Who’s Disabled?

Zechariah 10-12; Psalms 126; Luke 14 

“…the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame…Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full…In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”

Luke 14:21, 23, 33

The Gospel of the kingdom of heaven includes an invitation to all to enter Christ’s banquet. However, the cost of entering is giving up everything we have. In Christ’s parable, the invitation to the banquet was ignored by those consumed by business or personal interests. Those with disabilities and with little to lose gladly accepted the banquet host’s invitation. We see the same phenomena today in the growing urban Churches of the global south, and the declining Churches of the west. When our security in this life is based on money or status, we are handicapped in our capacity to trust Christ’s kingdom Gospel. It is ironic that the spiritually crippled are those with the most to lose in this world.

“Lord Jesus, I lay down all I have for your kingdom and mission, for your glory.”