Kingdom of God
Today, we thought more in depth about God’s Kingdom and considered a parable that Jesus told:
The Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14: 15-24):
When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’
“Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’
“Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
“The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then 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.’
‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’
“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”
Children thought carefully about the reading and wrote down any thoughts and questions they initially had:
- Who were the original three? Why did they refuse?
- Who is the master? Why does he want people in his house?
- I feel bad for the master as he was turned down three times.
- Disabilities don’t matter; we are all equal, all the same.
We then considered some prompts about Jesus and referred to our previous learning and soon understood that the parable was Jesus’ way illustrating the Kingdom and God’s readiness to invite all.
Children spoke to each other at length about the reading links to the Kingdom. Here’s some of the things they shared:
- Everyone is welcome in the Kingdom – it is a choice yet not everyone wants to enter.
- All are equal, God doesn’t judge.
- Everyone is loved.
- God doesn’t mind how many enter.
- Is the Kingdom in Heaven/house/castle? The Kingdom is everywhere.
- The Kingdom can be different for everyone.
Leo M was then able to link the Kingdom to other faiths. He spoke about how the Kingdom can be different for people and linked this to the Hindu faith where many deities are revered.