food to eat but it is the Gospel itself: the rich feast of salvation in God's kingdom, prepared by Christ to which we are invited through the preaching of the Gospel. Hearing this Gospel call, let us forsake whatever there is in our life which would become an excuse for not receiving the Lord's gifts. And let us eagerly and with great joy receive the invitation to partake of the feast in the Lord's kingdom, to which such poor, blind, lame, crippled sinners as you and I have been invited!
Jesus tells of a man who prepared a feast. A great supper or banquet. This is the feast of the kingdom of God. How is the feast of God's kingdom prepared? What has gone into the preparation of this banquet? All that the Lord Christ has done for our salvation. From the first promise of a Savior given to Adam and Eve, to the giving of the Ten Commandments to guide and instruct us in our lives and to teach us our sinfulness. To the coming of the Son of God in the flesh, to live an obedient and holy life, to take upon Himself our sins, to suffer and die at the hands of sinners on behalf of sinners. To shed His blood on the cross and be judged for our sins. To be the Lamb of God who is sacrificed when the sins of the world are laid upon Him. To rise triumphant over death on the third day and to ascend to the right hand of the Father, having accomplished the salvation of the world. Having overcome sin, death and the devil, the Son reports back to the Father that the feast is ready. The banquet of salvation is spread. The table is set. The feast may begin. All that is lacking are the guests! And so the Lord, having prepared this kingdom banquet sends His servants into the world to invite the guests and call people to the feast.
How does the Lord gather the guests? He sends His servants to invite many to the feast. Who are these servants? They are the men called to fill the apostolic office of preaching the Gospel. At first these servants were the Apostles themselves, called by Christ to be His witnesses to the world. Then they are the men ever since called through the church and ordained by Christ to be in His stead and to invite people by His command to the feast. This inviting is done by the preaching of the Gospel. To everyone everywhere goes the invitation: come to the feast. Good and bad. Greatest and least. Come to the feast! Come, believe in Christ! Come confess your sins and be absolved! Come and learn Christ's Word and become a disciples by being where His Word is preached and taught and His doctrine is given out. Now understand this Gospel feast prepared by Christ includes the Sacrament of the Altar, but it is more than the Sacrament of the Altar. Lest we think Jesus' story is teaching us that we are simply to let anyone come to Christ's table as many churches in our Synod do, let us understand that Christ's servants call and invite people to the feast through all that they do in making disciples by baptizing and teaching all nations all of Christ's Word. You either reject Christ's Word or receive it. It's all together. You can't have one thing without all things. You can't say, “I'll come to communion but never mind all that Catechism stuff.” Or, “I'll join and be a member of the church but never come to the Divine Service” Or, I'll come to church but never mind all that Bible Study stuff.” ALL of the Lord's Gospel gifts: Baptism, Absolution, the preaching and teaching of the Gospel and the Supper—all of these things are what is meant by the feast that Jesus describes! And they are all prepared by Christ for you!
But Jesus tells of those who were invited who did not want to come. Here is taught that even though the Lord has prepared this great feast, and even though He has kindly invited all, people still refuse to hear the Gospel and believe it. They refuse to hear Christ's Word and be His disciples. They had excuses. Notice that they were not engaged in gross and terrible sins, but excused themselves because of the ordinary things of this life which they held to be more important than the feast prepared for them. Dear Christians, it is not at all wrong to hold property or be married. These are gifts of God! However, when the things that the Lord gives us become more important to us than the Lord Himself, then we have made His gifts into idols. Dear Christians, what things do you cling to in this life on account of which you would like to be excused from attending the feast? Money? Property? Jobs? Hobbies? Health? People? What things are there in your life that would keep you from believing the Gospel and seeking all of your good in the feast that the Lord invites you to? Repent of such idolatry and turn from those things to fear, love and trust in Christ above all things! To reject the Gospel is to choose the way of foolishness, according to the Proverbs. Solomon writes in the Proverbs: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Thus, the fool doesn't want Wisdom's banquet. The fool wants everything in the world except to fear and know the Lord. The fool wants no Bible, no catechism, no preaching, no confessing and being absolved, no Supper, no living for God's glory, and no loving and serving their his neighbor. Dear Christians, let us repent of the foolishness which seeks anything and everything but Christ and His Word.
But if you are poor, if you are blind, lame, crippled—if you are a poor beggar as Lazarus was, then rejoice for the Lord invites you! He calls to you and says, “This feast of salvation is yours!” If you are a fool, rejoice! If you don't know the Lord as you should, have not kept His commandments, have acted and lived foolishly, that is, by seeking your happiness in something other than than the Lord, then rejoice that Wisdom invites you to her banquet! True wisdom, after all, is to confess that you are a fool and in need of God's mercy! If you are a sinner in this world, incapable of loving and trusting the Lord as you ought to, and incapable of loving your neighbor as the Lord has commanded you, then rejoice! For the feast is ready. Hear the invitation in the preaching of the Savior who has made all things ready by His death and resurrection. Wash up for dinner in the waters of Holy Baptism, where the Lord brings you into His household, the church. Hear the call to eat through the preaching of the Gospel and the Absolution of your sins. Then come and feast upon the flesh and blood of the Savior who is both Host and Food at the banquet of salvation. Dear Christian, don't be like the well-to-do with their excuses for not hearing and believing God's Word. Rather be the poor, blind, lame and crippled whom the Lord invites into His house to feast at His dinner of salvation.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, the feast of salvation is for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. The Lord promises that they will be filled. For those who are wise in their own eyes, healthy, without sin, or without much sin, full of themselves and their own opinions and religion, the feast of God can never compete. It can't compete with the glory and flattery of men and the idols people make for themselves. But for the lost, the hungry, those unable to fear God, unable to love their neighbor, the poor and crippled from the highways and byways—for such sinners like you and me, the feast is ready. Christ has prepared it through His life, death and resurrection. And now, on behalf of the Master of the House, I, his called slave, invite you to dinner. The dinner of salvation. The feast is ready! Come to the feast! The Lord's banquet prepared by Christ where you are the guest of honor! In Jesus' name. Amen.
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