Paul in Romans gives us instructions on how to use the gifts and talents and vocation that we have been given. He is specific to each activity and how to do it for Christ. He then shifts gears and talks about how everyone regardless of vocation should live and interact with others. He takes the commandment to love and explains it one step down in understanding. It is as if someone asks him, what does that look like in this case or that case. He explains to us who haven’t unpacked the commandment to love so even we can understand what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Then as if he knows what the Gospel text covers, he ends with, do not be haughty (do not consider yourself to have some high station in life, as if your gifts were your own creation, as if your successes were all your doing and not blessings from God….but he says associate with the lowly.) In his time that meant poor, low status, ill, cripple etc. those who have very little or nothing good in their life.
While Jesus is at a meal in the gospel someone says, Blessed is the one who dines in the Kingdom of God.
It is something Jesus might have said at one time, but in this case Jesus saw that the speaker had missed the point he was trying to make. Those around the table must have included Jesus and his disciples and probably those people of substance. It was the home of a Pharisee. And in response to his speaking about how they should invite the lame and the poor and blind for they would be blessed; the man made the statement about dining in the kingdom.
As usual and just like in our yesterday’s readings they didn’t understand
So, he tells them another parable and basically tells them that people that have much, that are even persons of religious honor and society would not accept the invitation sent for they were too busy with worldly things. None were bad things. Most could be seen as prudent. One had to go back to inspect land he had bought. Nothing wrong with that. Makes perfect sense…except when it is put ahead of following Christ. For we remember that God is our highest priority and the banquet they are being invited to is to dine in the kingdom of God. The next one had to go see the oxen he had purchased …same story. Not a bad thing. Then we have the man who had just been married. How could he be away from his new wife. It was too soon after the wedding. He would be expected to take time off from work and everything to be with here. It was a cultural tradition to do so. It still is today but we call it a honeymoon. The practice of spending a full cycle of the moon with each other before returning to work.
But these things, all these good things, were the wrong answer for anyone who calls himself a friend of the king…meaning God. For God had called them, sent invitations to them. The Pharisees considered themselves closer to God than others yet when Jesus gave them the invitation to open their hearts and believe who he was, they said no. As did most of society prominent people like the scribes.
So, he tells them God will invite others instead. And they, the leaders, will be left out of the kingdoms of God. It was a very clear message at the time, and they knew exactly what he meant and who they were in the parable.
It was also shocking that the lowly, the cripple and blind and poor and lame… all those people society was sure were being punished for sins… it was these lowly that Jesus said would dine in the kingdom of God.
And of course we can see ourselves in a similar situation.
For we are prudent and compared to the world, we are all successful and rich. We call ourselves friends of Jesus. We come to mass weekly and pray to him often. Right? But Jesus is clear. If we do not put our relationship with God first above all else, we are in trouble.
If we fail to seek him every day and put his will ahead of our own, live for Christ always, we are really saying no to the invitation to his banquet because to say yes to Jesus Christ means we are all in. Like a poker player we push all our chips in the pot trusting in God. We take all our winnings and losses, all our sufferings and joys and say I give them to you at all times. I am yours in truth and the spirit. And when we are invited, we go without hesitation, without looking back. For we were blind and lame and crippled, but now we are healed.
Deacon Tony Pynes 
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