As Jesus told the Parable of the Banquet, He showed how God invites the unlikely. In this parable, a king sent out three invitations to a banquet. Each time, the people refused. Not only do they refuse a gracious invitation, but they also killed the messengers with the invitation.
Matthew 22:8 And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. 9 Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ 10 So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests. [1] Basically, this king went to the wrong parts of town to tell everyone and anyone they could come to the banquet. And come they did, in droves.
God is a Pursuer
The Lord has a love for humanity that is beyond our comprehension. No matter what has led us to run from the Lord, He seeks to win the affection of our hearts by faithfully pursuing us. We see this in the ministry of Jesus. Jesus ministered to the prostitutes and tax collectors, the blind and lame, all that were considered riff-raff by the Jewish leadership.
Jesus was a Jew, and Jewish prophets had foretold of Him. Thus, Jesus was offering salvation to the Jews, but they refused it. Acts 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles.[2]
Yet all through Scripture, God has pursued those who strayed. The Lord pursued Adam and Eve after they fell into sin when they ate from the tree they were commanded not to. (Genesis 3) God sought Hagar when she ran away from her problems with Sarah, Abraham’s wife. (Genesis 16). God pursued Saul on the road to Damascus and led him to repentance. (Acts 9) And God pursues us. The Lord pursued me to change careers and become a pastor.
The Unlikely Gentiles
The Jewish leadership that heard this parable would have Jesus crucified in a few short days. They refused to acknowledge that He was the Messiah. They would kill Him just as their ancestors had killed the prophets before them. But the good news is that God would send out messengers to tell the Gentiles of Jesus.
The Gentiles would be grafted in to receive the blessings of the covenant. Romans 11: 17 But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. 18 But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root. [3]
Simeon’s prophecy about Jesus at His birth was coming true. Luke 2:32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!” [4] Know that Jesus is still pursuing the unlikely. Will you say yes?
To learn how God invites the unlikely, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/parable-of-the-banquet
[1-4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.