The Banquet Means Joy

The parable of the great banquet in Luke 14 can seem intimidating, with some refusing an invitation to a feast and others being compelled to join. But David reminded us that the whole point of describing the kingdom of God as a banquet is that God intends it to be a joyous affair:

When God holds a wedding banquet for his son, his joy is not over his son but over those who repent and come to the banquet. Through the banquet, God is not celebrating for his son, but for the returning of the sinners. That is God’s joy. For this joy, God prepared such a great banquet, redeemed us by paying the price, and prepared a snow-white robe of righteousness by sacrificing his son. Each of us is such a great joy to God. And each of us is the one to be celebrated by God in the banquet. This is how God is connected to us