GOP Gospel: Hospitality II

Day 28 of my Lent project. For background, please read this.

A reading from the Gospel according to the GOP:

One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, "Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!" Then Jesus said to him, "Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is ready now.' But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my apologies.' Another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out, please accept my apologies.' Another said, 'I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.' So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house grew cunning and said to his slave, 'Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town, and invite all those who might bring me honour – the rich, the influential, the famous, the admired. If they do not come, well, they would not have come anyway; but if they do come, my reputation will rise by association with them, and perhaps I will even make friends with them, and through the improvement in my social circle, profit by their connections and reflected glory. For why would God place me in proximity with such people if he did not wish to elevate me through them?'"

( Luke 14:15-24 )