EXCUSES PEOPLE MAKE
Luke 14:16–27
Jesus once told a story about a great banquet prepared by a generous man. The table was set, the invitation was sent, and everything was ready. But when the servant went out to call those who had been invited, every one of them began to make excuses. One said, “I just bought a field and need to go see it.” Another said, “I have purchased five pairs of oxen and must go test them.” Still another said, “I have just married, so I cannot come.” The servant returned and told his master, who was grieved and said, “Go quickly into the streets and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the broken.” When the servant did this and still there was room, the master said, “Go out into the roads and country lanes and urge them to come in, that My house may be full.” And Jesus ended the story with this solemn truth: “None of those who were invited and refused shall taste My supper” (Luke 14:16–24).
Then turning to the great crowds that followed Him, Jesus said, “If anyone comes to Me and does not love Me more than father or mother, wife or children, brothers or sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not take up his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:25–27).
The story was not just about a dinner. It was about the Kingdom of God—the great invitation of grace that goes out to all the world. Yet still, many decline the call. The excuses may sound different today, but the heart of them is the same.
The Excuse of Possessions
The first man said, “I have bought a piece of land, and I must go see it.” What a strange excuse. Who buys a field without first looking at it? But how often do we do the same? We fill our hearts with the fields of this world—homes, investments, careers, comforts—and then claim we have no time left for Christ.
We live in a generation where people measure life by what they own. But Jesus said, “Do not store up treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, but store up treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19–21). The rich fool also thought he could rest because of his barns and his goods, but God said, “You fool, this very night your soul will be required of you” (Luke 12:20). Possessions are good servants but cruel masters.
When we treasure the things of earth more than the things of heaven, we trade eternal glory for temporary gain. The invitation to the banquet of grace still stands, but many will miss it because they are too busy checking their fields. “For what shall it profit a man,” Jesus asked, “if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).
The Excuse of Pursuits
Another said, “I have bought five pairs of oxen, and I must go test them.” His heart was not filled with greed but with busyness. He was preoccupied with work, with progress, with the next thing. Yet what is all our running worth if it leads us away from Christ?
We live in an age of endless motion. Our calendars are full, but our souls are empty. We are connected to everything and everyone except the One who gives life. Jesus said, “What are you worrying about? The Father knows what you need. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:31–33).
The world tells us that success is in doing more. The gospel tells us that salvation is in coming to Christ and resting in what He has done (Matthew 11:28–30). The man who refused the invitation because of his oxen represents the heart too busy to bow. Yet all our testing and striving will one day stop, and only one question will matter: Did we come when He called?
The Excuse of People
Then another said, “I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.” His affection was misplaced. He allowed human love to outweigh divine love. It is not that Christ despises our families—He created them—but He must be first. “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37).
Many hide behind the excuse of others. Some blame their spouse, their friends, their children, or their church. But the call of Jesus is personal. You cannot follow Him through someone else’s obedience, nor reject Him because of someone else’s failure. Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent, but God spoke to each of them directly (Genesis 3:12–13).
We are not called to forsake our loved ones, but to love them rightly, in the light of Christ. The best way to lead your family to heaven is to make Jesus your first love. If we truly love them, we will not let them stand between us and the Savior who died for us all (Luke 9:23–24).
No Excuse Will Stand
The man giving the banquet represents God Himself, who prepares all things for us in Christ. The table of grace is set. The gospel call goes out: “Come, for all things are ready.” Yet people still delay, still decline, still defend their distractions.
The Lord’s invitation is not to religion but to relationship—to sit with Him, to feast with Him, to live with Him forever (Revelation 3:20). Those who refuse will one day see the table filled without them, for God’s purposes will not fail. The broken, the forgotten, the repentant, the poor in spirit—they will be there (Matthew 5:3–6).
The call of discipleship is costly. Jesus said that to follow Him means to take up your cross, to deny yourself, to count everything else as loss for the sake of knowing Him (Luke 14:27; Philippians 3:7–8).
No More Excuses
The time for excuses is over. The invitation still stands, and the voice of the Master still calls. Do not let possessions hold you. Do not let pursuits distract you. Do not let people deter you. “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 3:15).
Lay down the excuses and lift up your heart. Christ has prepared the feast. The doors are open. The Spirit and the Bride still say, “Come.” Whoever thirsts, let him come and drink freely of the water of life (Revelation 22:17).
Let us come—not later, not tomorrow—but now.
Bryan Dewayne Dunaway
