Jesus had no illusions as to the general reception of His Kingdom. He knew that many, from the religious leaders of His own nation and people of the nation itself, to the distant Gentiles, would flout Him and His offer of eternal redemption. They would give the most trivial excuses, preferring for themselves the husks of the world. Webster defines the word excuse as “1. a plea or explanation given in defense of one’s conduct, 2. a release from obligation, duty, etc., 3. something that excuses; an extenuating or justifying factor, and 4. a pretended reason for conduct; a pretext.”
QUESTIONS
- Study the definitions of excuse. In our parable, all who were invited requested that they be excused. Which of the four definitions best applies?
- The man who had bought the field asked to be excused from the feast. What are some of the excuses offered today for not serving God? What is the basic reason behind all these excuses?
- One of the most commonly offered rationalizations for making an excuse in our day is the thought, I’ll do it later. What is the danger of procrastination regarding one’s eternal destiny?
- What was Adam’s excuse for having eaten the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:12)? Did God excuse Adam? Why or why not?
- The man who had married a wife said, “I cannot come.” In reality, do you think he could have gone? Explain.
- If you were a pastor, how would you want a person to react when you asked him to do something in God’s service? With reference to this thought, explain 2 Corinthians 8:12.
- What often results when one asks to be excused from doing a specific task in God’s service?
- What is the feast to which all are invited (Revelation 19:9)? What awaits those who accept the invitation to God’s great feast?
THEME THOUGHTS
Jesus, the greatest of all teachers, often chose to instruct His followers by means of parables—making a comparison between earthly things with which people are familiar, and spiritual things with which they are not so familiar. The Scriptures teach that there is a striking analogy between the natural and the spiritual. Therefore, Christ’s parables were not riddles; they were intended to reveal truth to those who love Him. He told His disciples that it was given unto them to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. But to those who loved darkness rather than light, the meanings of the parables were hidden. Matthew 13:10-15The parables recorded in the Gospel of Luke are remarkable for their simplicity. Jesus sought to put the truth in a form that would bring it within the grasp of man’s finite mind. And we read that “the common people heard him gladly.”In this quarter we will focus on eleven of the parables given by Jesus as recorded by Luke, a writer who emphasized Christ’s sympathetic attitude toward the poor, the lowly, and the outcast. The objective for each lesson indicates the point the parable makes relative to our lives today. The Christmas lesson features the account of Christ’s birth as given by Luke. The final lesson of this quarter will be an overview or summary of the material covered during the preceding weeks. May God bless you as we study these lessons together.