Experts in manners wail over
the lack timely or even any response to invitations when
an RSVP is included. RSVP is the abbreviation for the
French phrase, répondez s'il vous plait, and means
that the invitee needs to tell the host whether he/she
is coming to the event. The dates and times of the event
are spelled out, and requested responses mean that the
host is better able to prepare space and meal needs. Just
simple courtesy. And one which many people ignore.
However, if you lived in the
time of Jesus, an invitation to a party might not necessarily
spell out the precise date and time. Instead, an invitation
would signal that a party of some sort was being planned
but without specifying exactly when. When preparations
were done, all the guests would be notified and could
start arriving. Generally, because of travel challenges
and slow communication, parties were extended affairs,
perhaps lasting as long as a week or even longer. For
those of us in our fast-paced, multi-tasked world, the
idea of completely re-arranging our schedules for such
an undefined invitation seems beyond possibility. But
in a less structured world without clocks or to-the-minute
schedules, such invitations were normal and accepted.
So when Jesus tells a story
about someone who was preparing for a party and then sends
out his slaves to tell people that the time had come for
them to travel to the host’s home, this type of
invitation seemed normal to them. What would be shocking
would be the kind of excuses that the servants of the
host heard. Things like, “I bought a piece of property
and need to look it over. Send my regrets.” Or,
“I just bought five teams of oxen, and I really
need to check them out. Send my regrets.” Or “I
just got married and need to get home to my wife.”
In the first century world,
one would never treat the offer of hospitality with such
disdain. It was an insult of the highest order. And those
who were hearing Jesus talk about this knew it. You can
almost feel the sense of horror running through the listening
crowd when he spoke these words. The host’s honor
was at stake, and they knew it.
In response, the host, who
at this point in the story is representing God, sends
out his servants again and tells them to bring in anyone
they can find, especially those who would not normally
be invited to such a momentous occasion. Those formerly
outcast would find welcome—but those who had declined
the invitation would discover that they were forever barred
from entry into the host’s house. Very disturbing
words. Could it be that there is a time limit on God’s
invitation to enter into the house of grace and forgiveness?
Could it be that God does run out of patience with us?
We’ll talk about it more on Sunday as we continue
this Lenten season of self-reflection and repentance,
preparing our hearts for the joy of Easter.
