The watching Pharisees surely weren’t shocked when Jesus again ignored their Sabbath healing rules. But Jesus shocked them in a different way. They loved to talk about the end-time feast for God’s people (verse 15). But in Jesus’ feast story, the chosen said "no," and God called street people instead! Making him your Lord, Jesus said, is costly. Count the cost before you set out on the Journey.

• The picture of a divine feast for God’s people came from Isaiah 25:6-10. Isaiah said this banquet would be for "all peoples," "all nations," "the whole earth"—but in Jesus’ day, the religious leaders wanted to limit it just to their own group of Israelites. What does Jesus’ picture of inviting people from "the city’s streets, the busy ones and the side streets," "the highways and back alleys," tell you about the wideness of God’s mercy, and about the church Jesus was creating?
• Jesus at times used extreme words to focus his hearers on priorities. "Hate" (verse 26) didn’t always mean active malice; it could be a Middle Eastern way to describe making something less central to your life. It can be a challenging spiritual exercise to ask in prayer, "Lord, are there any things, people or dreams I love more than you?" If you do this, make sure you’re willing to shift priorities to honor any insights you get.