At the feast in the kingdom of God 在神的国里吃饭

Title: At the feast in the kingdom of God 在神的国里吃饭
Date: 12th Feb 2017
Preacher: Rev. Wong Siow Hwee

Luke 14: 12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in 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.’
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.’
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 compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”
12耶稣又对邀请他的人说：“你设午餐或晚宴，不要请你的朋友、弟兄、亲戚或富裕的邻舍，恐怕他又回请你，你就得了报答。
13你摆筵席的时候，总要邀请那贫穷的、残废的、瘸腿的、瞎眼的，
14那你就有福了。因为他们没有什么可以报答你，义人复活的时候，你必定得着报答。”
15一起吃饭的人中有一个，听了这些话，就对耶稣说：“在　神的国里吃饭的人有福了。”
16耶稣对他说：“有一个人大摆筵席，请了许多客人。
17到了开席的时候，他打发仆人去对所请的人说：‘请来吧！样样都准备好了。’
18众人一致推辞，头一个说：‘我买了一块地，不得不去看一看，请原谅我。’
19另一个说：‘我买了五对牛，要去试一试，请原谅我。’
20又一个说：‘我刚结了婚，不能去。’
21仆人回来把这些事告诉他主人，家主就发怒，对仆人说：‘快到城里大街小巷去，把贫穷的、残废的、瞎眼的、瘸腿的，都领到这里来。’
22仆人说：‘主啊，你所吩咐的已经办了，还有空位。’
23主人就对仆人说：‘你出去到路边篱畔，勉强人进来，好把我的屋子坐满。
24我告诉你们，先前请的那些人，一个也不得尝我的筵席。’”

The key to today’s passage is verse 15: “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” This man shouted this phrase because of a vision from the past, an unforgotten promise of God, and that is a reference to Isaiah 25:6-9. Isaiah 25: 6 On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines. 7 On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; 8 he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken. 9 In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

Today’s story is about this promised feast in the kingdom of God. There will be the time when God has conquered over death. And all the people from all over the world, especially the faithful people of God will participate in this feast. To celebrate God’s victory because he has brought peace to the world. To celebrate because God is king over all the earth. 他已经把强暴之国给摧毁了，他已经作了贫穷人的保障，被压迫的因为这位全能神已经恢复了荣耀。难怪同席的有一个人会对耶稣说：“在神国里吃饭的有福了！”大筵席便是那最终祝福的记号，是神花了很多心思为蒙福的人所预备的。你能不参加吗？

当主人到了坐席的时候，他打发仆人去对所请的人说：“请来吧！样样都齐备了。”这句话有个背景，原来古时候人没有带手表，对于这种壮观的场合，请客的方法有规矩，有条理。首先便会有第一次的邀请，就好比今天的请帖一样，客人可以选择来与不来。若是要出席，就应该挪出时间，腾出空档。时刻一到，主人便如经上所说，再次派出仆人通知所有的客人出现宴会。客人便因此能够按时出席，也充分表达了宴会的气派和隆重。由此可见，不只筵席的主人这方面需要作充分的准备，客人方面也得按礼仪作好准备。当仆人第二次来邀请时，客人便可立刻随行。耶稣说出这个比喻，也就暗示了若这个筵席的主人是上帝，发出第一次邀请的是先知，那么耶稣本身便是发出第二次邀请的仆人了。上帝是筵席的主人，负责筹划一切与祝福出席的人，而耶稣便是那招呼客人的仆人，告诉他们这天国的筵席已经开始了。耶稣的邀请就好比是在问你，是否能跟他一起去赴筵。

当筵席主人的仆人来邀请客人的时候，客人却异口同声地推辞。一个说买了地，要去看看，一个说买了牛，要去试一试；一个说刚娶了妻，不能去。他们的理由似乎很有道理。但这些所谓的理由根本说不通，哪里有人买了地，却从来没看过那块地，根本就是个藉口。哪里有人买了牛，却从来没有试过那几头牛，根本也是个藉口。他们异口同声的推辞，是什么居心呢？在古时候，一起吃饭是一种建立社交群体，发表友善，建立信任与友谊的方式。一同吃饭甚至还可以表达化敌为友，解开仇恨。因此天国的筵席也象征着神的和平与公义的建立，神愿与人和好共处。吃饭更表达了人与人之间的关系，把人与人之间阶层显得分外鲜明。众人推辞主人的大筵席，百般藉口，意思浅浅，其实是对主人的一种侮辱。他们虽然之前口口声声答应了，如今却百般推辞。他们不看重与主人的关系，表达了他们不在乎他们与主人之间的交情。

But maybe for you, it isn't the case. Maybe you don’t see it as an excuse. It’s a fact that you are busy. You have your life going on. The last thing I want and the last thing you need is for someone to be judgemental about your life. Hey, this is supposed to be an invitation right? That means that you should have the freedom of acceptance or rejection right? That’s fair as well. So, for those of you who feel defensive about God’s invitation, allow me to share a little of my personal reflection on this. I feel that sometimes, we unwittingly let the things of this world drag us along with their agenda. And this is especially true of our possessions. People in the past worried about their fields and cattle; we today service our multiple loans through our jobs. These things are not wrong, it is important to feed your family and provide the best for them. But is there ever an opportunity for God to invite you into his plans? On most weekday nights, I’ll meet my wife at Clementi central. It’s a rush to buy breakfast for the next day and run any other errands, and then it is off to fetch my kids. Along the way, as I go about my business at Clementi central, there will be many people asking for a little of my time. Some are selling a new condominium. Some are doing a survey. Some are promoting a credit card and so on. I often sidestep them like a football player trying to reach my end zone. I have to score my touchdown before they can get to me. Once in a while I feel bad about it. Sometimes after giving a hasty rejection, I then realize it is for a good cause, like cancer awareness or environment protection. So as I read this passage, I wonder to myself: if Jesus came along with his invitation, would I also be giving him the cold shoulder? What sort of excuse would I have? Am I too busy in my life to give God an opportunity?

