Then the master of the house... said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
Luke 14:21
Never has there been a parable that so encompassed the passion, love, and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord came to seek and to save that which was lost. As the lord of this parable speaks to his servants, we can quickly see the symbolism between the lord of the parable and the Lord telling the parable. As the lord of the parable sends out his servants to invite men and women to the grand supper he is preparing, he is not partial or particular in his invitation. He simply says, Go. Go wherever the people are. If they are in the streets, go there. If they are in the lanes of the city, go there. But quickly we realize that there is something different about the invitation from this lord. He does something out of sync with the norm. His bidding is not just to the rich, but it is to the poor, maimed, halt, and blind. His mission was not to feed those who were fed, but to feed those who were hungry. He didn’t come to cover the rich, but to clothe the poor.
Luke 14:21
Never has there been a parable that so encompassed the passion, love, and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord came to seek and to save that which was lost. As the lord of this parable speaks to his servants, we can quickly see the symbolism between the lord of the parable and the Lord telling the parable. As the lord of the parable sends out his servants to invite men and women to the grand supper he is preparing, he is not partial or particular in his invitation. He simply says, Go. Go wherever the people are. If they are in the streets, go there. If they are in the lanes of the city, go there. But quickly we realize that there is something different about the invitation from this lord. He does something out of sync with the norm. His bidding is not just to the rich, but it is to the poor, maimed, halt, and blind. His mission was not to feed those who were fed, but to feed those who were hungry. He didn’t come to cover the rich, but to clothe the poor.
Oh, can we not see the love of God through this passage? The Lord of the harvest cares deeply about all men and women. He doesn’t look at the thickness of a man’s wallet. He cares for the hurting soul. He doesn’t care about the baggage a person brings with them to the feast. Emotional and physical issues are no drawback to God. If you are poor, you are welcome. If you are maimed, you are welcome. If you are halt or blind, you are welcome. The Lord of Glory bids all who will, draw near to Him. He will take your brokenness and loneliness and turn them into wholeness and companionship. He has the ability to turn your disease and sickness into wellness and health.
Also within the confines of this passage we see a mandate to God’s servants. The Lord of the parable told his servants to go where the hurting people were. Oh how often do we turn our heads from broken people in order to find a fat cat to pad our offerings? We look for the socialite who will bring notoriety to our congregation. May we turn our eyes away from the size of a man’s pocket book and turn to the need of his heart. May God show us to go where the hurting people are and may we usher them to the hospital of God’s hope.
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