“On the contrary, when you host a banquet, invite those who are poor, maimed, lame, or blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (CSB)

While attending a dinner at a prominent Pharisee’s house, Jesus tells three parables. Each parable exposed the true condition of the hearts of those in attendance, many of whom hoped to trap Jesus by his words and actions. The first parable addresses guests seeking places of honor at the dinner (Luke 14:7-11), the second advises the host on true generosity (Luke 14:12-14), and the last challenges the whole dinner party (and us!) to reflect on our response to God’s invitation to His banquet (Luke 14:15-24). All teach the importance of humility and loving others.

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During the second parable, Jesus tells the host that when he gives a banquet, he should not invite his friends and family or rich acquaintances because they could return the favor. Instead, he should invite the least of society – in Jewish society the poor, maimed, lame, and blind. They cannot repay the host, but he will be rewarded in the end for what he has done. In Jesus’ culture, party invitations were deeply tied to social status—who was invited, how many people attended, who came, and seating positions all demonstrated honor and importance for the hosts and guests. Things are still a little bit like this today! Inviting the poor, maimed, lame, and blind, who were viewed as societal outcasts suffering due to sin, would’ve been unthinkable. Yet these were precisely the people Jesus welcomed.

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This parable reminds me of a story my kids and I read recently of Jesus healing a man with leprosy in Matthew 8. Jesus touched the man with leprosy as He healed him, even though it wasn’t necessary to touch him for the healing to happen. Touching a leper was significant because it made a Jew ceremonially unclean and risked them catching leprosy. Yet Jesus willingly touched him anyway, though He could have compassionately healed with just a word. Why touch the leper? Because we serve a Savior unafraid of our condition, who intentionally enters into our mess.  

So, when it came to banquets, was Jesus opposed to meals shared with loved ones? Not at all. He shared meals with people like Lazarus and his sisters, who were dear friends. But Jesus understands our humanity intimately; we don’t have to be told to seek fellowship with those we love deeply. We do have to be reminded to consider those on the fringe. We are called to serve others out of love and without consideration as to whether it can be reciprocated or not. We offer Jesus nothing, yet He served those around Him compassionately and gave of Himself in many ways, even before the ultimate sacrificial act of going to the cross to save us from our sins. We could never repay Jesus.  

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When Jesus touches the leper in Matthew 8, He demonstrates radical inclusivity and a giving of dignity that the leper would not have received from other Jews. Instead of becoming unclean, Jesus imparts His cleanliness to the man. When we follow Jesus, the same thing happens to us. Jesus touches us and imparts His righteousness to us, even though we don’t deserve it. He provides the invitation and the way for us to come to God’s table.

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In light of what Jesus has done for us, as we follow Him, do we follow His example of creating a place at the table for those our world excludes? God’s Kingdom does not operate by the same principles as our earthly society. In God’s Kingdom, everyone is invited to the banquet. Everyone is invited to taste God’s goodness – and treated with compassion, dignity, and generosity. As followers of Jesus, let’s ask ourselves daily: Who am I making space for at my table? How can we love and serve the unlovable, marginalized, excluded, and least of these in our day-to-day lives? Who can we go out and invite in to taste and see that the Lord is good?

Dear God, help us to see others around us as you see them—as dearly loved individuals made in Your image. Transform our hearts to be more like your Son so we can love others well, generously and sacrificially. Thank you, Jesus, for loving us enough to touch our mess, for not treating us like unclean outcasts but giving us Your righteousness and a seat at the table in God’s Kingdom. Amen.