Check out the featured post and read more here: https://www.ibelieve.com/devotionals/ibelieve-truth-a-devotional-for-women/the-time-is-now.html
“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet” (Luke 14:23-24, NIV).
During the early 1920s, 1922 to be exact, America was prospering. It was a time of great wealth, status, and invention. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby showcases this well, presenting the Prohibition era during the Jazz Age. As Nick Carraway recounts his experiences with Jay Gatsby, a poor man who became rich in his efforts to reinvent himself and the American dream, we learn two things:
- The Pursuit of the American Dream May Be Possible, But It’ll Leave Us Empty Inside.
- Money Can’t Buy You Happiness (or Friends for that matter).
What does this have to do with Jesus’ words in Luke 14? Jesus ate at the home of a prominent Pharisee, but while He was there, saw and healed a man in need. Instead of being applauded for this miracle, however, Jesus was questioned, condemned, and criticized. Notice how it’s the rich and popular in Scripture that usually understood Jesus the least? After addressing this matter, however, Jesus then noticed an issue in the seating.
Verse 7 tells us that the guests chose to sit in the places of honor. Using this as an opportunity to teach, Jesus told them 2 parables:
- Choosing to be humble at banquets (sitting in the lowest places rather than the seats of honor).
- The urgency of being ready for Jesus’ coming (the Great Banquet).
In the first parable, the lesson is simple: If you’re invited to a banquet, don’t think of yourself as more important than others. If you do, how embarrassing will it be when the host asks you to give up your seat for someone more important? Jesus adds a call to humble surrender here: “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 14:11, NIV).
