Parable of the Great Banquet as taught on the A train

I stared aimlessly out the window as the subway hurdled through the underground tunnels. I caught some movement out of the corner of my eye and looked over at a crippled man started making his way onto our train with great difficulty. It seemed as if every limb of his wanted to go in a different direction. He had a kind face and appeared to be in his early 40's. He began to speak and though his speech impediment made it hard for him to speak in complete sentences, it wasn't hard to understand what he was saying. He had 3 children at home to feed and his benefits just weren't enough to make ends meet....

Now, New Yorkers see many people every day begging on the train. Usually the men and women are dirty and have torn clothes and evidence of drug/alcohol abuse or mental instability. This man was different. You could tell that he cleaned up as nicely as he could and had this genuine, strong voice as he told his story and made eye contact. I fought back tears as almost every person on the train within ear shot started giving him money before getting off. The man was thanking God and everyone profusely and his face was radiant with gratefulness!

I couldn't help but think of the Parable of the Great Banquet in the New Testament where Jesus is teaching and urges those near to him to not just invite friends, family and rich neighbors when you have a luncheon or feast, for they will probably invite you to one of their parties at some point and repay the favor. In Luke 14:13-14 "But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

This is God's plan for sharing his love with desperate people and meeting their needs. He could easily drop supernatural "manna" from the heavens... OR he may just want to share the joy around and let US be a part of his provision! Nothing is more liberating than holding the resources God has generously provided each of us with open hands.

Pay it forward.