Photo from Unsplash
March 24
Foolish Excuses
When it was time for the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But one after another they all began to make excuses. The first one said, ‘I have bought a field, and I need to go see it. Please excuse me.’ — Luke 14:17-18 BSB
In this parable, our Lord highlights three key areas where the temptations of life come from. First, Our Property. As long as we are pilgrims and strangers with no fixed home, no land of our own, no large savings in the bank, we naturally long for the eternal city with foundations (Hebrews 11:10-13). But once we buy a piece of land, we become preoccupied with it and all it represents. We must plan how to develop it, decide what crops to plant, or think about how to sell it for a profit. We hope it will be useful in the future. Though we may still go through the motions of religious devotion, our hearts are not set on things above (Colossians 3:1-4).
Second, Our Activities. There is nothing wrong with owning a team of oxen. In fact, it is a noble thing to plow new land and grow food for the world. The oxen of Christ’s time have modern equivalents in tractors and machinery. But these things can fill our minds to the point where we have no energy left for anything else. We may not give a direct "no" to Christ’s invitation, but our polite excuses—"I pray you have me excused"—are essentially refusals.
Third, Our Home and Family Life. Jesus never spoke against these things. He honored a wedding feast with His presence and performed His first miracle there. But He knows how easily we can let the joys and comforts of home take priority over the spiritual life.
The excuses offered in the parable were shallow. The land would still be there tomorrow, and the cattle had likely already been tested before they were bought. As for the newly-married man, why couldn’t his wife come with him? There was room for both. Let us not refuse the love that Christ offers, lest we find ourselves rejected by Him in the end (Hebrews 12:25).
Prayer
We beseech You, most gracious God, to keep us from being overwhelmed by the cares of this life, so that we are not entangled by them. Amen.