对于人的拒绝，百般的藉口，神是什么反应呢？主人非常愤怒。他吩咐仆人到城里大街小巷，领那贫穷的，残废的，瞎眼的，瘸腿的来出席筵席。照犹太人传统来看，这些人根本都不配出席筵席。犹太人把贫穷的，残废的，瞎眼的，瘸腿的当作是不洁净，是不受祝福的，根本不可能和城里有钱有势的同桌吃饭或过团体生活。在犹太人的观念里，他们是被认为与上帝的平安隔绝的，在天国的大筵席里，自然没有他们的份。主人更叫仆人去到路上和篱笆那里，勉强人进来坐满他的屋子。这第三批人可能是形容路上的乞丐，也可能是没有地方住宿的客旅。在法利赛人的眼中，这些外邦人与上帝的天国更没有关系。哪里知道筵席的主人为了填满屋子，把这些人也都叫了进来。主人的举动意味着什么？意味着神末世的祝福也要临到这些社会边缘的人，被社会拒绝的人，甚至要临到外邦人。

Thanks be to God! His grace reaches to the furthest and darkest corners of humanity. We often think that we deserve to be honoured for what we have accomplished in life. I would be giving face to God by attending his feast. If only we were to take a good look at ourselves. I look at myself and then I realise: I’m the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind. I’m poor in my ability to love. I’m crippled and lame in my ability to help. I’m blind to God’s glorious vision. I’m also the one helpless by the roads and country lanes. I was lost in my way before God invited me into his house. If I can see myself clearly, then I will know truly, it is only by the grace of God that I’m invited to the feast of God. And I have no excuse not to turn up.

原本用来分别社会阶级的筵席，却成了包容各阶级的宴会。把现今狭窄，充满歧视的社会准则给去除了。法利赛人原本是想突出他们的社会地位，他们万万没想到，天国的筵席却是只有这些穷人，流浪的人，外邦人的人，才有福分参加。第一批被邀请的客人，不把这个筵席看在眼里。他们的自傲蒙蔽了他们的眼睛，看不到参加筵席所带来的祝福。第二批被邀请的客人，不能倚靠自己的身份，完全只能依赖大筵席主人的恩典。这也就是这个比喻的结论，耶稣说“我告诉你们，先前所请的人没有一个得尝我的筵席。”只有那些晓得自己在筵席的主人眼中一无所有的，反倒得享筵席所带来的祝福。只有那些晓得自己别无所望的人才能晓得神的救恩的浩大。虚心的人有福了。虚心并不表示把自己看轻，虚心是知道谁真正掌权。虚心是知道自己尽管拥有多少，都不能引以为傲，因为知道这些不能当作生命的保障。唯有把上帝的主权视为至高，上帝的荣耀视为至尊，上帝的恩惠视为至美，才是真正的虚心。

Do you know what the greatest hurdle is in attending this feast of God? It is the disbelief towards grace. We live in a world where there is no free lunch, and that is the same in the olden days. So people invite the best people to their parties, so that you can get the best benefits in return. And once they are at the feast, they put themselves at the best seats. Because it is all about the connections you make, the honor you bestow to others and then receive from others in kind. It is a social game of transactions. Today, we even have an American President who thinks about every matter as making deals. Accepting refugees, bad deal! Restarting the coal industry, good deal! The world becomes all about negotiations and putting me first. But the kingdom of God is first and foremost about grace. It is an open invitation to the goodness of God with no strings attached. But of course you have to accept it. And ironically, it is not easy. In the kingdom of God, you not only receive grace, you must also live in grace and practice grace. You do not seek places of honor, because your foremost thought is to serve. You do not invite the best guests because what you seek is giving freely, and only the blessing of God is your reward. From a world of social transactions, you must enter into a world of love and grace. The cost of grace is free. But the cost of discipleship may be too much for people to accept. But if I may, I want to invite you. Sometimes you may wonder, why are some Christians so joyful, so willing to share themselves lovingly? I believe it is because they have accepted grace, and they now live in grace. I invite you to come into this world.

弟兄姐妹，你的观点直接影响你与神的关系。如果你能够体会到在神面前你是多么的渺小，多么的无助，你才能感受到神救赎的恩惠、包容的慈爱。在耶稣来邀请你赴大筵席的时候，你是居高自傲、百般藉口、还是靠神怜悯、一无所有的人？天国大筵席的丰盛，超乎我们所求所想，可是能参加的人靠的不是他们的社会关系，更不是他们本身的能力或德行。能参加的人靠的只有那接受恩惠的心。愿在这大筵席里面，能与大家一起欢聚，永享与上帝的和好与祝福。