Fill the House

[Speaking in a parable, Jesus said,] “‘Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled.’” – Luke 14:23b (NRSV) 

I’m old enough to have grown up before people set much store by “self-esteem.”  

So it’s hard for me to get inside the skin of the characters in Jesus’s parable about the great dinner who are too busy to come to the party. Jesus is at dinner himself, receiving hospitality, so both the context and the conversation revolve around invitations offered, then accepted or rejected. Earlier in the chapter, a parable emphasizes not putting yourself too high at the dinner table; maybe you are not as important or valued as you think you are! Speaking of the great dinner, Jesus describes the people who are caught up in their personal priorities and find reasons not to come. Others will be welcomed to fill the seats they ignored. Be responsive, he says, and be humble. 

Now we live in a time where a needed corrective for some is offered. “Put on your own oxygen mask first,” we are advised, both literally and metaphorically. “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” If everyone is a beloved child of God, and all are deserving of care, then giving until there is nothing left seems like we love our neighbors but maybe not ourselves.  

I want to think that Jesus is making a related point with a different nuance. Being responsive means being open to possibility, but it also means being discerning about where you put your energy. Being humble doesn’t mean being self-effacing; it means recognizing how to be right-sized about your status.  

God is inviting you and me and all y’all and all of everybody else to the table. 

Prayer
Loving God, may we hear your call and fill your house. Amen.

About the Author
Martha Spong is a UCC pastor, a clergy coach, and editor of The Words of Her Mouth: Psalms for the Struggle, from The Pilgrim Press.