DIY Photo: Today's photo is of a maze. Since it's a do-it-yourself photo, you may select whatever type of maze pleases you. Maybe one from a pencil game book. Or maybe one for mice. Or one made of shrubbery and intended for meditation. Or a midwest fall "corn maze". Or a game with a marble to roll around. So many possibilities, why should I choose for you? As always, thank you for handling this part of the blog on your own.
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Sometimes I think myself into a maze -- twists and turns and dead ends impeding my process. I worry I won't be able to find my way out the other side. That happened this week.
The setting was a small group Bible study. We were looking at Jesus' parable of the great banquet in Luke 14. Someone noted that poor and crippled and blind and lame people were seen as sinners in those days. Their infirmities were evidence that God was punishing them. The message of the parable is that God invites sinners to be saved and enter His kingdom.
The difference between that view and the one emerging in my own mind was too subtle to explain well to the group. Maybe I can get a better grasp on it here.
When the original invited guests were too preoccupied to attend the banquet, the master looked around for other guests. The ones who agreed to attend were the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. They were well-pleased to accept the invitation. "Sure, we would love to come! When and where?"
As my friend noted, Jesus' listeners would have seen these people as sinners, rebels against the Master of the Banquet. The difference between us has to do with the truth behind that perception.
In my friend's view, the listeners saw the invitation going out to rebels who then set aside their rebellion and accepted the invitation. They repented of the sin evidenced by their "punishment" and entered the hall, even while still broken by that punishment. It's a message of grace and redemption. Former rebels have been wooed back into relationship with the Master of the Banquet. They still bear the results of their former rebellion, but they are now welcome at the banquet.
In contrast, subtle as it is, I deem it important to note that Jesus' listeners were mistaken in their assessment. Being poor, crippled, blind, or lame is not a sign someone is a rebel. However, those infirmities label them as rebels in the view of Jesus' listeners. The point of the parable is that we are often wrong about which people are likely guests at the banquet. People we're certain are not Christians and will never be given admission to heaven apart from repenting of their sins and beginning a new life that looks more like ours may actually be in a better position to attend the banquet than we are. While we are too busy doing worthwhile things to show up, the broken people around us may be closer to the heart of God than we are.
I think I'm moving away from the former interpretation and toward the latter because of my interactions with poor people. I often find them to be more generous, more accepting, less self-focused, less judgmental than my middle-class church friends. In many ways, they have much to teach me about kingdom living, even though they seldom darken the door of a church and have never studied Luke 14. They haven't claimed their kingdom citizenship yet, but they aren't in rebellion, just a bit unsure if they can come up with the entrance fee. When the invitation arrives, their response will be, "Sure, we'll come. When and where?"
Recently, I have seen the stark contrast between the worst of professing Christians looking out for their own interests and the best of unchurched "sinners" stepping aside rather than demanding their rights. When I look at the parable of the great banquet, I see the gates of the kingdom swinging open to the latter group. And I hope to find my way in with them.
What do you think?
1 comment:
Dr. Noble told us a great story last night. He said that he knew a pastor (in Scotland?) who, when he learned a couple was living together, refused to marry them. He knew another pastor in the same town who was 80 but still in charge of a congregation. This other pastor would go door to door through apartment buildings and whenever he found a couple living together, he would say, "Wonderful! I can marry you!" I don't know if that is exactly what you are saying, but I thought you might appreciate the story. :-)
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