When the invited guests refuse to come, the master tells 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.”

Devotional: Jesus makes it clear: the kingdom of God isn’t reserved for the polished, powerful, or popular. When the banquet sat empty because the invited guests refused, the master sent his servant into the streets. Those who never expected an invitation—the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame—were brought in to sit at the table of the king.

That’s what grace looks like. God keeps inviting, even when people ignore Him. But He doesn’t stop there. He turns His attention to those who never thought they belonged. In a world where status, wealth, and influence often determine who gets included, God flips the script. The forgotten become the honored. The overlooked become the welcomed.

It challenges us to consider how we view our own outreach. Too often, we extend invitations to people who look like us, think like us, and fit comfortably into our communities. But Jesus pushes us outward. Who are the “streets and alleys” people in your world? Maybe it’s the neighbor who never comes out of their house. The single mom stretched thin. The elderly man living alone. The family struggling to make ends meet.

If the King’s banquet has room for them, our tables should too. Outreach is not about filling pews—it’s about filling lives with hope, dignity, and the reminder that they are not forgotten.

This parable reminds us that the gospel isn’t fragile. God isn’t wringing His hands, hoping someone will RSVP. His kingdom will be filled. The only question is whether we’ll be part of extending those invitations. Will we carry His heart into the streets, alleys, shelters, workplaces, schools, and neighborhoods?

God’s invitation is wide enough to include the least likely. He is still sending His servants—you and me—into the streets. The banquet table has chairs to spare. All that’s left is for us to bring them in.

Action: Identify one “forgotten” person in your community and reach out with a kind word or invitation this week.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that Your invitation is wide enough to include me. Help me not to hoard Your grace, but to carry it into the streets, the alleys, and the forgotten places, so that others may know they are welcome at Your table. Amen.

Thought for the Day: God’s table is for the forgotten. Who will you invite today?