Di Big Feast

Dem don arrange di tables. Dem don light di lamps. Di bread dey warm, and di meat dey roast. Everything don ready for di biggest party for town. Only one problem dey. Nobody dey come.

Dem don invite Jesus come eat Sabbath meal for di house of one big Pharisee. All through di meal e don dey talk about tables and guests. No rush go take di best seat, e talk. And when you make party, no invite only your friends and rich neighbours wey fit invite you back. Invite di poor, people wey get disability, people wey no fit waka, people wey no fit see. One of di guests shout, Blessed na everybody wey go eat bread for di kingdom of God! And Jesus answer with one story.

One man dey prepare big feast, and e invite many guests. Di invitations don go out before time, and people talk yes. Then, when di day reach and di feast don ready, di man send im servant go out with second message for everybody wey dey di list. Make una come, because everything don ready now. Di ovens dey hot. Dem don pour di wine. Di servant comot dey pass di streets to call di guests come.

But one after di other, dem begin give excuses. Di first one talk, I just buy one land, and I must go see am. Abeg, excuse me. Di second one talk, I just buy five pairs of cows wey dey plough, and I dey go try dem. Abeg, excuse me. And di third one? I just marry, so I no fit come. Many people wey read am don notice how dis excuses weak. Who dey buy land without to look am first? Who dey buy cows without to try dem? Under am, each one dey talk di same thing. I no want come.

Di servant go back tell im master everything. And di master vex. But e no cancel di party. Go out quick quick, e talk, enter di streets and di small roads of di town. Bring di poor, people wey get disability, di blind and di lame. Di servant go. Soon people dey enter di door wey nobody don ever invite to anything like dis for dem whole life. Dem look di tables. Dem sit down, surprise full dem. Somebody pass di bread give dem.

Then di servant come back. Sir, wetin you order, I don do am, and space still dey. So di master talk, Go out to di big roads and di village paths, and force people make dem come inside, so dat my house go full. Di invitation dey travel far and far, pass di town, reach travellers and strangers. And then di master talk one last thing wey serious well well. None of di people wey I invite go taste my feast. Di door open wide. Di ones wey talk no choose to stay outside.

Dat second invitation na real custom. Di man wey dey make feast go invite guests before time, then send servants to bring dem when di food don ready. You fit see am for di book of Esther, where di king officials come hurry Haman go di feast wey Queen Esther don prepare. So di guests for di story of Jesus don already talk yes. To back out for last minute, when di food dey hot for table, na public insult to di man wey invite dem.

Di Big Feast. You go find am for Luke chapter fourteen, verse fifteen to twenty-four. God don arrange im table, and di invitation still dey go out: to di streets, to di small roads, to people wey no ever expect say dem go invite dem. Space dey. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Which excuses fit stop you from talking yes to God invitation, and who you fit invite make e come with you?