1. Where are the people?

2. 15 Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, 17 and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited,

3. ‘Come, for all things are now ready
‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ 18 But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ 20 Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’

4. 22 And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ 23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’”

5. The Jews considered themselves the privileged ones who would sit with God at table in Eternity.
God had made Covenants with their ancestors
They knew they were God’s “chosen people”
They knew the scriptures and tried to follow them
If my people will not join me, I will go get others who will
Last Week
This story is primarily about the Jews welcoming the Gentiles into the Kingdom of God
Jeremias- a parable has one main point
Be careful about making a parable into an “Allegory”????

6. Where do we get the people?
23 ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. NKJV
23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. NIV
Where do we get the people?

7. Jesus crafted his stories
Four groups of people
Those who had been invited
Those on the streets and lanes of the city
Poor and crippled
Blind and lame
Highways
Hedges
Jesus crafted his stories
Every element of a story has significance

8. Highways Travelers Merchants Foreigners People fleeing something
People with different customs
People used to different foods
People displaced
People fleeing something
People who are vulnerable

9. Hedges Outlying areas Places between civilization and city Farmers
Those who lurk
Those who were close to town but not quite inside
They live in the margins
They hide themselves
The lepers, the shunned

10. Those from the city The blind, crippled, lame, etc.
The wealth is in the city
The beggars
The man by the pool of Siloam
The 2 men by the temple gate
Those who are unable to help themselves
Those unable to better their lives

11. The Close- Those invited
The wealthy
The “in” crowd
The family
The middle
They have problems
They haven’t been healed
They are perplexed with life
Those far off
Problems are huge
Unaware of the party

12. The Far off We evaluate people based on what they say, how they act.
“That person isn’t interested”
We don’t see the heart
God orchestrates interactions
Don’t write off
the foreigner
The one just passing through
The angry
The avowed atheist
The “sailor”

13. The Middle (the hiding)
The one’s who have been shunned
Those who are repulsive (leper)
The one’s afraid to show their face
The common person
The “not very religious”
“I’m agnostic”
“but when I am in trouble I find myself praying to God for help”

14. The close This is a parable told about welcoming the Gentiles
The new testament says over and over “whosoever.”
The person in church
The person in the family
The person with time for everything else except God
The wealthy

15. God wants everyone at His Table
Far off?
Middle?
Close?
If you have already been drawn in… Where were you?
If you are praying for someone to come…
If you are waiting to be drawn in/ invited…
God wants everyone at His Table
So What?