我和內人住在亞洲的時候有很多次朋友請我們吃酒席.菜都美味可口.大家吃得高高興興.記得在70年代初的時候,一個朋友,姓余.余先生家里沒有什么錢,但他們很喜歡吃人家的喜酒.有一次余先生被朋友邀請參加他兒子結婚典禮.事實上他們沒有錢送紅包,但他很想吃喜酒,于是,為了不拒絕朋友的邀請,余先生和太太兩三天不吃飯,省下飯錢送紅包慶祝朋友兒子的結婚.

你我也那麼重視人家的邀請嗎?如果市長請客,我們會去嗎?如果總理大人請客我們會去嗎?如果我們住在古代,皇帝請客,我們會去嗎?

我們很難想象這些人為什麼不去吃那個人的宴席.事實上他們一開始告訴主人說他們要去的.以後又反悔了.

在耶穌的比喻里,那主人代表天上的神,被請的人代表當時的猶太人.當時的猶太人～很多正在拒絕耶穌,也就是拒絕神為他們預備的屬靈的宴席,拒絕神為他們預備的救恩.神藉著耶穌和耶穌所講的道,並耶穌所作的事,把屬靈的宴席擺在猶太人的面前,讓他們好好的欣賞,但他們不要.今天神把同樣的屬靈的宴席擺在我們的面前,請我們欣賞,參與,吃,喝.我們不要像耶穌所說的那些人,拒絕神的邀請,神的救恩.相反地,我們應該歡喜快樂的接受,痛痛快快接受神所擺上的宴席.

我們已經說過,如果市長請客,我們一定會去.如果總理請我們吃飯,我們必定到.現在創造宇宙萬物人類的神已經請我們進入他的宴會,我們不要拒絕吧!神的邀請卡就是《聖經》,包括《聖經》裏面的信息說耶穌愛我們,為我們死在十字架上.神的宴席就是他要賜給我們的救恩.

為了有面子吃人家的喜酒,余先生兩天不吃飯,好省下錢來送紅包.天上的神不要我們任何紅包,他只要我們參加他的宴席.我希望你也會接受神的邀請.

When our son married, we invited our friends to the wedding to enjoy the occasion with us. In fact, on many occasions, such as dinners, weddings, company or work unit activities, etc, all of us enjoy attending sumptuous banquets.

Friends invited us to weddings on many occasions while my wife and I lived in Asia. At each dinner the food was delicious and was enjoyed by everyone. I recall during the 1970’s we knew a family surnamed Yu. The Yu’s were not wealthy but it was always their joy to attend a banquet. On one occasion Mr. and Mrs. Yu were invited to the wedding of a good friend but they did not have enough money for the customary red envelope; they really wanted to attend the wedding however. In order not to refuse their friend’s invitation, Mr. and Mrs. Yu fasted for two or three days. They took the money they otherwise would have spent on food and prepared their red envelope.

Perhaps you and I would also take an invitation so seriously. If the mayor were to invite us to dinner, would we go? If the president were to invite us, would we attend? If we lived in ancient times and were to receive an invitation from the emperor, would we accept?

In ancient times, the Jews also enjoyed eating banquets. Jesus once told a parable in which he said, "A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, 'Come; for everything is ready now.'  "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, 'I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused'" (Luke 14:15-24). And they would not enter the banquet.

It’s difficult for us to understand why these people would not participate in this man’s wedding feast. In fact, they accepted the invitation when it was first given, but in the end they went back on their word.

In Jesus’ parable, the host represents God; those invited represent the Jews of that day. The Jews were rejecting Jesus, which means they were rejecting the spiritual feast that God prepared for them. They rejected the salvation which God prepared. Through Jesus and all that Jesus spoke and did, God spread a spiritual feast in front of the Jews and invited them to attend, to enjoy eating and drinking, but they would not. Let us not do as they did and refuse God’s invitation and salvation. Conversely, we should happily accept the invitation and enjoy the feast.

We have already noted that if the mayor were to invite us, we would go; if the president were to extend an invitation, we would not reject it. Now the creator of the universe and of all there is, God himself has issued his invitation for us to attend his banquet. Let us not reject it! God’s "letter of invitation" is the Bible, which includes the message of God’s love, the message that Jesus died on the cross for us. God’s "feast" is the salvation which he has prepared for us.