The Master’s Table

A very wealthy man was sitting at His table one day enjoying His meal when He realized that He was the only one sitting at the table. So this very wealthy man called His servant who came quickly to find out what concern the very wealthy man needed to be addressed. The very wealthy man sat there while His servant tried to find out what was going on. Thinking that the food was to cold, the servant started to reach for the food that sat in front of the very wealthy man.

The very wealthy man asked the servant: “What do you think you are doing?” The servant replied, “Master, is the food to cold?” “NO!” The very wealthy man replied. “The food is not to cold. I called you in here because with all the food in front of me, I have no one to share all of this food.” “What shall I do?” The servant asked. The very wealthy man replied: “I have assembled a list of those who I have invited to this feast and I need for you to go and get them that they too may enjoy this banquet with me.”

Immediately the servant left and went to the places that the very wealthy man told him to go. When the servant came to the first location he approached a man who was plowing his field and preparing to plant his grain for the harvest. “Hello friend, I am the servant to the very wealthy man who lives nearby and He has invited you to His banquet in your honor.” The man plowing the field was very honored to receive the invitation, but he declined the invitation showing the servant all the land that needed to be tended to before he could attend the banquet.

The servant left and went to the next location the very wealthy man told him to go. When the servant arrived he found a man doing business buying some oxen to plow his fields. The servant spoke to this man the same way he spoke to the last man. “Hello friend, I am the servant to the very wealthy man who lives nearby and He has invited you to His banquet in your honor.” When the man who purchased the oxen all but ignored the servant, the servant tried to repeat himself only to be interrupted by the man. “I have just made a major purchase and now I must go to inspect my investment.” “Tell your master some other time.” The servant departed and headed toward the next location.

By the time the servant reached the next location there were people in the streets shouting and cheering. It was a wedding party and everyone in the area was excited for the newlyweds. As the carriage was leaving the crowd was so heavy that they stopped and seeing this the servant saw the opportunity to talk to the newlyweds. “Hello friends, I am the servant to the very wealthy man who lives nearby and He has invited you both to His banquet in your special honor.”

Although grateful for the invitation, the husband of the bride declined the invitation because they were leaving to celebrate their wedding. The servant tried to persuade the bride-groom by telling him; “the very wealthy man really enjoys weddings and would be honored to celebrate the wedding with the newlywed couple.” The bride-groom spoke up, “I appreciate the invitation to the banquet but we have already had a banquet and now we are going away to be alone and celebrate our wedding.”

Dejected; the servant returned to the very wealthy man to report that no one whom the invitations were made out to accepted the offer. The wealthy man seeing the disappointment in the servants face told him, “I knew when you were afar off that no one had accepted my invitation that is why I have contacted my chief architect to build more rooms and to add on more space.” The servant wanted to know why would the very wealthy man do this? The very wealthy man replied, “I am sending you back out there into the entire world to invite any and all who accept this invitation to this banquet.” He told his servant before leaving the table; to “go to the highways and hedges and compel all people to come.”

As the construction process began the cooks were preparing more and more food. Realizing that the very wealthy man had left the banquet hall leaving behind his meal, the servant noticed that the face cloth was neatly folded sitting next to His plate. This symbolized to the servant that the master was coming back to the table and this time He would not be alone because whoever accepts the invitation to this banquet will be sitting at the Master’s table.