Excuses
It is the easiest thing in the world to make excuses. We have this bent to do it all the time when challenged to do something we don’t want to do. Unfortunately, this trait can spill out into our lives when we have great opportunities before us as well.
In Luke 14:15-24, Jesus shares a parable about a prominent man who hosts a party. As was customary, a preparatory invitation is delivered, and then a servant is sent to let the guests know the time for the party to begin!
As the servant does his rounds, he is faced with a barrage of excuses:
The first excuse – (vs18)
“I’ve just bought a field and must go and see it – please excuse me.” What an odd reason not to go to the party. Two things stand out -1) No one buys an unseen field. 2) The field will not disappear; they can view it another day! It’s a bizarre excuse! It would be as if you invited me to your house for dinner. I had initially said I’d come, and then just before the party was about to start, you called me and reminded me, to which I replied, “I’ve just bought a new shirt, and before I wear it, I need to wash it, so I’m going to stay home and wash it.” You would perceive, correctly, that I didn’t want to come to your party and was offering a flimsy excuse.
The second excuse (vs19)
The servant moves on to house number two… only to be greeted with another odd excuse. “I have just brought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try it out.” Another flimsy excuse! If this person had entertained doubts about the excellence of these animals, he would not have paid out his money for them…And as to trying them out, that could easily be done at a later time and probably would have been done by one of his servants. Two doors, two secondary reminders… and he’s 0 for 2! Then…
The third excuse (vs20)
He goes to the third house and is greeted with yet another excuse. “I just got married, so I can’t come”. Being married didn’t prevent him from attending the banquet. In the Old Testament, Scripture emphasizes that a man should be at home for the first year of his marriage (Duet. 24:5). This scripture says that he is free to stay at home and bring happiness to his wife! But going to a prestigious banquet would have done that! Marriage involves new obligations, but they don’t cancel out previous ones. If Tracie and I were invited for a free meal to the nicest restaurant in town as guests of honor, and I said no because I wanted to stay home and have pop-tarts with her, I don’t think she’d be too pleased!
It’s interesting that the Greek word used at the end of Verses 18 and 19 actually means shun or reject. This same word is used in other areas to mean “I refuse,” as in “I refuse to come to your party.”
Jesus invites us to the party that exists within His kingdom. He says to each of us, each day, with each thought and each decision we must make. Do you want to come to my party? Do you want to be like me? I’m giving you another opportunity to live in me, and to live for me, and to live with me… …and the sad thing is so often we offer an excuse, and so often they reveal that our priorities are so upside down. How sad that we…
Sacrifice the great for the mundane.
The trivial instead of the important.
Focus on the temporary rather than the eternal.
Focus on lesser things rather than the one thing that God calls us to.
Settle for a life of boredom when a party awaits us.
When Jesus invites, don’t offer an excuse.
In Luke 14:15-24, Jesus shares a parable about a prominent man who hosts a party. As was customary, a preparatory invitation is delivered, and then a servant is sent to let the guests know the time for the party to begin!
As the servant does his rounds, he is faced with a barrage of excuses:
The first excuse – (vs18)
“I’ve just bought a field and must go and see it – please excuse me.” What an odd reason not to go to the party. Two things stand out -1) No one buys an unseen field. 2) The field will not disappear; they can view it another day! It’s a bizarre excuse! It would be as if you invited me to your house for dinner. I had initially said I’d come, and then just before the party was about to start, you called me and reminded me, to which I replied, “I’ve just bought a new shirt, and before I wear it, I need to wash it, so I’m going to stay home and wash it.” You would perceive, correctly, that I didn’t want to come to your party and was offering a flimsy excuse.
The second excuse (vs19)
The servant moves on to house number two… only to be greeted with another odd excuse. “I have just brought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try it out.” Another flimsy excuse! If this person had entertained doubts about the excellence of these animals, he would not have paid out his money for them…And as to trying them out, that could easily be done at a later time and probably would have been done by one of his servants. Two doors, two secondary reminders… and he’s 0 for 2! Then…
The third excuse (vs20)
He goes to the third house and is greeted with yet another excuse. “I just got married, so I can’t come”. Being married didn’t prevent him from attending the banquet. In the Old Testament, Scripture emphasizes that a man should be at home for the first year of his marriage (Duet. 24:5). This scripture says that he is free to stay at home and bring happiness to his wife! But going to a prestigious banquet would have done that! Marriage involves new obligations, but they don’t cancel out previous ones. If Tracie and I were invited for a free meal to the nicest restaurant in town as guests of honor, and I said no because I wanted to stay home and have pop-tarts with her, I don’t think she’d be too pleased!
It’s interesting that the Greek word used at the end of Verses 18 and 19 actually means shun or reject. This same word is used in other areas to mean “I refuse,” as in “I refuse to come to your party.”
Jesus invites us to the party that exists within His kingdom. He says to each of us, each day, with each thought and each decision we must make. Do you want to come to my party? Do you want to be like me? I’m giving you another opportunity to live in me, and to live for me, and to live with me… …and the sad thing is so often we offer an excuse, and so often they reveal that our priorities are so upside down. How sad that we…
Sacrifice the great for the mundane.
The trivial instead of the important.
Focus on the temporary rather than the eternal.
Focus on lesser things rather than the one thing that God calls us to.
Settle for a life of boredom when a party awaits us.
When Jesus invites, don’t offer an excuse.
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