Compel Them To Come In

We are to compel people to partake of the feast of salvation by reason and loving persuasion.

Notice with me the kinds of people that were to be compelled to attend the Master’s banquet: Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and the maimed, and the lame and the blind. (vs. 21)

Who are these people? Why were they invited?

The Poor

It’s obvious that poor people are poor—they do not have any money. Attending a luxurious banquet is not something they plan on doing.

I imagine that the master told his servant to invite the poor because most of the time, it is easy to convince a poor person to come and get something to eat—they are hungry and food is being offered—it’s a “no brainer.”

The original guests were not impoverished; they were not without food, clothing and shelter, so a bountiful meal would not be as appetizing to them.

The larger lesson we can take away from this parable is that while salvation and gift of eternal life is offered to everyone, only those who realize their spiritual poverty will respond.

Only those who recognize they are nothing without Jesus Christ will respond to God’s offer of eternal life; Only those who are aware that they are spiritually bankrupt will accept the free gift of salvation found in Jesus Christ.

1Corinthians 1:26 For you see your calling, brothers, that not many wise men according to the flesh are called, not many mighty, not many noble.

1Corinthians 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

1Corinthians 1:28 and God has chosen the base things of the world, and things which are despised, and things which are not, in order to bring to nothing things that are;

1Corinthians 1:29 so that no flesh should glory in His presence.

We were “poor.” We were bankrupt spiritually and on our way to a Christ-less eternity and Jesus saved us. The song says, “Let the poor say ‘I am rich’ because of what Christ has done!”

The Maimed

A maim person is disfigured and marred. When Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God and eating the forbidden fruit, they lost their glory…they lost their innocence.

Sin has a way of disfiguring a person. It will rob a person from the joy and happiness of life. You, like I have, come across people on the street who make a regular living from panhandling and begging for money. The joy is gone…the light is missing from their eyes. Life has worn them out…their countenance is dark and dreary.

This was probably the way it was for Adam and Eve after they had sinned. They no longer wanted to fellowship with God…they hid from God. Realizing they were naked, they sewed fig leaves to cover themselves and when confronted about their sin, they placed the blame on each other. Childlike innocence was gone and the darkness of sin and maimed them.

Before Jesus saves a man or woman, they are “maimed.” They are damaged goods—selfish, self-absorbed, anxious, suspicious, limping along in life.