我儿子结婚时，我们家请朋友们来参加结婚典礼，与我们高兴快乐。是的，有时候朋友请客，公司请客，亲戚办喜事，或其他甚么情况，我们都喜欢参加丰盛的宴会。
我和内人住在亚洲的时候有很多次朋友请我们吃酒席。菜都美味可口。大家吃得高高兴兴。记得在70年代初的时候，一个朋友，姓余。余先生家里没有什么钱，但他们很喜欢吃人家的喜酒。
有一次余先生被朋友邀请参加他儿子结婚典礼。事实上他们没有钱送红包，但他很想吃喜酒，于是，为了不拒绝朋友的邀请，余先生和太太两三天不吃饭，省下饭钱送红包庆祝朋友儿子的结婚。
你我也那么重视人家的邀请吗？如果市长请客，我们会去吗？如果总理大人请客我们会去吗？如果我们住在古代，皇帝请客，我们会去吗？
古代的犹太人也很喜欢吃宴席。因此耶稣设立比喻说，”一个人预备了一顿丰盛的宴席，又邀请很多客人。到了该吃饭的时候，他派自己的仆人去对客人说，’请来吧，一切都预备好了!’可是，这些客人都开始找借口来推辞”(路加福音14：18)；他们就没有入席。
我们很难想象这些人为什么不去吃那个人的宴席。事实上他们一开始告诉主人说他们要去的。以后又反悔了。
在耶稣的比喻里，那主人代表天上的神，被请的人代表当时的犹太人。当时的犹太人～很多正在拒绝耶稣，也就是拒绝神为他们预备的属灵的宴席，拒绝神为他们预备的救恩。神借着耶稣和耶稣所讲的道，并耶稣所作的事，把属灵的宴席摆在犹太人的面前，让他们好好的欣赏，但他们不要。
今天神把同样的属灵的宴席摆在我们的面前，请我们欣赏，参与，吃，喝。我们不要像耶稣所说的那些人，拒绝神的邀请，神的救恩。相反地，我们应该欢喜快乐的接受，痛痛快快接受神所摆上的宴席。
我们已经说过，如果市长请客，我们一定会去。如果总理请我们吃饭，我们必定到。现在创造宇宙万物人类的神已经请我们进入他的宴会，我们不要拒绝吧！神的邀请卡就是《圣经》，包括《圣经》里面的信息说耶稣爱我们，为我们死在十字架上。神的宴席就是他要赐给我们的救恩。
为了有面子吃人家的喜酒，余先生两天不吃饭，好省下钱来送红包。天上的神不要我们任何红包，他只要我们参加他的宴席。我希望你也会接受神的邀请。
神的宴会
God’s Invitation
作者：谢德华 By Edward Short
World Christian Broadcasting
June, 2000
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.
In order to save face and be able to put the appropriate amount of money in a red envelope and thus be able to attend their friend’s wedding banquet, Mr. and Mrs. Yu fasted for two days. God however does not want our red envelope; he simply wants us to attend his feast! And I too hope you will accept his invitation!