Full Plates and Empty Seats

The Kingdom of God

-Full Plates and Empty Seats-

August 13, 2006 DBC; LK 14.15-24

The context of Luke 14.15-24 is set at a dinner party at the home of a Pharisee (14.1).

15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God."

[One of the dinner guests reveals the Pharisees’ exclusive perception of the kingdom of God. This attitude continually plagues Christianity; in the early church the first Jewish Christians excluded the converted Gentile Christians from fellowship (Acts 15).

Self-righteous believers are always taking the party out of the kingdom of God.

Self-Righteous believers seek to take away the grace, forgiveness, openness, and acceptance from the kingdom of God.]

16 Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'

18 "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'

[The indulgence in affairs, pleasures, and business of this world prevent people from making the kingdom of God a priority. There is a similar phenomenon (indulgence with the affairs of this world) with devotion to Christ within his church.

Too many believers seem to have too little time for God and the things of God.]

19 "Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'

20 "Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'

21 "The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'

[The kingdom of God is extended to those who can’t help (save) themselves. Jesus came to seek and save the lost (like Zacchaeus LK 19.10). The scandal of the kingdom of God, in the eyes of the self-righteous, was that it was extended to sinners; “I tell you: the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you [because they truly repented]” (LK 21.31).

We are saved by grace; grace is what “gets us into” the kingdom of God. Don’t bring your résumé, list of accomplishments or important credentials to the kingdom of God thinking that God will let you on your stellar merit; grace is how we are accepted by God into his fellowship and grace is how we should accept others into our fellowship.]

[I’ve love the true story that Tony Campolo tells about a late night experience he had (I’ve read it in several sources). One night in one of his travels he was caught in a different time zone and could not fall asleep. Late in the night he wandered over to a downtown doughnut shop. When he sat down, some local prostitutes ventured into the doughnut shop. He overheard their conversation: One of them, named Agnes, said to the other, “You know what? Tomorrow’s my birthday; I’m gonna be 39.” The other prostitute snapped back, “So what do you want from me! Do you want me to throw you a birthday party or something!”? Agnes sadly replied, “You don’t have to be mean about it. I was just saying that it was going to be my birthday tomorrow. I don’t expect anything from you. I’ve never had a birthday party my whole life, so why would I start having one now?”

After they left, Tony asked the manager if the ladies came to the doughnut shop every night. The manager replied that they were regulars every night. Tony got an idea and asked the manager if they wanted to throw a surprise party for Agnes the next night. The manager and his wife were excited about the idea; the next night, in preparation, they put up birthday streamers and party decorations in the doughnut shop. They had a cake with candles in place and Agnes’s name on it.

When Agnes and the other girl came in, everyone in the doughnut shop yelled out, “Surprise!” Agnes was stunned; she couldn’t believe it. All of the doughnut patrons began to sing happy birthday to her. Agnes began to sob and could barely blow out the candles. She was invited to cut the cake, but she hesitated. She asked if she could just keep the cake for a while and savor the moment. She left the doughnut shop carefully holding and guarding the birthday cake like a priceless treasure.

After Agnes abruptly left, the crowd didn’t quite know what to do. Tony offered to lead a prayer for Agnes with the remaining group. The manager remarked that he didn’t know that Tony was a preacher and asked what kind of church Tony represented. Tony answered the manager; “I belong to a church that throws birthday parties for prostitutes at 3 in the morning.”

The manager could not believe it. "No you don’t. There ain’t no church like that. If there were I’d join it. Yep I’d join a church like that!" (Retold in part from McLaren’s The Secret Message of Jesus, 145-146)]

22 "'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'

23 "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.' " OR [Verse 24 message] “I want my house full! Let me tell you, not one of those originally invited is going to get so much as a bite at my dinner party.'"

[The Christian’s compulsion is the Love of God: “For Christ’s love compel us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.” (2 Cor 5.14)

The kingdom of God is open to all who know they are sinners and desire change in their lives. The door is narrow to the kingdom of God; but, Jesus, who is the door, himself goes out to seek and save the lost (Lk 19.10). Jesus said, “People will come from the east and west and north and south will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” (Luke 13.29-30)

The kingdom of God is a party with full plates enough for all at the table, but there are many empty seats awaiting those whom are still invited. The kingdom of God is a full and forgiven life that God offers and that he starts here and now. The kingdom of God is for those who are made clean and invited by the host of the party.

How do we, in the church, reflect God’s gracious invitation to his kingdom party?