Alrighty, I have some thoughts. This week’s reading in “Come, Follow Me” includes a reference to “the supper of the Lord”, which is mentioned in Luke 14.
A feast of fat things was prepared, and the certain man who made this great supper, to which many had been invited, commanded his servant to go and fetch those who had been invited. The servant did this, and everyone he spoke with gave an excuse as to why they couldn’t come to this dinner they had previously agreed to attend. Their excuses were fairly common, everyday things—things that could have easily been reprioritized in the interest of keeping their commitment. One of them needed to go look at land. In my opinion, that could literally happen at any point on any day. Another one was married. The other one had bought livestock. With a little effort, these things can be planned around.
The servant returned home and informed his master of these new developments. The master of the house, being angry—most likely because he had gone through the trouble of preparing a feast for his friends who were now blowing him off—commanded his servant to go into the streets of the city and get anyone who wanted to attend and invite them to the great supper. This isn’t just dinner. This is a great supper. A feast. The master of this house invested time, money, and thought into this great supper. Imagine how he felt when his friends chose to not attend.
No matter. There are plenty of grateful people who would be happy to attend, and that’s exactly who the servant brought to the house. He gathered the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind. And if you think about it, many who fit those descriptions can’t bring themselves to dinner of their own accord. The servant had to have assisted them to the house. Not only is he gathering the “lesser” of their community, he is serving them in the midst of invitation.
So, the servant has been busy with these new invitations. He manages to gather all these people into the home, but sees that there is yet room. He tells him master, and the lord tells his servant to continue gathering people. He tells him to look beyond the streets of the city. He commands his to go into the highways and hedges. He sends to him look for people who aren’t easy to find, so that they may also be invited to this great supper and his “house may be filled”. There is nobody who isn’t invited to this great supper.
Growing up, family dinners were always at their best when everyone was home, attempting to gather around a table that was barely big enough. As the family grew, we definitely outgrew the table, but we didn’t outgrow family dinner. Even if you were on the couch, you were part of whatever feast Mom had cooked up. Shoot, even if you weren't in the family and just happened to be present, you were part of the feast. In the midst of utter chaos, you could see the joy in her eyes when all of us were gathered in. In the midst of that same chaos, even when his eye was twitching with panic because WHO ARE ALL THESE PEOPLE, you could see the pride in Dad’s eyes at knowing we were all HIS people, even if we’d somehow multiplied into an unruly crowd who makes a lot of noise simply by existing.
The missing people were always the easiest to notice. It didn’t matter if there were 10 people or 30 people, we always discussed who was missing and why. It never feels complete when everyone isn’t there.
Even with a house full of people he didn’t know, all of whom were considered to be nothing by the society in which they lived, the master of that house, the lord of that feast, recognized those who were missing. He knew there was still room for more, and he knew where to find them. His great supper meant nothing if he couldn’t share it with everyone.
I hope that any time I am called by the Lord to attend a feast or share a kindness, I'm not so busy being caught up in the mundane daily tasks that I make the mistaking of not prioritizing His invitation to join Him.
There is a song written and performed by The Highwomen called, “Crowded Table” that teaches a similar principle of sharing the best of what we have. I have loved listening to it since it was originally released because it always makes me think of family dinners and the love of my Savior. He wants a house with a crowded table, too.
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